Starting my first job in lockdown.
Hey! I'm Jemima and I have been an Account Executive at Redbox Mobile for just over 6 months now. It seems so crazy to say that, as I have been here for half a year, yet I haven't met the majority of the Redbox team!
I had my first day in the office on the 3rd March and I managed to meet Lucy, James, Nicole, Rory and Jason, and during these two weeks I had lots of training sessions with everyone and a couple of fun lunches out. After just two weeks in the office, the decision was made that it would be safer if we worked from home. I don't think anyone anticipated how long this would last (in my head it was going to be a month, maybe two – how wrong I was!).
It was a very strange experience working from home, especially as it was my first ever full-time job out of university. There were a few perks: firstly, I didn't have to wake up at 6:30am to get a train into London. Not having to commute saved me a lot of money (the railcard I was paying for was more expensive than my rent in Leeds!). Secondly, I got to spend a lot more time with my family which was lovely.
I was apprehensive at the start because there was still a lot of training which I had to do, and that was definitely more challenging to do from home - you can't just ask a quick question in person like in the office. Despite this, my team were so amazing and helpful throughout lockdown.
When I think back to when I first started, I have acquired so much knowledge on ASA, ASO and Google App Campaigns, and I now feel very confident when speaking to clients (over video calls of course) about these topics. Initially this was something that seemed quite daunting to me, as I had no prior knowledge on mobile app marketing. My reporting skills and ability to work independently and manage my own clients have also improved thanks to the guidance of the Senior AMs and the CEO.
I currently work with a broad range of clients; for the larger clients I assist on reporting (ASA and ASO) and campaign management, while for the smaller clients I am now able to manage on my own, which includes completing ASO work by myself, weekly reporting and running through the campaigns' performance with the client and answering their questions on a video call, which has greatly improved my confidence.
As of the 9th September we made the decision to move back into our London office! We went in for two days a week and it was amazing to see everyone again (including the two new account managers who were also hired during lockdown, who I speak to everyday but had never met!). We went out for some drinks and pizza after work which was so nice to do in person finally! However, just two weeks later we are back to working full time from home, as advised by the government. It is a shame that we were only back in the office so briefly, but we plan to still meet up for dinner/drinks.
Thank you to everyone at Redbox for making my first job experience so great and for teaching me so many new skills, despite the highly unusual situation we are in! I have felt fantastically supported throughout this time and feel very lucky.