Juliette joined Merkle with a degree in Geology. She also plays football for a Premier League women's football team! Having recently finished our three month training programme, we ask her about life in Merkle's academy.
Prior to joining Merkle, do you feel that you were fully prepared for what was to come?
I was about as prepared as I could have been! By the time you come in for your first day you already know about the new joiner process through your interviews and assessment day so there aren’t any big surprises. The recruitment team are great at making sure you’ve got all the information you need before starting and helping you settle in once you arrive too. The most important thing to remember if you’ve got any nerves, is that everyone starts in the same place!
What can a new joiner expect in their first week?
A new joiner can expect the first week to fly by! You’ll meet your buddies on the first day – these guys are here to help you settle in, take you for lunch and generally be there for you when you need them. You’ll get your training schedule early on – don’t worry, you’ll definitely wander into the wrong meeting room a few times, but people will be happy to point you in the right direction. There will be homework set from these training sessions but you’re not meant to do them at home, they’re more assignments to do whilst you’re at your desk. These are really valuable for practicing the skills you are taught in training and consolidating ideas.
How are you finding the training process in Academy as a whole?
The training in academy is really comprehensive and covers everything you need to feel confident in running your own accounts. It’s quite intense at the beginning with assignments from each session but you get some really valuable feedback that you should keep in mind for your future work. It can be daunting when you’re told that you will get clients within your first month or so, but you’ll have plenty of support and by that time, you will be ready! You might find that your workload is light at times, but at that stage you will often get asked to support other account managers with build work, which is really good practice for when you do your own.
What did you enjoy the most during your time in the Academy?
The realisation a few weeks in that you actually know so much more than you did at the beginning was a great feeling! The atmosphere in the office is brilliant and the culture is such that everyone is really friendly and welcoming and helps each other out; you find yourself absorbing things just from what’s going on around you. The socials have been great too – bubble football has definitely been one of the highlights so far!
What advice would you give to future new joiners?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, everyone will have been through the same process as you and will be happy to help! And when you forget names, the Merkle ‘meet the team’ webpage is always useful!
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