Making the Transition: Early Careers Scheme First 6 Months

Embarking on a Digital Marketing career for the first time in London can be quite a daunting and intimidating process, especially for a university graduate with no full experience in the agency world. However, WeDiscover’s Early Careers Scheme is truly a gem in a sea of corporate pebbles. 

I joined the team in September 2022 alongside another graduate who was in a similar position. As I sit in our newly established office in Central London and reflect on my professional experience thus far, I can confidently say that since starting the scheme, it has been one of the most enriching and insightful experiences of my life.

Let us rewind back to my first introduction to WeDiscover - the interviews. Most graduates, including myself, fear the application and interview stages, particularly for the first professional job outside of university. I decided to give this opportunity a shot and apply with full confidence, refining all professional documents. However, to my surprise, a CV was not required. Yes, you heard it, the hiring process at WeDiscover is CV-less.

Above all, the team wanted to get to know me as an individual with the aim of eliminating unconscious bias prior to chatting. The interviews did not feel like interviews, they felt like ‘professional conversations'. Everything felt natural and at no point did I feel anxious. In fact, I felt excited and quite eager to communicate my experiences in the subsequent interviews, echoing my thoughts on Paid Search topics. Interested? Click here to learn further about The First Interviews.

Leading up to the first day of work at WeDiscover I was quite excited to start learning about Digital Marketing and essentially what everyone within the agency gets up to on a day to day basis. I did feel slightly nervous to socialise and get to know more members of the company, all of whom are experts in their field. At first, I did feel like a fish out of a pond. However, following the engaging interviews and Summer Social, I felt extremely welcome and already part of the family. I was not afraid to ask questions, and learnt so much within the first couple of weeks.

Our First Lunch at WeDiscover

This is echoed by Kenneth Yong, the other graduate who joined the careers scheme:

“The transition from studying to an adult working life has been a relatively daunting one. However, my first interaction with the team during my first day of work eased my worries! The extremely friendly and approachable colleagues, and the positive environment that they have created in the office, have made for some very fond memories”.

We expected our first months to be overwhelming as we had not done much Paid Search work prior to joining the agency. Fortunately, we were given a lot of flexibility with training sessions and had enough time and opportunity to consolidate the many aspects of performance marketing, obtaining insights from a range of clients from different industries.

Kenneth emphasises this last point, stating that “speaking to everyone within the agency, and looking at an array of case studies and businesses involved motivated [him] to get to grips with Paid Search and start making an impact”. We both participated in over 30 training sessions and numerous paired sessions, learning further about the industry and general client management.

I felt a sense of accomplishment travelling into Central London on my own and participating in every training session in the office, a space I can confidently say I work at. Kenneth in particular “love[s] the minimalist design... [and] the open space concept easing communication between colleagues, creating a friendly atmosphere”.

Additionally, we meet with our line manager, essentially our mentor, regularly to discuss our personal and/or professional achievements and struggles. I particularly enjoy these meetings as I feel like they break up my week and allow me to reflect on everything I have done thus far.

The company culture at WeDiscover is second to none (shoutout to the Social Team)!

As mentioned, before starting, we participated in a Summer Social and met most members of the company in-person. We undertook a GourMaze ‘food crawl’ around London, getting to know each other on a personal level.

Towards the end of October we held our first Hackathon, spending 2 days working on projects within teams aiming to make the best marketing proposal for a new tech product.

In December, we celebrated the holidays by holding an exciting Christmas Social. Every member in the company (including those who work abroad) joined in and sat around and ate a delicious Christmas feast, reflecting on all of our 2022 accomplishments, including Kenneth and myself. It truly feels like family.

Watching the Jersey Boys Musical

Christmas Lunch with the Team

A couple of months in, Kenneth and I both answered the following question: what do we want to accomplish within our first 6 months at WeDiscover? Our answers were based on hands-on client experience, positive impacts, and continual personal development. 

Fast forward to January 2023, we have accomplished far more than our initial goals:

1. Built a strong Paid Search foundation through various training sessions

2. Joined separate client teams and participated in weekly meetings

3. Been given more responsibilities and autonomy over client related tasks

4. Made suggestions on matters related to client’s business

5. Improved Google Sheets skills tremendously

6. Became Ads Editor pros

7. Obtained certifications related to Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and JavaScript

The list continues! A big shoutout to all those involved in the Early Careers Scheme. Looking back, I feel proud with all that Kenenth and I have accomplished and look forward to prospering in the Paid Search industry with the help of everyone working at WeDiscover.

My top tip for all prospective new-joiners is to get yourself out there, be confident, and not to be afraid to step into the unknown. Perhaps we could discover your Digital Marketing potential here at WeDiscover.

Think a career at WeDiscover could be for you? We’re hiring and we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a message here and get in touch.