First Day at a Creative Agency

Hi! I’m Em. If you don’t already know me, I’m the new Junior Marketing Executive at Cygnus. I have a fear of being late, and an annoying habit of planning every conversation I ever have. I started my new role on the 15th January 2024. I have now officially been in the role for 4 weeks, and as I reach that marker, I’ve taken the time to look back at my first day at Cygnus, this is how it went:

I was offered the opportunity about 4 weeks before my start date. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to start!

My excitement was also helped by Toby (my new manager) keeping in contact with me. Not only did I get a ‘Merry Christmas Em!’ and ‘Happy New Year’ (which I thought was the nicest gesture I’d had from a new manager) he also arranged for some personalised ‘Biscuitteer’ gingerbread to be sent my way! Que my excited (and slightly boastful) LinkedIn post! Needless to say, I spent 4 weeks in excited anticipation for my very first day at Cygnus. And before I knew it, Monday the 15th January 2024 arrived.

As with any first day at a new job. It’s incredibly nerve-racking. You spend the night before packing, unpacking and repacking your (probably brand-new) bag. In my case, I spent my night double checking where my ID was every 15 minutes, in between trying on outfit options after discovering I’d lost my only comfortable pair of smart shoes (I found them by the front door 2 days later).

For context, on the Friday before, Toby called to let me know that we would be attending a client site visit on the Monday. On my first day. “Do I need to bring anything with me?” I asked. “Just yourself, your ID - as it is a high security building - and smart attire please.” He replied, breezily.

Obviously this then triggered me to need to know the whereabouts of my ID at all times, in fear that I would magically lose it in the next 3 days (despite having never lost my ID in the 8 years of owning it).

Toby had asked me to come in for 10am. So, obviously I arrived at 9:30 am and parked around the corner until 9:50 am (For some reason I was worried that driving around the corner would take over 10 minutes).

Once I had parked up, Toby greeted me at the ‘Shed’ door and talked me through my kit. I was most excited about my new work phone (I’d never had one before!) until I turned it on and realised it was a Nokia…

After packing up all of my new kit, it was decided that I would drive Toby and I to the train station so we could head to London. Toby was very kind and told me that I was a ‘confident driver’. Although I think he missed the part of the journey where I almost gave us both whiplash because I couldn’t decide whether or not to drive through an amber light.

Once we got on the train, Toby began to give me a brief rundown of the client. This is the point where the imposter syndrome began to sink in. It felt like a shadow holding onto my shoulders, whispering “You shouldn’t be here.” It’s one of the hardest feelings to brush off, and I don’t think I managed to until we sat down for lunch with the client.

Toby was still collecting his food, so I was sitting with two of the clients alone. I felt like I’d gotten a grasp on what was important to the client during the initial briefing, and I successfully managed to point out relevant observations to the client, who (thankfully) agreed. The Imposter shadow on my shoulders removed one hand.

The client took us on a tour of the facilities, and whilst I can’t disclose much, it honestly felt like I was in a film. The whole building felt futuristic, I was especially fond of the little conveyor belt that took away our dirty dishes from lunch!

As we were wrapping up the meeting, I followed on with the conversation between the clients and Toby. To my surprise, observations and comments I was making in my head were being discussed out loud. The Imposter shadow shrunk to the small of my back, where it stayed for the commute back to Milton Keynes. On my way home, I treated myself to a lemon tart, to commend myself on a job well done. Toby had said not to worry about doing any work when I got home, but just from the trip, I was buzzing with energy and ideas, not just for the client but for our own marketing. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Once home I set up my new laptop, checked my emails, and took a deep breath out. Although that small shadow was still clinging onto me, I could hear my own voice telling me “You’re exactly where you belong.”

My first day at Cygnus was truly a unique experience. In fact, everyday since has continued to be unique, with the likes of Mario Kart Lunches, Impossible to Ignore Internal Meetings and Pizza School Trips. Whilst my Imposter shadow keeps growing and shrinking, I’ve slowly discovered that Cygnus has begun to feel like home to me.

I have already learnt that Cygnus is a company that cares about my development, but isn’t afraid to push me out of my comfort zone to help me realise my true potential. The team that makes up Cygnus are equally amazing, everyone cares about each other, and egos are truly left at the door. A special shout out to Marcus (for upholding Family First Values in the business) Gemma (for ensuring everyone is included and organised) and of course Toby (for hiring me… and also being extremely supportive of my development, and giving me opportunities to succeed).

I hope you follow along with my journey as I continue to progress with Cygnus, and as I help Cygnus progress as a company (with the help of Toby I guess…).

Thanks, Em :)