Starting a new job at any time is going to be unfamiliar and nerve-wracking. But what about when you’re starting during a global lockdown?
We spoke to Three Whiskey new starter, Broderick Sutherland, to get his take on the process and find what has (and hasn’t) worked for him.
Hi Broderick! Before we start, please tell us who you are and what you do here at Three Whiskey.
I basically took one look at the job description and I felt “I can do this!” I thought this was the perfect level and environment for me to start and to enhance my skills and knowledge in this area.
My name is Broderick and I'm a Digital Analyst who sits within the Research, Analytics, and Data team. I'm pretty new to data analytics as a profession, so right now, I am learning a lot of different things about digital data strategies, technologies, tools, techniques and assisting my colleagues with any and all sorts of work that come in!
Can you give us a brief overview of how you joined Three Whiskey and the recruitment process?
Before I joined Three Whiskey, I was a Marketing Executive within the young careers sector, so this was a significant change of career for me. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, I was aware that my (now previous) job was at risk of redundancy, and that there was a high amount of competition for marketing roles. We were talking hundreds applying for one role. Thankfully, earlier in the year, I started looking into analytics as a potential profession as I was always interested in the data side of marketing, and that’s where I felt my strengths were in the marketing sector.
This is where Three Whiskey comes into play. I basically took one look at the job description and I felt “I can do this!” I thought this was the perfect level and environment for me to start and to enhance my skills and knowledge in this area, because there's nothing quite like learning in a hands on environment. As for the recruitment process, it was a relatively straight forward process of initial interview, a task, another interview and task, and then a final interview. I felt that throughout the process, they were looking for more than just experience, but someone that has potential. Someone who has the drive to learn and that they can mould into the business’ needs. This gave me confidence in my own abilities throughout the process.
How was Three Whiskey's recruitment process different to those of other jobs you’ve had in the past, and what effect did that have?
I can only talk from my own personal experience, but I felt that there was a general level of understanding from my interviewers (and now my colleagues!) that they knew I would be largely new to this environment, so they really decided to focus on my experience in marketing, because there were a lot of transferable skills there. As for the task I was set, this was something that was completely new to me, but unlike certain other places, the team here at 3W gave a proper briefing of what they wanted and not just a question that's three lines long and left to your interpretation, which I really appreciated. The final stage was a run through of the things that I would need in order to feel supported from day one in this role which, again, I really appreciated!
The biggest challenge is that everything we do is virtual right now, so sometimes things would naturally be easier like shadowing a staff member or asking a quick question over a desk.
What was the most challenging part about starting a new job during lockdown?
Not just a new job, but a new career! Obviously, the biggest challenge is that everything we do is virtual right now, so sometimes things would naturally be easier like shadowing a staff member or asking a quick question over a desk. With that being said, I think everybody has been incredibly helpful and very communicative when I have needed something to help overcome certain challenges in the first few weeks here.
Was there anything that surprised you?
Everyone has been so warm and welcoming—especially in this virtual world we work in right now. I don’t think I have experienced such a warm welcome into a new job since the first day I earned a payslip! I'm very glad that what 3W says on their website about working here is absolutely true.
What advice would you give to someone who’s beginning a new job, remotely?
Be kind on yourself. This is a challenging world that we live in right now, and hopefully that changes. Also, be honest and communicative about things that you are unsure about, because that’s the only way they can be addressed. And lastly, be patient; both individuals and business are facing the challenge of doing everything remotely, so sometimes things can take that little bit longer when adjusting to a new role.
What can companies do to make the process as easy and positive as possible for their new starters?
I think what companies can do even before their new starters start is potentially address gaps in certain skill and knowledge areas so new starters can have that assistance from day one.
Just from my experience here over the past few weeks, I think what companies can do even before their new starters start is potentially address gaps in certain skill and knowledge areas so new starters can have that assistance from day one. It definitely worked for me and has helped me settle in a lot quicker than I have done in previous roles.
If you're looking to start the new year with a new job, take a look at our current openings for the US and UK.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash