I was introduced to BHM by two people I respect and admire a lot in the PR and Comms industry, my former bosses when I was doing my internship as part of my final year in university. I was told of an opportunity to work for a reputable PR and Comms agency and encouraged to apply.
I did my research on BHM, and I was impressed! Reading through their history and their impressive works thus far, who would not want to work for a company that was built from the ground up and has become one of the leading PR agencies in Nigeria (and hopefully globally too)? I knew from that day on, that this is where I want to immerse myself and start my career in PR.
So when I received that offer letter, it took a lot for me not to scream from the mountains. Not only that, I was going to work for BHM’s sister company, BHM UK. I get to be a part of the story of its success (I really have that much faith and hope in this company).
The days leading up to the 1st of October felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace. I wanted to jump-in and get to work immediately.
After what felt like eternity, the 1st of October finally came.
The first meeting really gave me some perspective and insight to the type of work environment I was now a part of. If there was a scale to express my growing likeness for working at BHM UK, I would definitely say it tips the scale.
Like most people, starting a new job is exciting, you look forward to your first day with anticipation and excitement. Despite the excitement, I was not prepared, however, for the hoards of emails that flooded my inbox on the first day. There were over 100 emails in my inbox by the end of the day…I checked at the end of the day.
It was overwhelming to say the least, but the support and encouragement and the “open-door” policy from the team helped a great deal.
It felt like I was being thrown in the deep end, on the first day. But then, no pain, no gain. It took me a couple of days to get some sort of grasp on everything.
Besides the flood of emails, my first day was really not bad. After the team introductions, it was time to get familiar with the agency and hit the ground running.
One of the things I really enjoy about working at BHM UK, is that we are all a team and if one of us hits a brick wall or needs help with a work-related issue or task, there is always someone available to provide their insight or assistance. I’ve really come to appreciate that and the daily meetings we have as a team.
One of my goals when I decided to study a communications related course was to work on my writing skills and really hone them to be engaging and impactful and maybe insightful to some.
There were days, however, when I felt completely out of practice, days when I would have a writer’s block. Where were the good writing skills that I have over the years taken so much pride in.
I decided to do a career change in my late 20s, so sometimes I had to remind myself that I am pretty much still a newbie in this game and to just breathe, and I am really fortunate to be starting at a company like BHM UK, where they do not just want you to produce good work results, but to also learn and grow as a PR professional.
The tasks I’m assigned daily, from the contact reports, to something as small as writing and responding to emails, to even writing this think piece about my first two weeks at BHM UK, have helped slowly get me back in my writing groove and it really does not hurt that I have such a kick-ass boss.
Over the next few months, I am really hoping to get my groove back, let’s call the next six months “How Mpine Got Her (Writing) Groove Back”, grasp and continue to learn everyday.
Although this is a work from home job, I definitely want to meet everyone in person one day, my boss-boss Ayeni Adekunle and my boss Enitan Kehinde (everyone really deserves to have Ayeni and Enitan type of bosses in their career journey), and the people I work with and interact with on a daily basis.
The knowledge, guidance and motivation I’ve gotten from everyone I have been in contact with at BHM UK is something to be revered and I think I am at the right place where I’ll have the opportunity to learn from peers and experts.