Below, I’ve written a bit about my work experience at Transform and how much I learned during the week.

I'm a student at secondary school, interested in design and art, and was primarily looking to learn more about the digital aspects of designing. After some research, I came across Transform Digital and immediately wanted to learn more about what they did (and how I could do some of it myself). I was welcomed into the team instantly, introduced to each of them to learn about their individual jobs and how they supported the company, and found there was so much more to learn than I realised.

Here are four things I learned during my time with Transform — Comms, Digital, and ESG.

1. Voiceovers in the studio

On my second day, I worked closely with Daniel Kelly — Senior Account Manager & Content Writer — and joined him in meetings. As well as proofreading a blog post, I also joined a voiceover session with him. I learned about scripts, how essential they are for an accurate take, how much they change in the voiceover session itself, and the different ways you can say things using your facial expressions — something Daniel finally figured out after trying to say the client’s name 15 times! The experience also showed me how each part of the process needed to be closely considered: the place you film, the tools you use, and how close you are to the microphone.

2. Instagram posts and filming

Another highlight in my week was helping to create Instagram posts with Georgine Tucker — senior graphic designer — and experimenting with editing the text and photos to make them more engaging and aesthetically pleasing to the audience, to ensure they wanted to look at our page and follow / like content.

I also helped film a YouTube video focusing on the pros of outsourcing your work to marketing agencies and consultancies, like Transform, before filming my very own video about my work experience so far and whether I’d recommend Transform (you’ll have to watch the video to find out!). I learned about camera positioning and how, even if you use a black screen behind, it needs more depth to look appealing. The person on camera also needs to have half of their face with a triangle of light below their eye, while the other half needs lots of light to cast a shadow over the other half of the face, giving depth — one of the many tricks I learned this day!

3. Writing blog posts

I’ve learned all about the layout normally used to create an effective blog post and how it should be structured to be both Google-friendly and engaging to the reader. For SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), I learned how to tag certain words or phrases using online software tools to find what searches have a high volume and low difficulty — this means if it has a high volume, many people search for that keyword, and if it has a low difficulty, not many companies have linked their website to it, so more people will be directed to your website if you feature it in the writing.

4. Research

I also had the opportunity to do some research for a client and get hands-on by looking into law firms for Transform ESG (environmental social governance). After reading through roughly 10 company websites, I soon learned about the layouts that were adopted and the staff required to run their business, and how some used interactive models or photography to make it more engaging, while others simply used statistics and writing. I've learned that, to understand something, you need to put the time aside for proper research before you can accurately write about it. Knowing this will broaden my knowledge as well as make me a better writer for whatever career I decide to pursue in the future.

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Why you should do work experience at Transform

Although I'm more interested in the design side of the company, I was surprised by how much interest I had in the writing and filming side of things, too. The staff were very welcoming and allowed me to get stuck in when I wanted to — they really did inspire me to look into this industry more when I'm older.

Transform also allowed me to know what types of design I’m really interested in, so I could narrow it down and know what part of this industry I would like to get into. I would highly recommend working here — they have tonnes of experience and can teach you a lot in a short period of time.

This blog post was written by Olivia Albrow, a secondary school work experience student in Somerset. At Transform Comms, we actively look for social outreach opportunities like these wherever possible, to support and work with people who are interested in gaining work experience in marketing, communications, the services of our sister companies Transform Digital and Transform ESG, and anything related.