Professional Experience

For My professional experience I worked with a company called Tap-a-cab. A small private company that has created a new taxi booking app that can be used on any smart phone. I decided to work within a company as my aim is to work for a media company rather than work on self-managed projects when I finish my degree. During my time with Tap-a-cab I gained professional experience in a media based company, even though it was small I still gained an insight into the way in which a company operates and the process involved in creating such things as the website, social networks, promotional advert and contracts with taxi companies.  I developed and gained many skills during my experience which helped me to understand how a media company works and what is involved. Roles included accompanying managers to interviews and meetings were I took minuets and highlighted areas of discussion, assistance in graphic design aspects for the social networking including the Facebook banner, twitter background and company logo. I also conducted market research which helped set up contracts between the taxi firms and the tap-a-cab company on a geographical scale. I also had input into the design of the business cards and finally was involved within the finance and budgeting within the company. Overall I was involved within many areas of the company giving me a wider experience within the work place and a more detailed understanding of how the company operates, allowing me to develop and gain more skills that I had not previously gained.

 

I had already had experience in the involvement of meetings which I gained in my other work experience both from the past and present. The meetings I was involved in with Tap-a-cab allowed me to have more responsibility and gave me a role that allowed me to feel more involved. Other meetings didn’t allow me to do this as I was simply just a fly on the wall, a person who would sit and observe what was going on. By giving me the role of taking minuets during the meetings proved I was responsible and reliable. It showed I could pay attention to the important points as well as taking detailed notes of what was being discussed. It also showed I could create helpful and detailed action plans which the company could use in order to progress. Being involved with in the meetings also gave me the opportunity to share and discuss my ideas/plans that could be used, giving the company an outsider’s perspective. During this process I learnt that meetings play a huge part within a company, discussing ideas and reviewing tasks are key in the progress and development of a company. It allows a company to reflect on what has already been done and what can be changed or improved. This can apply to whatever area of work you go into, meetings are important whatever you do, and I learnt if you can be involved as much as you can with in a meeting you will benefit a lot more both personally and commercially.

Prior to my experience at Tap-a-cab I already had a small amount of experience with in design work, I had used photo shop to change images and create new ones including my own production logo. When creating my own logo I only had myself to please as it was a logo that would represent me and my production work. When creating logos and other designs for a company it is a lot more complex. The company may always have a certain vision in their mind and it’s up to you to create this vision. Designs that you may like another person may hate so creating a balance is very important. I learnt that working as a team was very helpful when creating a design, as the group ideas helped to create something that everybody liked. I didn’t create the design but I assisted the company in doing so, I helped with feedback and gave suggestions on what could be changed or improved. By already having experience within design it allowed me to give a more productive input as I had knowledge of how designs are created and the purpose behind them. Without this knowledge I don’t think I would have been able to give as much helpful advice or creative input. By experiencing the process in which a company takes in order to have a final design, I learnt that a lot of hard work is put in and that detail is key meaning everything has a purpose, nothing is there for no reason. When your designing for a company it has to represent what the company is all about without being too complicated, so there is no room for elements that detract from the company itself. I learnt from this that you have to have a clear idea about the product or company you are designing for, as without this research or information you could create something that says nothing about what you are meant to be promoting. Finally discussion is very significant as it is were decisions are made and discussed several times in order to make sure that everything is on track and that everyone is pleased with what is being produced. I learnt it is important to constantly overlook the project you are working on as it is good to reflect on what has been completed and what needs to be changed or improved. It is also important to see if targets are being met and budgets are being stuck to so everybody has an understanding what needs to be done.

 

Overall my experience at tap-a-cab was very useful; I learnt the basics about how a company runs but also learnt about the depth and hard work that goes into every detail of the company, from the brainstorming meetings, to the logo design, to the finalisation of contracts being setup. I have learnt and developed more of my skills from this experience on a wide range. I have developed my designing skills by learning from those more advanced than me, I have gained confidence when forwarding my ideas and thoughts within the company, I have increased my understanding of research and how important it is to know your product or company u are working with. I have learnt to appreciate group meetings and the amount of significance these meetings have within a company. I have also learnt what it is really like to work within a professional environmental on a more advanced scale. Skills I think I should have developed more during my professional experience are my camera and film production skills, I believe I should have gained more experience with using a camera in order to create professional projects with a polished finish. Even though my aim is not to work on self-managed projects I believe having great camera skills will also become useful whatever carer you go into, technology is very important in society so having camera skills will always become useful.