Hi! I am Ira. I am from Ukraine and I’m 19. I am currently studying in the Kyiv University of Taras Shevchencko and working in meliorate from April 2022. Here, I share my experience of working with meliorate from a whole other perspective. Join me and watch the company performance from the inside.

Ukrainian journalist and English writer, who works as a social media content creator in a German consulting company, sounds like an introduction to the failing novel. However, it is based on actual events, which you can observe in my example. Hi, I’m Iryna, and my life is kinda crazy. I will be with you for a while, demonstrating my adaptation experience in meliorate. So, let’s take this journey together.

My cooperation with meliorate started on the 17th of March when the company posted a vacancy ‘Social Media Marketing Support.’ As a former writer and journalist, I understood SMM, but the consulting area was entirely new for me. Pretending that I had a deep knowledge about the company or consulting sphere, in general, was pointless. I believe that it was apparent to the HRs, but thanks to them for not showing it to me. After the interview, I felt terrified, to be honest. “How am I going to write about asset management?”, “Shall I create content for all social media on my own?” and “How do I balance my former work, studying, personal life, and the second work?” were the thoughts I couldn’t get rid of.

My anxiety about upcoming work was fading out during the long-long documentation process. As a Ukrainian, I consider my country to be highly bureaucratic. “You fool thing,” I think of my past self when familiarized with the German documentation process. Do you guys always do this? Finally, after finishing this eternal process, I had a chance to visit the office for my first ‘working’ day. It was such a relief to finally end bureaucratic part and get down to work. Well, I thought it was supposed to be my first working day. In fact, I was learning about the company, its activities, values, and clients. Undoubtedly, it was essential information to start the work, but crucial ≠ captivating. The night before, I slept for three hours. You can imagine how exciting listening about asset management and energy infrastructure certification was for me. Still, I had a chance to work independently for twenty minutes. I spent them developing aims and defining the target audience of meliorate’s social media, which was nice because I realized that didn’t make a mistake in the choice of workplace.

As I work once a week, my next working day is the next week, and I was keen to finally work on a company’s social media. Indeed, I developed SMART goals and Instagram templates and brainstormed ideas for each social media platform. I thought I did an excellent job until I discovered that I rushed ahead. Oliver, owner and managing director of meliorate, had a diverse vision of SMM. Not that my work was a waste, but it was instead a chaotic formation of undeveloped ideas and unclear objectives. So, we needed to conclude with a shared viewpoint for social media functioning. Another essential detail from my second working day was a guy from another company who complimented a chair in meliorate’s office. Hi, I also find that chair gorgeous! In fact, I never had a chance how comfort it is.

Luckily, Oliver had time next week to discuss the ideas on SMM for our cooperation. It was my third week in the company and third working day, so I still was getting used to it. I was advised to read ‘The Pyramid Principle. Logic in writing and thinking’ by Barbara Minto to have a profound understanding of consulting. One insight from the internal company’s functioning – each document, presentation, and a dialogue with a client is based on the principles from this book. Therefore, I needed to do this (which I didn’t by far). Also, we finally developed the short-term strategy and ideas for social media, so I was delighted to start my work as an actual content creator. Three weeks and now we are here.

Overall, my meliorate journey started roughly with obstacles in documentation, coming to the same viewpoint, and starting work in general. Still, the people in the company have been trying their best to facilitate this transition and adaptation process for me, for which I am deeply thankful. Now, that I started my work, I can share what does it mean to combine journalism and consulting for 19-year old Ukrainian. So, here I am, sharing my diary with you.

Iryna Nykoriak

Published 20.05.2022

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