Meg Blog

Finally, summer was here…Glad to get out of school for that much needed break! Little did I know that my summer break was going to be cut short, as we were told by our school that we had to render 200 hours worth of on-the job-training. Panic!

Where do I apply? How do I apply? What happens during an OJT? Heeeeelp!

My classmates and I narrowed down our list of possible media-related corporations that we considered. Out went the application letters and follow up calls. Time was ticking…no feedback. Stress crept in as most of my friends were already starting their work. On April 6, finally, I received that much anticipated call! “Hello, is this Sandra Artadi? This is so-and-so from Mega Publications… can you start tomorrow?” (Whaaaaat?! Are you kidding me? Tomorrow??) Ok, ok, I didn’t play hard to get, I did start the next day… So, given that brief introduction, allow me to share my uber-fab experience working at MEG…

Time flew extremely fast during my summer OJT stay at MEG. I guess that’s what happens when you enjoy the work so much, so they say. So, here I was on the way to my first day at work at MPG, (That’s Mega Publishing Group for those outside the biz =)). I finally got to the Strata 100 Building. I was welcomed by the HR Manager who gave a standard OJT-orientation, which included a tour around the entire 18th floor (the office), and other information every first timer receives. Week one went by quickly. I admit it was quite a struggle. I was not familiar with the work process and was clueless as to what I actually had to do. Panic and stress to the max! After meeting up with my mom I had a talk with her as we were both on the way home from work. She gave me some pointers on how to handle the situation I was in. Basically, she told me to be brave and confident, ask the right questions and learn on my own. Given everyone’s work loads, no one could afford to tutor me one-on-one. Fine…I slept on it.

By week two I was more or less familiar with the work, and was therefore given more responsibilities. Week 2 put my communication skills to the test. I was assigned to call the guests for an upcoming event we were launching soon, Yes, all 800 of them…well, of course, I’m exaggerating it was more or less around 200 guests. But it sure did feel like 800 at the time I was calling!

Fast forward, I was well on my way to my third week of working bliss. Finally! The MEG GO SEE events. On the night of April 24, we had the “ingress” (the “set-up”) in preparation for the first leg which was held at the Alabang Town Center the day after. Work was a long 17 hours that day as we finished at 2:00AM. After 5 hours of sleep, we were back in the mall in time for day 1.

The second GO SEE, much like the first, was held at the activity center of Glorietta the following week. Both events I attended were packed to the brim with young and beautiful ladies aspiring to become the next winner of the 2008 cover search…not to mention the mommies who didn’t find it at all hard to release their inner MEG Girl. Everyone, us included, was treated to fabulous makeovers courtesy of the Metro’s best hair, make-up, and wardrobe companies.

Talk about a dream job! It was absolute fantasy for me! I loved seeing how the girls, some of them younger, some of them older, regained their confidence and self-esteem after a simple make-over. Studying in an all-girls school, we are always taught to stand on our own, uplift each other and be confident no matter what situation we are put in. Experiencing the GO SEEs, and having been surrounded by all these now confident girls, made me feel like we were in a world of our own, like a sorority of some sort…that only us MEG girls understood.

After the two legs, we were back at the office preparing for the last leg which was to be held in Trinoma. It was rather sad knowing that I wasn’t going to be there anymore because by the time of the event, I would have already completed most of the hours I needed to put in for my OJT. God knows how much I wanted to extend my stay there but because of the many commitments I’d already made in school, my schedule didn’t permit. Wow! Had it been 200 hours already? How fast time flew…I guess you will just have to read about that last event in the next issues of MEG!

In retrospect, days before working I was expecting the experience to be like something out of the pages of The Devil Wears Prada but it turned out a 100 times the opposite…it was so much better! I actually got to work with “real” people who didn’t judge me for my inexperience. I had officemates, (if I may call them that), whose patience for teaching is truly commendable and appreciated. And best of all I had a boss who was the least bit like Miranda, the best boss I could ever ask for! MEG provided a working environment that made my transition from a student to a working girl very easy. They gave me a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as an individual. Working with them gave me a completely different makeover, one that didn’t require makeup at all. I am now more experienced, more confident, and more determined to succeed in the future. Thank you Meg for a job, indeed, well done!

Sandra Artadi, Intern

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 @ 1:02 am on the category Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 Both comments and pings are currently closed.