ALEX’ WORK EXPERIENCE AT AFFORDABLE GRANITE

Alex is no stranger to Affordable Granite – her dad and brother both work here! So it was quite natural that when it came round to doing two weeks’ work experience, she asked if she could join us in the AG office.

We asked Alex to write a bit about her time here, and this is what we got…

Hi, I’m Alex. I live near Croydon and go to school at Oasis Academy Shirley Park. I am here at Affordable Granite on two weeks’ work experience. As I write I am on day four and it’s going great; I’m learning a lot about how everything works in an office.

What I have I done for the two weeks?

• Answering calls.

• Answering emails.

• Helping with filing.

• Shadowing people (watching what people do).

• Helping clean around the office, showroom and kitchen.

• Making tea and coffee for everyone.

• Checking the first aid.

• Generally just helping overall.

The people here are nice. Everyone is sweet, welcoming and extreme helpful. Some days are quiet but the tasks I have to do, I have always tried to do correctly. I love to help around and learn what every does and getting to know everybody.

The first few days I was nervous, but everyone understands how I feel because they were once new here too. At the start I was really scared of answering the phone as I didn’t know what to say (as I was nervous). But now I can answer the phone without being nervous.

I also put people’s enquiries into the data base and replied back to them with their reference number. And I had to work through the filing, looking for mistakes and errors so that everything matched up right.

I have enjoyed my two weeks at AG and would already recommend coming here for work experience or even to work.

It’s been great to have Alex here over the last fortnight. In some ways, young people on work experience create more work than they can deal with, but we also know the importance of experience like this for school students and we are glad to help out.

Some years ago I wrote an article on the requirements that employers look for in school-leavers. Things haven’t changed a great deal, though I guess we might add a few things to the list. One thing I noticed with Alex though – the nervousness she mentioned with the phone. Changes in our culture with mobile phones have made people LESS used to answering the phone in more formal situations. In almost all phone calls nowadays we know who we will be speaking to, and they know who is calling even as they pick up. 

We are Affordable Granite, the leading installer of granite and quartz kitchen worktops in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. We want to be a considerate and helpful employer, open to taking school leavers on when we need staff, and open to helping with work experience as appropriate. For samples, quotes and any questions connected with any aspect of worktop installation, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .

Photos from Andrew King Photography