Careers
Tuesday 15 December 2020
Our brilliant interns Cassia, Jess and Nishat all joined Crest after the first COVID-19 lockdown in March. Here, they talk about navigating the 'new normal' world of remote working: from 1-2-1s to team socials to hitting the ground running...
Tell us about yourself...
Nishat: I’m Nishat. I’m an analyst intern at Crest. Prior to interning at Crest I worked at Macmillan Cancer Support, first as a Supporter Events Intern and then as a Challenge Events Assistant. Before that, I studied International Relations at SOAS and graduated in 2019.
Jess: Hello, my name is Jess. I'm a comms intern working on the Manchester Arena Inquiry. I recently completed my Master’s degree at the London School of Economics (LSE), looking at media narratives around irregular migration.
Cassia: I’m Cassia, and I'm an analyst intern. I recently completed my MSc in Global Politics at LSE, having previously read Human, Social and Political Sciences at Clare College, Cambridge.
What do you do at Crest and how long have you been here?
Nishat: I’ve been at Crest for just over six weeks. In this short time I’ve been given the opportunity to work on a range of interesting projects for police forces, VRUs and charitable trusts. This includes: analysis of published data, doing a literature review for an interim report, supporting workshops and doing post-workshop write-ups.
Jess: I started my internship at Crest in September based in the Communications team at the Manchester Arena Inquiry. I was fortunate enough to be plunged straight into interesting, challenging and diverse work, providing press office support, designing and managing website and social media content, and producing analysis on media narratives surrounding Inquiry business.
Cassia: I've been at Crest since October. I do various bits of data analysis, research, interviews, report writing and whatever else the team needs!
How have you found working at Crest?
Nishat: Working at Crest has been great. Despite my short time here, and the very strange virtual world we are working in, I really feel like I’m part of the team. From the 1-2-1s I had at the beginning, where everyone took the time to have a chat with me, to the very creative team socials organised by Maddie, everyone at Crest has really made me feel welcome. I really appreciate this given how challenging it can be to integrate new starters during COVID-19.
Jess: Working at Crest has exceeded all of my expectations. I joined the company during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, unsure of the impact of lockdown restrictions and the nature of the working environment. However, the Crest team was beyond welcoming - they put me at ease straight away and ensured I found my feet. Curiosity is encouraged, and I’ve had the opportunity to support different projects and gain exposure to the diversity of impactful work that Crest does.
Cassia: My time at Crest has been really enjoyable so far - the work is really interesting, and the team are all really lovely and supportive.
What has struck you most about working at Crest?
Nishat: What's struck me the most is the wealth of knowledge and experience that everyone here has. It’s exciting to be working with people who are so good at what they do and know so much about their relevant field.
Jess: I’ve been struck by the diverse talent of my colleagues, who come from a range of backgrounds and bring fascinating insight, perspectives and experience to the table which they are always willing to share. I feel supported and valued in my work. Quite simply, I look forward to coming into work and feel privileged to be involved in such worthwhile projects.
Cassia: What’s struck me most about working at Crest is how much opportunity I’ve had to contribute to projects from the beginning - getting my teeth into some real-world analysis has been fascinating!
How's it been starting a new job in a global pandemic?
Nishat: I think initially it was a bit daunting because I wasn’t sure if or how I was going to get to know everyone if I couldn’t go into the office and see them in person. However, I think Crest has done a very good job in creating a welcoming and connected atmosphere, not just through team socials and 1-2-1s, but also through various Slack channels where we can share insights on various projects, or engage socially!
Jess: In line with public health recommendations, the Manchester Arena Inquiry has proceeded with in-person hearings throughout local and national restrictions. Day-to-day, my work has involved responding to the challenges presented by coronavirus regulations to ensure that the Inquiry remains a transparent and public legal process.
Cassia: Starting a new job almost entirely remotely has been a little odd, but doing 1-2-1s with everyone when I first started really helped me get to know people and figure out who’s who around the ‘office’!
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