HR Recruiter

It started like any other job hunt. But it became much like a family.

I remember coming across the job ad on Wellfound and sending an application right away. Although like most job ads before this, I wasn’t expecting a reply or anything.

But then I got an email the next day letting me know the paid positions were filled, but I could apply for the internship. I said, sure, why not?

I believe there is always something new to learn at every turn, so it was an easy decision.

But before proceeding, I did a little research on the company. That was when I realized this is big. So many companies in different industries doing great things under one banner: Pearl Lemon Group. It wasn’t just a digital marketing agency but so much more. It felt inspiring. It seemed the kind of environment one could gain a diverse set of skills and experiences, albeit passively. And it was all the more reason to apply.

 I clicked the careers link, and the form that unraveled before me was nothing like I’d ever seen. It was pretty long and a bit overwhelming. But that wasn’t it.

It was the video of Dee that got me hooked. It felt so warm and inspiring listening to him speak. I’ve never met a CEO that friendly, approachable, and down to earth. And so knowledgeable about communication (yeah I checked many of the listed and unlisted YouTube videos.

I also saw some video testimonials of happy employees, and it all gave this warm vibe, like one big happy family.

And long story short, every day with PL has reinforced that preconception.

Settling in

It’s been 8 weeks since I joined.

My first day, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, I’d gone through the onboarding kit and downloaded the necessary tools. Set up my Chrome profile. But everything was new ,and it got me a bit nervous, I must admit. The workflow, the team communication on whatsapp, groups, messages coming in.

Notwithstanding, Ms Bushra was particularly helpful with setting up my WhatsApp business profile and everything I needed to know about onboarding.

But what struck me was the workflow. Everything was structured and organized. Google Sheets with clear tasks and clear prompts. Speaking of prompts…

As a content writer, I get to use ChatGPT once in a while, although I didn’t really like that it was taking our jobs. Lol. But anyway, I was given prompts to use for creating service pages.

And the results I got blew my mind. I’ve never been able to create a prompt that generated such humanlike content. This also compelled me to practice a little prompt engineering, which has greatly improved my content process.

Like I said in the beginning, there’s always something new to learn. And this (playing with prompts) is one of them.

I also like the absolute remote culture. Everyone is given the freedom to work according to their time zone and productive time blocks, while being encouraged to make the most of it. There’s no pressure to work at a specific time. Yet one knows they have to, as everyone else is counting on them to get sh*t done. You know you matter. You are seen. And you are valued.

I also must mention it’s been an absolute pleasure working with the content head Ms Habiba Saeed. Damn, so nice and soft spoken, and she really knows how to create the perfect explainer video on how to go about each task. There’s tremendous clarity. She makes everything easy.

Plus, her feedback helped a lot. Made me realize some things I had never really bothered about. From one of her explainer videos, I learned a few hacks on Google Docs that I wasn’t aware of. For example, updating heading tags to match. I used to do that manually, but she showed me a more efficient way.

The meetings are fun too. From Dee to Charles to Saurabh and Mel, it’s always fun hearing everyone talk about what they’ve been up to for the week. And it’s profoundly relaxing to know it’s not just work, work and work. There’s a casual vibe, and the meeting usually opens with chats about fun activities. I mean, you don’t get this usual frigidity or overseriousness where you have to walk on eggshells. It’s not your regular office place. Like I mentioned, it feels more like a family, a community, friends, making GREAT things happen. And that’s inspiring.

Beyond the atmosphere, I’ve picked a few things about running a remote company. About how one can achieve astounding feats and make a global impact from wherever they are. But it’s a process that demands continuous learning, and I see that in Dee. I was dumbstruck when he shared the screenshot of books he has read over the last couple of years. 

I for one know how much books can influence the mind, shape your thoughts, and make you aspire to great things. And I don’t need a prophet to tell me he studies a lot. Hearing him talk about LLMs was heartwarming, because I myself have been learning about AI SEO/GEO for the past few months. And the bots he keeps creating and experimenting with, that’s some cool sh*t.

Where am I going with this, I hear you ask. It’s simple: I’m in an inspiring environment that keeps me motivated. And for that, I’m thankful.

My work routine

I think I’ve talked at length about how I feel about working at Pearl Lemon (it’s sounding more like a testimonial), maybe it’s time to mention the workflow.

As an intern, I was allotted a 20-30 hr work week. I work Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I select a 7-hr  time slot each day to focus on my tasks for the day, which are mostly PL service pages.

I try to complete 6-7 pages daily. I am also assigned client blogs from time to time, and I like the fact I’m given varying content formats to work on.

But again, what I enjoy most is the freedom and flexibility we are afforded. Even when changes are required, everyone is so polite and nice about that.

The ChatGPT prompts are really helpful too. I never really knew what Projects was about, but since Dee mentioned it, I’ve been able to create a project and prompt that I use when working on listicles. I’ve also tweaked the prompts I was given in a way that reduces my editing time.

One major skill I’ve learned is time management. The productivity task Dee asked everyone to complete made me realize many ways I could optimize my process and do more in less time. I’ve been using time blocks and continually finding ways to reduce repetitive processes that kill time, often by creating ChatGPT prompts.

Working with content and SEO teams has been great. There have been instances where I needed clarity on a task I was given, and I reached out to Mahmood. He was incredibly helpful and clear.

Looking ahead

From the eyes of an outsider, it would be hard to imagine that the company is remote. The bond is strong, the team communication is smooth, and there’s joy at every corner. And it’s almost as though all team members have met. (Is that the case?)

By November 8, my internship would be 2 months gone, and I know there’s much to learn still. As I move forward, I believe there’ll be bigger challenges to face and lessons to take away. It would even be great to take on SEO tasks at some point, as I’m skilled in keyword research and on-page SEO/GEO too (not an expert yet in any way. LOL).

Whatever happens, this is an experience I’d cherish for a lifetime. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I look forward to what the future holds.