Walking into the workplace

Hi Everyone!

This is my first blog titled "Walking into the workplace". I wanted to share with you what I have learnt in the first few days and some advice I have from my initial processes into getting my internship.  

Firstly I would like to share this quote as it demonstrates the feeling of walking into the big old world and starting somewhere new.  “You should never get nervous about anything. What today seems important tomorrow isn't so anymore” – Spanish athlete Tito Vilanova, 2011.

Starting somewhere new is always a scary concept; will I wear the right thing? Will they notice my nose ring and think differently of me? Does my background change their opinion of my knowledge and understanding? There are so many things I worried about the night before my first day in the office. I tossed and turned wondering what would happen when I first walked into the workplace. I know people aren’t to judge on minor things such as the piercings I have, although we are only human and that’s how we work.

I started my Public Relations internship at Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) in West Perth. This organisation has a focus on agriculture and the grain industry in Western Australia, as well as nationally and internationally. This is an area which is very close to me personally, being a farmer in rural WA, therefore I was excited to delve into the business and corporate side of what my family does.

The business world did not seem like a place I could put my experience and knowledge of grain farming to use although my inputs have been noted and used within my first few days as an intern. My first experience with this was at a Corporate Affairs meeting where I was introduced to the whole team who have roles in; internal and community relations, media relations, digital marketing, corporate affairs and marketing. This means that my experience at CBH will cover all areas of PR and help to give me an understanding of what I want to do in the future. 

At CBH I am learning many new things about different roles within my qualifications and sometimes it branches well away from what I have learnt at university. I have been filing a lot of photos as the photo program hasn't been updated in the past 5 years. I have also released a media release and completed a few social media posts, also helping to create an information document for a stakeholders trip to Vietnam. 

Although before all this I had to apply for this internship and be accepted into their work place. My advice for people applying for an internship is BE ORGANISED, I had a completed file of unit outlines, forms, company information and important templates that I had received over my studies which allowed me to be prompt in responding to my employer. 

Organisation is KEY in public relations as it allows you to keep on top of all your tasks. All in all I am enjoying my experience at CBH and hope to keep you all updated soon! 

Happy Interning !!!

Rachel Clarke