An Extended Internship and Exciting Opportunity

Hi everyone!

So the holidays are over and I am officially one semester away from graduating!

Last week it was confirmed that I will be continuing my internship with the DFES Media and Corporate Communications team throughout the semester. This is really exciting and I am looking forward to broadening my learning and enhancing my capabilities.

What was most exciting, however, was that I was given the opportunity to apply for a Media and Communications Assistant role. For the application, I had to submit a resume and a summary of how I would meet the key requirements of the role. These included:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build positive working relationships.
• Sound time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to use initiative to solve problems.
• Knowledge of or experience in the media or public relations industry.

Applying for the position was a major learning curve. As a government application, there is a specific format to follow. This is known as the STAR method and refers to:

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

This presented a clear format to outline my skills, knowledge and experience and emphasise why I would be an ideal candidate for the role.

No matter the outcome, writing the application was a great way to reflect on the tasks I have completed as an intern and identified a concise way to structure applications in the future.

In terms of what I have been completing, I have definitely been refining my skills across written documents like media releases, speeches and news stories for the DFES website.

One of these news stories, which focused on the first patient who was transferred by the Bunbury based RAC Rescue helicopter, was picked up by the South Western Times and selected to be featured in their online and print publication.

Another story I drafted can also be accessed on the DFES website, highlighting a fantastic student project that was created as part of DFES NAIDOC Week celebrations.

Drafting and pitching news stories to the media has not only reinforced the significance of media relations within DFES but just how important working with the media is in Public Relations.

Not only allowing me to apply my journalistic knowledge and skills developed at university, writing articles for the website has also enabled me to liaise with diverse internal and external groups and people associated with DFES.

In the last few weeks I was also involved in a brainstorming session. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the materials that the Media team will utilise in times of crisis or unfolding emergency incidents. Once again, this was another element of the evaluation process following the release of the Waroona inquiry in June, organising the key materials to best equip staff for the upcoming bushfire season. Although my input was only small, it was fantastic to be a part of the discussion.

In addition, I am assisting with an evaluation report for the 2016 WOW Day. Although I am only making amendments to certain parts, it reflects the recognisable layout features of the Public Relations reports written both individually and collaboratively throughout my degree, including:

• Background
• Objectives
• Key Messages
• Stakeholders/Target Audience
• Budget
• Issues/Recommendations

The report has further reinforced the crucial role of research and evaluation in Public Relations. In addressing the specific activities of the campaign and media coverage, the outcome of the report will ultimately be determining the value of the campaign and finding better ways of doing what was done. In addition, it will outline what should be prioritised for 2017.

Overall, I honestly don’t know where June and July went and imagine that this semester will go just as quickly.

I will be sure to keep you up-to-date with what I get up to at DFES.

Looking forward to continuing my stay at DFES