My First Week...

My First Week...

By Edward Nixon

My first week working in a Public Relations office environment has come to an end, and I have already learnt so much about the industry! I am completing my 20 day PR internship with the West Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC), and so far, have loved every minute. I first got in contact with The Commissioner David Kerslake through Public Relations Planning & Evaluation, a unit I undertook last semester. The WAEC were our client for the major assignment for the semester, and it is safe to say I took a great interest in the way they conduct their work! 

I go into the St Georges Terrace offices twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and work 7.5 hour days alongside two other Curtin PR Interns doing the same course. It has been fantastic to have such a great experience to work in a PR environment, but to do it with people in the same position as me has made it all the more interesting. 

All three of us our based in a little area in the middle of the second floor, called the “Roller” area. This is a prime location to be in as we are right in the hub of the office, and get to interact with some of the employees.

On our first day we had a guided tour by our supervisor Sotear, who introduced us to all of the staff members. This was quite an overwhelming experience at first, but one which allowed me to put a face to a name. 

After this, we all sat down and had a brainstorming session, referred to as an ‘Engagement Strategy Workshop’, where we discussed the various projects we will be working on for the duration of our internships. I am working on a project called ‘iVote’, whereby voters in Western Australia with disabilities are able to vote online, allowing their vote to be both confidential and private. As of 2012, 16% of the Western Australian public suffer some form of disability, and it would be fantastic to look back on this internship and know that I have contributed to a real life project that will make these people’s lives a bit easier.

Originally we collaborated together whilst brainstorming all the projects (my fellow interns are working on a social media engagement project and a voting on campus project respectively), and I found that by working together we were able to feed off one another’s creative ideas. 

This workshop lasted the best part of an hour and a half, by which time it was time for lunch. After the resumption of play, we took part in an I.T. session, where one of the I.T. professionals sat us all down to give a comprehensive run down of the company security policies, whilst providing us with our login details. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it made me feel part of the company- it made me feel included.   

My second day on the office was primarily research based, and I was given more freedom as to what I wanted to do. I was assigned to create a ‘Project Briefing Document’, whereby I was to take a further look into my individual iVote project and analyse the objectives, outcomes, resources and contacts that I would need to consider in order for the project to get up and running. I feel having completed other Public Relations units that have focussed on the creation of a PR report, that I am in a qualified position to write such documents, and feel I have acquired the necessary skill set over the past three years. This process was very time consuming and took up the most part of my day. I found myself getting my head down and working very diligently on this task, and even had the opportunity to use the office printer for the first time- a very daunting task indeed! 

All in all, my first week working at the WAEC has been an enjoyable one. I have been thrown in at the deep end, which is something I am glad about, and feel I am actually contributing to the projects and ideas of an organisation. I am thoroughly looking forward to the next nine weeks, and having the opportunity to continue to work on my iVote project. I am hoping that by the time this internship is complete, I will be able to look back on the iVote project in full swing and feel proud that I have contributed to it! 

The following images are ones I took in the offices, and show my work desk and the whiteboard where we brainstormed our ideas during the ‘Engagement Strategy Workshop’.  

The following images are ones I took in the offices, and show my work desk and the whiteboard where we brainstormed our ideas during the ‘Engagement Strategy Workshop’.