I have been reading other students' posts and have realised that no matter the stage of your internship, we all experience the same sort of feelings. The feeling of not being sure if what you're doing is right, or how often you should ask for work, and even feeling uncertain whether you should pursue a career in PR or not. These feelings of uncertainty are normal, I have come to realise, and I hope that this post would make other interns feel better in one way or another.
Here are a few tips that I have gathered over the last few weeks:
Be Confident!
This is a little cliche, but important nonetheless. You can be the most confident person in the world and still feel intimidated by your experienced colleagues and supervisors. This is my third internship, so I am not that new to the interning game. It still took me a long time to feel comfortable and find my bearings at Cannings Purple, and on my second last day, I am still a little awkward around certain people.
You just need to remember that you are there for a reason - they are letting you intern with them because they see potential in you, and if they are giving you important tasks, it means that you are doing your job well!
Humility is an important trait, but so is knowing that you actually are good at what you're doing. Giving yourself a pat on the back (literally or metaphorically - you choose) helps from time to time.
It Might Not Be What You Expected But...
It is still a learning experience. I thought I would be doing a lot more strategy-based tasks, or at least listening in on them, and slowly learning how PR plans come about. This didn't happen, and it was perhaps a little naive of me to think that it would - I have nothing to bring to the strategic table. I have spent most of my internship writing social media posts, blogs, articles, and researching things. I have
also ventured out into the more design/digital aspect of PR, which was also unexpected.
Treat everything you do a lesson. Even if you technically didn't learn anything new. If you have written something and it is perfect then you have learned just that - you are a great writer.
If you mess up and get a lot of feedback on a written piece, then you will learn from your mistakes.
Be grateful for every little lesson you learn, as that is what internships are for. Don't freak out if you're doing things you didn't think you would do. It's all part of the learning (and interning) process, and it is all part of the bigger picture.
It's Okay to Ask for More Work
I learned this early on. I have always been a fast learner and a quick worker, and this has remained consistent throughout my internship. I finish tasks much quicker than expected, and I do them well (a self inflicted pat on the back!). For the first few weeks, I hated asking for more work, especially because I felt a little awkward interacting with consultants in general, as I am a newbie PR student and they are experienced and smart and successful. Going up to someone's desk whilst they are deep in their work isn't fun. You feel like a nuisance. You disrupt their work, and then they have to snap out of what they were doing and think of what else they can give you.
In my first few weeks I had a casual talk with one of the younger consultants and I raised my concern over finishing work quickly. She said that it's better to be annoying and seem eager than take ages doing a task that shouldn't take that long. She said that it shows that you are good at what you are doing and can be trusted to do a lot more. Needless to say, this made me feel a lot better.
At the end of the day, you are working there for free, and in return you are getting invaluable professional experience and making all the right contacts. If you are good at what you are doing, then you are benefiting your internship place in more ways than you know. Once your supervisor is confident in your work, they are confident to give you meatier stuff that takes longer to complete.
Until next time,
Stav.
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