Be Flexible by keeping calm, aware of your environment and changing surroundings. Most workplaces have altered experiences day to day. New challenges, priorities, circumstances and workloads can change in quickly. Be open, flexible, positive and put in as much effort as you can.
Go for a coffee if that latte is on your mind but ask your colleagues! Network and find out something about everyone in your office. It'll help you settle in and build relationships for the future. Also a well deserved coffee break is needed for any hard working intern.
Professionalism is key to making an impression that counts. Present well, be reliable, complete tasks timely, dress appropriately and communicate effectively. It's something that is necessary without question.
Curiosity and creativity is the future needs of employers. Show your curiosity about a task, process, competitor, issue or best practice at your placement. It demonstrates initiative and versatility. Creativity is valued and needed in any shape or form. Express your ideas, have a go and push the boundaries if you consider yourself not being creative.
Adapt and keep an open mind to identifying changes. Improvise when planning fails and adapt to deal with changing situations. Have a positive attitude to change and provide resourceful input.
Commit to the working grind as it's a reality for everyone not just interns. It might not be great not getting paid but this work is crucial for even having a slight chance once you graduate. There will be days better than others for everyone. Stay positive and good rewards will come as your experience is valued. Feeling despresso? have an espresso!
Plan your placement weeks and weeks before you enrol. This is one of the most important tips! Search high and low at least the semester before you enrol in the unit to find a workplace with sufficient supervision. I highly recommend completing the days during the summer/winter break, it allows you to have a sole focus on the task and also possibly dedicate more than the min 20 days. You'll also be ahead in your final semester which will help alot!!
My employment has continued throughout the semester as I was offered a casual contract and will be reviewed upon completion of the semester. Fingers crossed I gain a position! Although I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket and I'm continuing to look for more opportunities including graduate positions.
Advice with Katie - This blog post is all advise and I hope it assists at least one of the students in their PR internship journey. I'm sure you're all feeling the same as the picture above, like me. Although it will all be okay and we should be super excited for what the future holds. Good luck with your reports/ placements and I wish you all the best!
2 comments:
Such an insightful post Katie. I particularly enjoyed your point on maintaining creativity in everything you do. It is true that not all actions we undertake will be cause for excitement, but that doesn't mean they are cause for complacency either.
Sometimes it's the smaller issues or the (seemingly) less significant tasks that afford us the most creative freedom. Communications, as a discipline, is chock full of these small opportunities for improvement. The practitioners who remain flexible and creative in addressing the small, will be the same people who executives seek out to tackle the big.
Hi Rhys - Yes, you've definitely hit the nail on the head! Flexibility, creativity and adaptability are key to succeed. I can see you being a great leader within the industry, best of luck with your future endeavours!
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