My name is Emily Colman and I have recently done my work experience at an events, promotions and modeling agency in Perth. I was both excited and nervous when i began my internship as i was petrified that the knowledge and skills that i have built over my degree would not be enough to effectively help my employers. It was incredibly helpful that the girls in the office were really nice and eager to help me get involved and put some of my PR skills to use.
My first task was to source sponsorship for some of the competition events that we were running. Not only did I feel a little bit overwhelmed that I was given what seemed like a relatively important task, I felt insecure about my phone skills which would directly impact on how the company was perceived with potential sponsors. I found that the only way to overcome this fear and insecurity was to bite the bullet and call. Although I may have come off a little unsure in the beginning, I am glad I had these opportunities as now I feel much more confident in my communication skills. I found the trick with communication, especially in regards to sponsors, is to really believe in what your company can offer the sponsorship exchange. It is definitely interesting to see concepts that we have learnt in the class room put into action in a real business environment, particularly to see how different the real thing can be.
The other thing I have found challenging going into my internship was my personal code of conduct. The events industry tends to attract very social and extroverted people and it was common for there to be opportunities to go out, socialize and party. What are we meant to do?If found it quite conflicting, although I decided to be more reserved and professional I sometimes felt by avoiding these situations that I was limiting both my experiences with the company and the networking opportunities. Has anyone else had similar experiences? and how did you handle the situation?
Kind Regards
Em
1 comment:
Hi Emily...I know what you mean about the code of conduct.
I've been in the situation, where towards the end of a big event everyone is enjoying themselves, drinking and mingling. I've got my colleagues in one ear saying "come on, go have some fun" and my professional conscience in the other saying "ease up, you have to be professional, there will be plenty of time to 'have fun' later".
I think that ethically it's a tough decision - For me, it's about finding a balance between getting the most out of every event and being conscious of the image I'm conveying (especially to my superiors and clients). Maybe it's a good time to call on the potterbox theory?
All the best with the rest of your internship - Sounds like a blast!
Tobias
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