I am currently finalising my 393 Report and came across some insights i thought i would share with everyone. I think if everyone shares their personal insights from their own experience then we all will benefit! After all, the blogs are designed to allow us to learn from one another.
The most important things i've learnt are as followed:
1. Hard Work NEVER goes unnoticed
If you want to get noticed and have a great reputation within the markcomm field then start doing the extra yards. Stay later, ask if theres anything else you can assist with and of course produce work of an excellent standard (don't leave things to the last minute)
2. Be Friendly
I have found that my friendly nature and willingness to learn is always valued. People want to help nice people, so be a friend to everyone because you never know when you will see them again or if they will perhaps come in handy!
3. Proof Read
Always proof read your work and get someone else to. Sometimes the 'typos' hide from you and no matter how many times you check your work you cannot see them!
4. Positive Outlook
Embrace everyday as the experience it is because one day you will look back on your internship as your step into the workforce!
Good luck with the rest of your placements, and i hope people continue to blog their helpful insights :)
4 comments:
I definitely would agree with your first point in which hard work never goes unnoticed. At my office, some of the staff would say that being an intern, I would not need to worry about workload but I believe that in my field which was more in event planning, it is important not to miss even the smallest detail as not only would it give a good impression by the client but at the end of the day, I would be satisfied that all those details does not go to waste. It was only yesterday that I've done a wedding dinner onboard the river cruise which I am interning in and having the couple happy at the end of the day because effort was done and could be seen in doing the placement cards, the flowers and table settings (mostly D.I.Y.) which was not part of the agreed package.
I've learnt also that the weather is totally unpredictable and a backup plan is always needed especially when organizing an event outdoors such as umbrellas for rain and fans for hot days.
I was interested to read your blog as it draws on some of the things that I have noticed in my placement as well.
Of course hard work never goes unnoticed and I am glad to hear that you agree, it is important for people to make sure that they are accountable for everything they do but also to go that extra mile to impress. It will always help you get that little bit further in your career.
I found that when I produced work to the highest standard my supervisors were impressed beyond what I could have expected. Working harder not only went noticed by those around me but it also made me feel so much better about my own work.
I also agree that being friendly is important and I found that not only being friendly but doing this with respect of others authority meant that the people I worked with were pleased with my attitude.
Alison, my supervisor, told me that I was popular with ladies in the office who are known for being hard to please - which meant alot to me because I tried my hardest to be friendly and respectful.
Proof reading is a huge part of PR as so many things that we write are going into publication without viewing by other people, or if they are being viewed by people it is not until after printing has been secured.
I also found it was very important to get a second opinion on editing because there are so many things that your eyes miss when you re-read your own work.
People were amazed at my positive outlook around the office, when I introduced myself as a work experience student and then they realised that I was doing work for free they were surprised at how happy I was to be there.
I think that maintaining a positive outlook shows people that you are enthusiastic about what you do.
If you are struggling to maintain a positive outlook I think you may need to rethink what you are doing.
I not only wanted to agree and share my insights to your points, but I also wanted to add my own point number 5.
Remember who people are and treat everyone as special in their own right.
- I think it is important to consider that every person you meet in the workplace has feelings and opinions. You need to make sure that you remember peoples names - or as best you can and acknowledge people who are working around you.
I have found that a simple hello using a persons name will make that person infinitely more likely to remember who you are.
Hopefully your report writing goes well,
Jordan Pieterse
13635084
Curtin University Bentley Campus
Hi Jessica,
I totally agreed to what you have said with reference to my internship. My work done at the department was appreciated by my direct superior and was completed definitely with the help of those 'new' colleagues. This cannot be so if those points that you have stated are not present.
However, I would want to add in another point which is what I have experienced. Always remember to save a copy and a backup of the work that you have done in case something happens!
This is what happened. On the first week of my internship, I was given the task of proof-reading and collating all the documents into one draft booklet for the event that is supposed to be happening in Singapore this week. I saved the finished copy into my thumb-drive without having a backup in the desktop computer that I am working at. The next day, I shifted to another desktop computer to continue my work. Something drastically happened when I plucked in my thumb-drive. It seems that the computer that I am working with previously is virus-infested as the whole folder in my thumb-drive containing my finished draft got deleted by Norton AntiVirus. In that case, I actually wasted two days of hard work and re-did the whole draft again.
This is a lesson that I have learned, remember to save a copy and do a backup with every bits of work that I have done. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Hi Jessica,
Again, I agree with what you and all the other girls added.
In my placement especially I have really learnt that being friendly and respectful is imperative.
Knowing everyone’s positions within the workplace, and respecting their power is so important.
In the first week of my placement I was working along side another girl (who was also an intern). We were obviously both new to the environment, and by this stage hadn’t worked out who certain people were and what their positions were. On one of our first days she gave attitude, and questioned a task that was set for us. She was unaware at this point that the girl she was questioning or answering back to was one of the more senior members of the team, and had been working in the office for years.
This was a really good eye opener for me because I can sometimes be out spoken. I learnt that within such an environment, especially when starting out, there should be 100% respect and courtesy given to all work colleagues. Everyone within the work environment should be respected and listened too, as an interns job is to follow instructions, listen and learn.
People within the workplace notice when you listen to instructions and get the job done without asking questions and giving an opinion that is not asked for.
I think that being an intern it is expected that you work hard to get noticed and stand out from everyone else. Within my position in my placement, I felt like it was necessary for me to ‘market’ myself, and really prove to the staff and co-workers around me that I am a good and hard worker and I am worthy of being hired.
I think that doing this placement confirmed to me, that you don’t get anywhere without a bit of hard work and determination. Starting at the bottom is necessary to work your way up, and until the hard work pays off, the time and effort needs to be put in.
After a long day of work, and feeling totally lethargic and tired, I think that it is still really important to be positive and keep a smile on your face. Even when you might not want to be there anymore, it’s still important to keep up a positive attitude and finish off the day still with a high level of effort. Again people around you in the work place notice hard workers, and appreciate enthusiasm.
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