Hello once again fellow PR students :)
One of the most important things I am learning through my placement is the importance of time management in PR especially in an organisation like the Zaccaria Group. From organizing the biggest concerts in Perth to the running their not for profit organization, 'Strike A Chord' it feels like there is so much to do in so little time.
I'm sure like many of you, I have been given a lot of asks to complete and like university assignments they all seem to be due at the same time. However, in the workplace no one reminds you that something is due, it is up to you to finish tasks on time.
Now that I've settled in I feel more comfortable and have started to really make an impact. I have been putting all my attention into 'Strike A Chord' and have started to prepare a 12 month PR Campaign. But I am finding it hard to complete what I have started when I'm stuck with a million tasks that require no brain power.... answering phones, mailing letters, data entry and you'll never guess what I spent most of my time doing today? Shredding paper... that's right shredding paper. I realise now that when the boss isn't in I get stuck with all the tasks people do not want to do themselves.
Has anyone else found it hard to adjust to working, especially in an internship position?
I mean in university you are rewarded for your hard work and effort but in the work place being "too efficient" seems to be a bad thing. Firstly, when people realize you get things done they tend to "use" you for the more time consuming and tedious jobs that they don't necessarily want to complete themselves. Secondly, it seems to threaten some people.
I would love to know how other people feel about this topic?
4 comments:
Hi Nazreen
I really like your topic, and have also experienced what you are going through in my internship. The funny thing is that when you are in the office it seems like everyone wants to give you something to do even when they can see that you still have so much work to do. Everyday my boss would give me media clipings to do but as i will be calculating someone would bring more work, i would scan pictures from the magazines, research, as well as making copies for other employees but i always found time to complete the work i was assigned by my boss for example i had lunch for 15 minutes instead of 1 hour, this really helped me a lot because i would finish my work well on time. Don't worry with time you will get used to it and it would just be a piece of cake.
Good-luck
Boago, LUCT
The politics of an office environment is something I wish I didn't have to go through. It is true that if you work too hard sometimes you don't get rewarded, but I guess end of the day our hard work will pay off so it's better to just keep at it than join the lazy crowd just so you don't get "used". Enjoyed reading your blog!
Hey Nazreen,
From just recently finishing my placement within a government deptartment i especially know how you feel. My advice to you though is just to try and rememeber it happened in every office environment, espcially being the individual of an unpaid intern, we are there to offer a helping hand to whatever task -PR focused or not, needs to be completed.
I went through a simular time like this, although it was sometimes quite the opposite, i would find on the days my supervisor was absent from the office, i was given very little to do as i felt people believed i was much more of a minority in their office. My approach however was just to remain open and friendly as possible, and really just to shut my mouth, because at the end of the day the expecience you gain is only as good as what you put into it!
Goodluck and dont worry :)
Kayla
Hi Nazreen,
Being 'too efficient' is definitely not a bad thing! In my opinion, I don't think you're being used as this is a great opportunity to show your initiative. If you’re getting your tasks done on time and also have time to help others out then this is great. You have to also remember that others have a lot of important things on their plate and if you are able to help them out with the ‘tedious’ jobs then this demonstrates you are an effective team player. After all, all experience is good experience!
At my internship my supervisor told me that I “completed tasks too quickly and was too efficient!” She often had to find me tasks to do so I also ended up doing some tedious tasks such as placing postage stamps on hundreds of envelopes! However, once I had completed my internship she was nice enough to write me a reference and in this document she explained how efficient I was at getting tasks done on time. I view this as a great quality to have, so just hang in there! It seems like you are setting yourself up for the future by experiencing time management and working within a team environment. Goodluck!
Melissa
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