Hey everyone!
My internship so far has been an experience of a lifetime! What made it more interesting was the fact that this is my first working experience ever. Never before this have I stepped in to corporate cloths every morning, took the train and entered an office, where I would be working! My first day was as nerve wracking as anything. I walked in to the office of Perception Management International to find the office almost empty, only two people, a girl and guy, in their mid twenties were present. I approached them with confidence, not letting them know how nervous I actually was.
They greeted me with the warmest welcome and we sat there talking for quite some time, getting to know each other. And as the clock stuck nine am, the office started filling in and more greetings came my way, the alien in the office. But soon after we were done with the introductions, I was told to consider myself as part of the team, and not just an intern- that meant greater expectations. And that's where the nerves kicked back in! But as a few days went on, I thanked God for landing me an internship at Perception Management! The people couldn't be more helpful! At every step of the way, they guided me with patience and kindness.
The first week went by smoothly; my enthusiasm was at it's peak and I was finishing tasks much before their due date. The sound of compliments after finishing a task is like getting an HD in your assignment! But as embarrassing as it is to admit, it wasn't all perfect. It was the start of the second week of my internship, and I was given the task to write a press release for one of our client. I took the responsibility with excitement and confidence.
I got my thinking hat on and reflected back to how we were taught to write and got a few press releases of my friends for reference. So, following the format that we are taught, I wrote, proofread and proofread again what I believed to be one of my best press releases. With a proud sense of accomplishment, I handed it in to my supervisor much before the due time.
My supervisor, a sweet lady with a kind voice came back to me after having read it and said 'you are going to have to edit this majorly! I will be honest with you, no editor will want to publish it". And I will never forget that moment, I was both embarrassed and shocked! I had done everything right- followed the format, did a grammatical and spell check and proof read it numerous times! I later found out there was nothing wrong with my grammar, or the spelling or the facts- it was the strict format I had written it in. And this was the beginning of my realization that the "real world" is very different from our classrooms and books.
I followed my supervisors advice and understood what she was talking about. While editing the press release I saw, that even me as a third person would not be interested in reading it. But since then, thankfully, they have loved my writing and asked me to continuously write speeches, press releases, NTE and so on, and I'm having a blast doing it!
Lesson learnt- Be creative and natural, do not limit yourself by boundaries of formats and rules. Use the
format as a learning tool, not a learning destination.
Until next time!
Sibgha Ahmad
15069070
(Curtin Miri)
My internship so far has been an experience of a lifetime! What made it more interesting was the fact that this is my first working experience ever. Never before this have I stepped in to corporate cloths every morning, took the train and entered an office, where I would be working! My first day was as nerve wracking as anything. I walked in to the office of Perception Management International to find the office almost empty, only two people, a girl and guy, in their mid twenties were present. I approached them with confidence, not letting them know how nervous I actually was.
They greeted me with the warmest welcome and we sat there talking for quite some time, getting to know each other. And as the clock stuck nine am, the office started filling in and more greetings came my way, the alien in the office. But soon after we were done with the introductions, I was told to consider myself as part of the team, and not just an intern- that meant greater expectations. And that's where the nerves kicked back in! But as a few days went on, I thanked God for landing me an internship at Perception Management! The people couldn't be more helpful! At every step of the way, they guided me with patience and kindness.
The first week went by smoothly; my enthusiasm was at it's peak and I was finishing tasks much before their due date. The sound of compliments after finishing a task is like getting an HD in your assignment! But as embarrassing as it is to admit, it wasn't all perfect. It was the start of the second week of my internship, and I was given the task to write a press release for one of our client. I took the responsibility with excitement and confidence.
I got my thinking hat on and reflected back to how we were taught to write and got a few press releases of my friends for reference. So, following the format that we are taught, I wrote, proofread and proofread again what I believed to be one of my best press releases. With a proud sense of accomplishment, I handed it in to my supervisor much before the due time.
My supervisor, a sweet lady with a kind voice came back to me after having read it and said 'you are going to have to edit this majorly! I will be honest with you, no editor will want to publish it". And I will never forget that moment, I was both embarrassed and shocked! I had done everything right- followed the format, did a grammatical and spell check and proof read it numerous times! I later found out there was nothing wrong with my grammar, or the spelling or the facts- it was the strict format I had written it in. And this was the beginning of my realization that the "real world" is very different from our classrooms and books.
I followed my supervisors advice and understood what she was talking about. While editing the press release I saw, that even me as a third person would not be interested in reading it. But since then, thankfully, they have loved my writing and asked me to continuously write speeches, press releases, NTE and so on, and I'm having a blast doing it!
Lesson learnt- Be creative and natural, do not limit yourself by boundaries of formats and rules. Use the
format as a learning tool, not a learning destination.
Until next time!
Sibgha Ahmad
15069070
(Curtin Miri)
2 comments:
Hey Sigbha,
Same with you, this is my first working experience in my life. I was so nervous before starting my internship placement. One day before, i start to prepare everything, my dressing and what i should bring as i believe that as a PR student, i must be confidence and be professional. Luckily, all my colleagues treated me very well and they are very friendly.
I also have the same experience with you, which is getting mistakes on my work. Honestly, was frustrated when there is a mistakes on my work because of less working experience. But my supervisor still give me opportunity to have different type of work as to let me gain more experience.
Learning is a long journey in our life, so just learn what you can learn =)
Hi Sib,
I can completely relate to that as the same thing happened to me. I was so busy concentrating on the strict format that I completely forgot to make it interesting. However, in the real world its all about making it appealing to the readers.
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