Journey on the Ways of Ogilvy

It’s blogging time! Coping with internship and modules proved to be, not an easy feat, at ALL.

First of all, hi everyone, I’m Alexa, studying in the Singapore Campus and doing my internship this semester with Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore under social@Ogilvy, the social media arm. Along with 2 other modules, namely Public Relations Corporate and Public Relations International, this semester has a lot in store for me.

Starting off from how I began my journey; when we were told about the internship, it was a mix of excitement and apprehension for me. We have all heard wonderful and horrid things about the industry, or forewarned by our lecturers so to speak, be it for in-house or agencies. However, venturing into the unknown always sets off the adrenaline rush and thus, the extremity.

CV/Resume sending was a nerve wrecking experience. As ambitious as I am, I researched on the top few agencies and renowned ones in Singapore, so that I could get the most out of this internship experience. We have always heard and used some of their cases in class so it was not that difficult. The usual few names came up: Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard, Burson Marstellar, Weber Shandwick, Hill & Knowlton and a few others. Of course, amongst all of those, there is Ogilvy.

Aside from tweaking emails and checking my CV/Resume over and over again and getting people to proofread them a million times, some tips to getting an internship:

1. Give yourself TIME.

Essentially, this is of the utmost importance, aside from your CV. You need time for research, get to find out more about what YOU want, what the company is about, how they seemingly operate (their culture so you can write and email which “fits”) and finding the right contacts.

Time is also crucial, as they never do reply immediately, or “within a few days” as you think. My experience while internship searching was much crazier because our bunch decided that we will have enough time after exams to look for one. We just got lucky; we did not have enough time.

2. Be humble, professional yet personable… and PERSISTENT.

So persistence here has a limit, but is important to show them how much you want it! They might not reply your first email application, or even a second one. Drop in a call, send a follow up email, and find another contact. I have gotten some of their emails through phone calls to their reception directly. Sometimes, a phone call is all you need to know that you are not wasting your efforts, due to differing internship period, vacancies and so on.

3. BE YOURSELF.

Yes, you may think it is a little contradictory from point 2, where you have to be all that and be yourself. However, you do have to do that. You need to have a personal touch and get a feel of how you might fit into that organization from the point you start corresponding with them. This is especially so during the interview. Most of us her try to fulfill an at least 3 month internship, thus you would want your time doing your internship enriching and fun, not miserable.

I hope that my experience will help anyone looking for an internship, or even a job. More to come on my internship journey! Do feel free to let me know if you would like to know more about any areas, if you have any questions at all or if you would simply like to discuss and share you experience and opinions!

Follow AleTheIntern on Facebook & Instagram through my journey! 

Alexa Lim Yuanfen

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Proud intern of social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Public Relations Singapore.