The Newbie in the
Blocks of Phileo Damansara 1
Fellow PR interns, you would share my sentiments here. Welcome to my zone!
Starting a new job is not the easiest
thing, particularly when you realize that years of acquiring theoretical
knowledge won’t necessarily transfer exactly and/or entirely into the
fast-paced world of Public Relations. So I figured I could use a little
advice and catch up on my career perspective before starting my tenure at
Essence Communications located in the middle of the city. With
a little help from my lecturer and some advice from a senior university buddy
with past intern exposure, I received some tips on how to make the most out of
my work experience.
While
initial pangs of nervousness competed with my keenness to learn, within the one
and a half hour travel period from home to work, the latter outdid my fear. I
was very happy to find myself working for Essence Communications as I have now
started to really appreciate the unbelievable opportunities sitting right on my
doorstep. In addition to providing me with endless new information and
knowledge in media monitoring and brand recognition, Essence Communications has
also set an excellent foundation for my future.
My
first day started exceptionally well. I traveled to work in the
sunshine, my iPod blaring my favorite mix, wearing a freshly pressed shirt, and
basically beaming from ear to ear for the entire 1.5 hours drive. Excitement
filled my nerves as I swerve through the hustling and bustling vehicles heading
into the heart of Phileo Damansara where Essence Communications is located.
When
I arrived at the office my desk was ready for me. Normally, a first-time intern
would walk in not knowing anyone but hoping to impress everyone, running around
frantically trying to fill out paperwork, and scrambling to get to their next
meeting or training session, praying they would not be late. But considering the
circumstances, with the stakes continuing to rise, I knew I had to focus and
efficiently complete tasks, distress free. I had to focus because I had to
maintain Curtin Sarawak’s reputation while trying to shine within the duration
of my internship.
The
HR officer, Mangales accompanied me for breakfast and set a few ground rules as
an intern to abide by- including the adhering towards the company’s policies
and its regulations. That very conversation defined the significance of
professionalism and manner of conduct within an organisation. I instantaneously
knew that I had to buck up and adapt immediately. Then it boiled down to my own
efforts as to how to make the most out of my first day in Essence.
I conversed with multiple people from HR and
administration to learn about the business of the firm. I spent the latter half
of the day in computer training, learning new things like our billing systems,
firm directory (as it would be useful to familiarize it now rather than
panicking when a task is given) and our email server. As the day dwindled
to an end, it was exactly the action-packed, training-focused first day I
originally envisioned. I took off that evening and headed home from what
I know will be one of the best experiences of my life.
A little overview of my office
Fellow Interns from different universities
That's it for now!
Yours Truly,
Anusha Shanmugaveloo
3 comments:
Hi Anusha,
Congrats on securing this placement. Being from Malaysia myself, I am quite familiar with the array of companies and firms with Phileo Damansara (and the terrible backed up traffic in the evenings). Working in an area like Phileo Damansara can be daunting as you are surrounded by a flurry of more experienced professionals within the industry. What ultimately brought your post to my attention was the HR officer’s initiative to set you down on Day#1 and explain the ground rules. When I interned in Cinema Online, back in Petaling Jaya Malaysia I had the same experience along with daily recap which eventually lessened to once a week recap of our performance. In my current case working at Perth Fashion Festival (PFF), Australia has been rather different. Interns at this organisation are also dubbed as volunteers. As a non-profit organisation within the concentrated fashion industry, you are basically thrown into the deep end where you have to immediately keep up with the pace of the organisation. There is a constant rotation of volunteers and organisations like this are constantly under-resourced. In Malaysia on the other hand, I “shadowed” a work mate for several days before being given any real tasks. As my journey has come to an end at PFF, I have learnt that adapting is essential. It was pressuring to do a good job and at the same time maintain Curtin Bentley’s reputation as you have also mentioned here yourself. So, do give yourself a pat on the back for being in the hustle and bustle of Damansara!
Best of luck for your internship!
Kind regards,
Dhiva
Hi Anusha,
Reading your post is like reading a novel. haha!
As a person that live in small town like Bintulu, I can't imagine not only to take 1.5 hours to reach a place, but also when I am nervous.
I remembered the first day for my placement, I only spent about 5 minutes to reach campus and waited for half an hour to have someone to open the office as I reached too early. My hands were shaky.
As I worked in campus itself, so the name I carried was our department's name I guess. And, it was more pressure as my colleagues know most of people in campus.
One of my friend gave me an advice before I started my placement. He said, talk less, do more, smile more, and the most important things is do not act heroic. I think that is kinda true. As a PR person, it is important to maintain personal relations with people too.
Enjoy reading your post.
Take care!
Cheers!!!
Regards,
Joanne Ting
7d9b7111
Hi Anusha,
Your post caught my attention the most. I was beyond happy to hear about you've secured your placement after months of applying for internship. It's a good thing that the HR officer actually accompanied you for breakfast and explained the rules and company's policies and regulations. As in Fleishman-Hillard KL, I remember on my first day, the office manager brought the new staff and I for office tour, gave the access card and briefed some of the few ground rules.
As for company's policies and regulations, we were asked to check it on their website. People might not give some time to go through the policies and regulations on the website but, FH is quite smart to make people actually read and understood all of it. They actually request you to read and answer all of the questions given and they actually give a due date for it. Whether you like it or not, you must go through it and must passed the test. Yes, they make it as a test and reward you with a certificate.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed your internship and all the best.
Best regards,
Fazar Ria Muneera
13761196/ 7D5B3504
Semester 1, 2013
Curtin University Sarawak Campus
Post a Comment