Monday, August 11, 2014

It's All about People

It’s been exactly 17 days since I started my internship at BlastCommunications, and a recurring and valuable observation has led me to share it with you:

It’s all about people.

It does not initially matter whether you are a stellar PR Assistant, or how much theory you have. If you do not get along with the people you work with, they will not trust you with any task and therefore you will never learn or advance in your environment.

In order to be successful in any area where working with other people is required, people skills are one of the most important things one must possess. It takes a savvy combination of confidence, humbleness, and maturity to gain the trust of key people who will aid you in your development, both on a personal and professional level.



Personally, I have grown fond of working with two particular PR Executives who have a lot of experience in the field, and I have gained enough of their trust to observe every detail of their client management. They show me the tricks of the trade; giving me cell phone numbers of top journalists to contact, letting me know if there are interesting press releases or press books to draft, asking superiors if I can assist events, and looking over my work continually. They will go out of their way to explain something to me if they sense that I have not grasped a concept or task, something which I do not take for granted because they are not required to do so. 

Working with them gives me a lot more insight than just receiving orders from superiors. All these services are available to me because I took the time to get to know my colleagues, open up to them in turn, and place importance on individuals before the work at hand.  

A company is firstly and fore mostly comprised of people. Consequently they are the most important asset to the company or firm because without people, there would be no firm to begin with.

Keeping this in mind when working at the office can optimize your chances to learn, grow, and network. It also helps those who work with you to see the person behind the intern or employee. 


Sasha-Lee Marivel 

2 comments:

Roxanne Lemasson said...

Hello Sasha,

I really enjoyed reading your post because I can relate to it myself. I haven't reached as far as you in my internship but I did recognise the importance of having good relationships with colleagues, and most of all to discuss about everything that you do.

We are in the communications department, so I believe that having good communicative skills among ourselves is mandatory. Without it, a little tough to meet the client's needs/requirements don't you think.

I wish you all the best for your internship and looking forward to reading your posts again.

Roxanne

Anonymous said...

Hello Roxanne,

Thank-you for taking the time to read my blog and leave a comment, I appreciate it.

What you say is true, yet so many times we fail to realize that good communications within will show on the outside.

"A house divided cannot stand", as they say. If you do post some more on your experiences in that area, or any other challenges, I will be happy to read it.

Wish you all the best as well,
Sasha-Lee