Currently just past the half way mark of my
internship, I am now starting to get used to the working lifestyle.
I can definitely say I am able to identify
the direction I plan on going once I graduate next year. I can tell you that I
am definitely not interested in social media or writing media release for the
rest of my life.
Yes I realise they are integral aspects of
PR but I would much prefer to work on Stakeholder Development, Reputation Management
or Crisis Communications Plans.
This internship has been a massive wake up
call for me, I now know that University expectations and industry expectations
are two very different things. In all my PR units I have been a distinction
student, however when handing my media release, media listings or stakeholder
letters to my mentor, there are always tweeks and changes made. No matter how
big or small these changes are it really does make you doubt you capabilities.
This has definitely been a massive learning
curve so far and I can definitely say I have improved a lot. It has been great
to compare what I have written to the final result and see the difference.
I have learnt that PR is very much focused
on personality and how you conduct yourself in front of clients. That is soo
unbelievable important to be approachable and make your clients feel at ease.
I have also established the incredible
importance of deadlines, if you miss a deadline with a journalist, your story
wont get printed and then you have to try and explain this to your clients.
Time management, organization, strong written
communication and approachable personality are just a few key skills needed in
order to survive in a PR Consultancy.
Kimberley
6 comments:
Hi Kimberley,
Wow, sounds like your internship experience is definitely going to impact your career choices once you graduate.
I think that's been the great thing about these placements for a lot of people, there's only so much you can learn about PR and yourself as a practitioner without getting out there applying everything you've been taught.
It may have been confronting to realise it wasn't what you expected but knowing what you don't want gives you clarity on your direction and goals for the future.
Hope the rest of your placement goes well.
Kelsey
Hi Kimberley,
I felt your post was relatable. It reminds me of when I was going through my internship. Though I enjoyed my entire time of the internship, but there are things that will change your thoughts and choices when people change what you have done.
As you have stated "No matter how big or small these changes are it really does make you doubt your capabilities". This is so true!
I guess it is a good thing that we get the experience now from the internship, so in the future we know what we want to pursue. As Kelsey stated, "it may have been confronting" but that is usually what happens in the real world, and the best part of it is that it gives you an aim for the upcoming jobs you will get :)
Thank you for an interesting post! Hope you enjoy the rest of your internship placement. Best of luck in finishing your final report and for the future <3
Cheers,
Camy xx
Hi Kimberley,
Your post is so incredibly relatable!
I strongly believe there are so many different aspect of university that either show us were great or show us were not and as you said these can be particularly disheartening. University very much teaches us the theoretical approach to everything, but unfortunately I find that it sometimes misses the more important approach related to communication, people skills and time management. These in my opinion are much more valuable and important than if my media release has too many sentences in the wrong paragraph.
Another blogger wrote about her experiences during her internship and demonstrated how much these communication skills impact the success in the industry – you may find her post interesting and relatable as well; here is the link http://pr393reflectiveblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/pffffftt-and-why-would-i-report-that.html
It is really great to hear that you have learnt what you want to do before you’re thrown in the deep end in the real world and still trying to figure it out.
I wish you the best in your future working with Stakeholder Development, Reputation Management or Crisis Communications Plans! ;)
Reyhan
16167111 - Bentley
Hi Kimberley!
It’s great that you’ve already got a grasp of where you can see yourself going with your career from your time at your placement! It’s always reassuring to know that you’ve chosen the “right path” with your studies.
It is very true that what is expected of us from our time at uni is very different to industry expectations – I have learnt the same thing. It’s very easy to get used to tutors giving constructive feedback on our writing and knowing we have time to improve – it can be quite daunting presenting a professional piece of writing to a real life “employer”, especially when it comes back to us scribbled in red pen. I do agree with you that it is a great learning experience though!
I also really appreciate your comment about deadlines. Again, it can be so easy to fall back into the comfort of our uni experience. Sure, we have deadlines as to when to submit assignments, but ultimately the pressure is gone once the assignment is submitted and all we have left to worry about is our mark. In the real world, deadlines are so important, and there are much larger consequences should a deadline be missed. I’ve also found the pressure doesn’t just ease when the deadline passes – when you’re dealing with real life clients it's so easy to worry about if you’ve said something wrong or how you’ve written something after it is sent off – even if you have met the deadline. It all comes with experience I guess.
It sounds like you’ve been getting some great experience from your placement. Keep up the great work!
Emma
15485294
Hey there Kimberley ,
Amazing thing it is to be able to get out there and know your path. I am genuinely glad for you. I wish it was same for me but I fear my route is gonna be a bit uncommon but I really hope to get to my destination....Sorry for going out of subject :) All in all I just wanted to say great job and I like your emails from PRSC ,great work there too. Don't go too hard on yourself when your boss applies some tweaks to the work you handle, I am sure it was good but everyone have their own idea of how they want the final thing. Take care.
Thierry
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