My final day has arrived and at the
beginning of this internship, I never thought I would make it here. I can still
remember my first day during the middle of December. I was so nervous and
wasn’t sure how I would go, or if I’d be good at anything. I want to say I was
sweating because it was hot, but I was so damn nervous it was ridiculous. I was
really quiet, completely out of my comfort zone, and trying to the best I could
do, with my limited amount of practical experience.
I sit here now though, having finished my
twentieth day and it feels amazing. The best thing I could have done was an
internship. You actually don’t understand what people mean when they describe
the feeling of being ready to enter their field after a work placement. But I
am here now, having finished a work placement, and I feel ready to become a
nine-to-fiver, so to speak. Let me tell you, it feels pretty awesome.
On my final day, I figured I’d be doing the
same sorts of things that I had been over my time at Magnetize. But when I
walked in, my boss greeted me with a smirk and said “you’re going to be calling
people today”. My heart stopped. My throat sank into my stomach and I
immediately thought OMG! I am not ready
for this. I was handed my list of people to call, tried to remember what I
had to say and picked up the phone. I
was lucky enough to go through to a few message banks at first. When my heart
started to beat at a normal pace, and my voice shook a little less noticeably,
I ended up chatting to a potential client for around twenty-five minutes. He
was interested in what I was telling him about, and it felt pretty good to have
had a successful phone call.
Before I had ever cold-called people, I
thought it would suck. I’m just going to be honest here. And when I was handed
my cold-calling assignment, I was worried because I didn’t know what I was
“selling” (I use that term lightly) very well. But the power of bluff is a
wonderful thing, and when you can’t immediately find facts, you either give a
close estimate or blame the computer for running slowly – everyone seems to
relate to that one. I will still probably be shaking in my boots the next time
I have to cold-call someone for work, but at least I know it’s not a death
sentence. If you continue to be a person, and not a salesman, the person on the
other side of the line will be more inclined to listen to what you’ve got to
say.
One more little victory moment was when
my boss looked at me and told me how much I had changed over this time. I was a
little perplexed, and she explained that my writing had become much better
since my first piece and she was pretty happy with my work. In the real world,
you don’t really receive positive feedback, so I just reveled in that a little.
I obviously don’t think I am the best
ever, or anything, but I have walked out of that internship feeling like “I
can do this”.
6 comments:
Hey Jade,
I also had the same calling dilemmas at my internship!
I always used to get so annoyed when tele marketers called me and although I know its not exactly the same but I feel their pain of rejection.
Its always so nerve racking making calls to people you don't know and trying to sound enthusiastic and convincing after the 50th time.....But it has increased my confidence so much. I feel like I can call anyone now and as long as I do what I have been taught and sound confident I will get my message across.
Your employers don't always recognise your achievements, I had a second supervisor who rarely congratulated me and it can feel as though your efforts are disregarded.
But In saying that as long as you recognise your efforts and do your very best to achieve a task then its always a step forward in the right direction.
Good luck in your public relations career whatever field you decide to specialise in!
Hi Jade,
I know exactly how you feel! I dreaded when i had to stand infant of potential sponsors and pitch them an idea of what my organisation was about and how it could benefit them. After so many times and learning from my failures, i believed i could sell ice to an eskimo. Talk about a boost in confidence!
However, like you said, practice makes perfect and eventually it becomes second nature and clearly it did reflect in your confidence to take the next call. As future PR professionals, we don't get recognised often for our efforts nor are we awarded a medal after a successful campaign.
However, knowing you overcame what was a daunting task is enough to be proud of, whether anyone recognises it or not!
All the best and good luck in your future endeavours as a public relations professional!
Hi Mica and Jarret
I agree with what you have both written! It is difficult not getting acknowledged for our efforts, but I suppose it comes from within. It is an amazing feeling to have the confidence to do your job though.
I wish you both all the best too!
Jade.
Hi Jade,
Giving you a big Congratulations for finishing your internship with Magnetize since starting in December! It sounds like it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading some of your blog posts about your experiences with the company.
Firstly, your ‘top 3 writing tips’ – I could not agree with more! You’ve really hit the nail on the head there with; be real, following a narrative form and the importance of numbers and titles. I had plenty of experience in writing during my internship with HBF, some of which the stories were being published for the ‘Health + Medicine’ lift out in The West Australian. You really start to get a feel for what your readers want to see and it’s important that you relate to them, while adding some of the more formal elements of writing into the mix.
It’s been great insight learning about your experience in a consultancy. Given that my internship was ‘in-house’ so to speak, I am yet to experience the thrill of cold-calling. Good on you for keeping it real on the phone and managing to speak to someone for that long. And remember this, your supervisors gave you the opportunity as she had faith in you to attract potential clients. That is also lovely words of encouragement from your boss about your improvements and I’m sure you will excel in whatever you do with your professional career.
Wishing you all the best for a bright future, and may your career be filled with plenty of ‘victory moments’.
Ashleigh
Hi Jade,
Congratulations on finishing your internship with Magnetize upon starting in December! It sounds like it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading some of your blog posts about your experiences with the company.
Firstly, your ‘top 3 writing tips’ – I could not agree with more! You’ve really hit the nail on the head there with; be real, following a narrative form and the importance of numbers and titles. I had plenty of experience in writing during my internship with HBF, some of which the stories were being published for the ‘Health + Medicine’ lift out in The West Australian. You really start to get a feel for what your readers want to see and it’s important that you relate to them, while adding some of the more formal elements of writing into the mix.
It’s been great insight learning about your experience in a consultancy. Given that my internship was ‘in-house’ so to speak, I am yet to experience the thrill of cold-calling. Good on you for keeping it real on the phone and managing to speak to someone for that long. And remember this, your supervisors gave you the opportunity as she had faith in you to attract potential clients. That is also lovely words of encouragement from your boss about your improvements and I’m sure you will excel in whatever you do with your professional career.
Wishing you all the best for a bright future, and may your career be filled with plenty of ‘victory moments’.
Ashleigh
Hi Jade,
Congratulations on completing your internship with Magnetize and thank you for writing this blog post! Before I read your post, I thought I was the only one who became extremely nervous when I was asked to phone a client or the media. After reading your post however (and the multiple comments below detailing similar experiences), I now understand that I am not the only one and I must admit it feels better knowing I'm not alone.
I've had similar experiences in terms of "cold-calling" clients and one phone-call in particular comes to mind. In an attempt to secure media coverage for one of our events it was my job to call a local newspaper and persuade a representative from the paper to attend the event. It was clear to me from the very beginning (from the tone of the voice on the other end of the line) that I would not be successful in securing media coverage from this particular newspaper. In an attempt to remain professional however, I remained upbeat and thanked the journalist for their time. In what was a very unexpected turn of events, the journalist then opened up to me and became very apologetic, informing me that he was unable to attend because of a prior commitment, although he would be more than happy to write a piece on the event if I were to send him my notes and some photographs.
From this experience I've learnt that rejection isn't always a bad thing and it should not be feared for it can be easily turned around in some cases. It has also reinforced to me the importance of professionalism and the impact it can have in the workplace. Finally, remaining "a person and not a salesperson" is perhaps what saved my butt (and my placement's butt) in terms of media coverage, as I strongly believe that the journalist would not have been as happy to help as he was if I didn't respond in the professional and understanding fashion that I did.
Wishing you you all the best for your future endeavors,
Emily :)
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