It is my third week at PPR (Professional Public Relations) now and I am still enjoying every minute of it, I had a long and hard thought about what I could write about in my next blog post and found this topic a very interesting yet easy one to write about!
When I began my placement, another intern started on the same day as me and then another intern was already at PPR and had started a week earlier, surprisingly the other two students are from Curtin and we had all come across each other in a few units many years ago! PPR do not usually take on three interns at a time but due to it being a busy period approaching they thought it would be okay.
Gem and I have been working on McHappy Day and Rory is doing bits and pieces for the other consultants in the office. In the first few days we all had that competitive eye on the prize look, wanting to impress everyone and any one in the firm and to try and secure potential job opportunities and build networks (which we still do) but after the first week we all learnt very quickly that we were here to learn and advance our own skills in a real-life situation and not necessarily out shine each other.
Gemma and I both found that we worked better when we did the task together (we got it done quicker and it used up both of our brains to get better ideas!). We also learnt that we worked at different speeds, so some tasks which needed to be done immediately were given to me and then tasks that needed a few more hours (waiting for clients to call back) were given to Gem. Now in my third week and Gemma's forth week I definitely am going to miss having her around. I think having another intern gives you more self-confidence and reassurance knowing you can ask somebody for help. We can both say that the level of our work has improved just by getting one another to read over what we have done before we send it to our fellow college.
What I would like to know is if anybody else is in this same position? and whether its working or not for them?
9 comments:
I have been thinking about this a lot lately so it was really nice to see someone talking about it. Not necessarily in my placement as I am the only one but in applying for internships and grad jobs. Sharing tips on cover letter writing and resume advice is really nice but are you helping someone get the job over you?? I think not! In public relations we are encouraged to be ethical and support those within our industry. I try to remember this when I find myself in a competitive position against my peers. I think it is great that you and Gem got to support each other at your placement! I'm sure you both learnt a lot off each other. People are going to fit differently into their own role. If a friend gets a job/promotion/task over you be proud of them and just remember that your time will come.
Best,
Gem
This is an easy post for me to relate to - I started the same day as you and considered all the same things.
Who would be getting the good jobs? Would stability or variety be more beneficial?
How would senior consultants react to our different personalities?
However, once I pushed passed that focus, I found a fair bit of comfort in having a couple of people to relate to.
We've been chosen for this internship not only to progress our development, but to help PPR. It sounds super corny, but being good at the role you're given goes a long way towards being noticed. Personally, I think feeling comfortable is step one.
That said, it will be interesting to hear what each of us has gained once the month is over!
Regards,
Rory
Hi Bayley,
This is a very interesting blog post and you bring up very valid points!
At the beginning of my internship I definitely had the view that we were in 'competition' with one another. However as I spend a couple of months with other interns, I have in no doubt felt that I have learnt a lot from them. We have worked to together in support of one another to learn, grow and produce a high quality of work.
I have found that there are many more benefits in supporting each other than working against each other.
Although we will all be in competition for the jobs in the future, I have found having positive relationships and networks is a big part of successful career.
- Haleh
Hi Bayley,
It is very interesting to hear your opinion about intern rivalry, being in a similar position at my work placement.
I recently completed my internship at RFL Fremantle with a fellow Curtin intern and absolutely agree with what you stated about producing overall higher quality work together. We shouldn't feel intimated by our peers, as having another intern or team member in general in great to delegate tasks and spark more creative strategies. I believe PR is a highly collaborative career, and having a great team that gets along can really determine success.
Kayla.
Hi Bayley,
This was a really interesting read..
I also interned at PPR however i was the only intern at the time.
I had a hand-over with the previous intern and a hand-over with the new intern.
Both times i felt jealous and thought they could take the potential job offer from me.
Then i realised that i should not feel like this. Whilst they may be competition, we should offer our support and help.
Teamwork is ever so important - especially in PR with such a social environment, constantly communicating. We should empower each other and work together to create success.
Greta.
Hi Bayley,
I defiantly agree with you. Having somebody to bounce ideas off and collaborate with really does improve the quality and diversity of work produced. Although I do not believe that it has to be another intern.
During my placement I was lucky enough to collaborate with other members of both the public relations and marketing departments. Watching ideas grow from brain spasms to works of genius was an amazing experience. This could not have been achieved without efficient and effective collaboration.
Bayley, such a thought-provoking post!
I journeyed to Malaysia to undertake my internship with Bec and Sarah who I hadn't really known at uni before we interned together.
I was so grateful that they were there and they were a world of support in an environment that I was initially unfamiliar with.
Even though we were on different teams and had much different work loads we managed to enjoy the four weeks of living, working and travelling together, and have become great friends.
I think instead of seeing others as the 'competition', we can instead say to ourselves 'what can I learn from this person?' and constantly strive to improve ourselves in that way.
Alyce
Having completed my internship with two other Curtin students I can vouch for the fact that working with other interns is great, and beneficial for your learning. At first it was hard not to see it as a competition, but as you said after that first week you realise that you're all in this together and by working collaboratively on a set task, it can help create a more diverse and exciting final product.
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