We have finally made it!

It’s hard to believe that not only have our internships finally come to an end but so have our public relations degrees (hopefully). And what a whirlwind experience it has all been, now that its over it’s left me wondering whether or not I am truly industry ready and prepared to take the next big step into the workplace. My 20-day internship has provided me with invaluable knowledge about the real world workings of public relations, and has given me the opportunity to create relationships and memories that I will never forget. During my time at Magnetize it has made me realise that university has only provided me with the very basics, the simple foundations I was expected to build upon, and my 20-day placement has allowed me to do just that. Throughout the duration of my internship I have learnt several key things, that I highly recommend to future interns to help improve their internship experience, these include:

Ask Questions: Sitting back at your internship and not asking questions is something that can taint your supervisor’s opinion of you and can detrimentally affect the outcome of your internship. Asking questions shows initiative and that your truly do want to learn, which is something many supervisors are looking for in an intern.

Be Confident: Even if you’re not really that confident in yourself or your capabilities it’s always great to just fake it until you make it. Having a confident demeanor about you in the workplace will instill confidence within your supervisor and any clients you meet face-to-face.

Complete your work early and ask for more: Completing tasks before the deadline shows that your working hard and eager to learn, asking if there is anything else you can do shows great initiative and is sure fire way to positively influence your supervisors opinion regarding your work ethic.

Have fun: My internship proved to be an extremely fun experience, it was a great place to create new business connections, make memories and form long lasting friendships. I highly recommend that whilst working hard you find time to enjoy the experience and have fun with it.

Public Relations 393 has overall been one of the most insightful units I have ever undertaken during my three years at Curtin university. This opportunity has given me the necessary skills and understanding to enter into the big scary 'real world' with relative confidence. I wish all my fellow PR interns the best of luck with graduating and any future endeavours.

Esther.