All Roads That Lead To Success Have To Pass Through Hard Work Boulevard: Final Reflection

Unreal.  It's the final week of my final semester.  I'm sure I can speak for many of you when I say my computer is lucky to still be in one piece!!  

Having completed two placements within slightly different industries at the same time this semester, I have learnt about things that I enjoy doing in the workplace, and things that I don't enjoy so much.  Writing, as always, is one of the best parts of this public relations and communications industry.  Unfortunately I haven't done as much of it as I would have liked in my placements, and I can only hope that as my career progresses, I get to do it more and more.  I have thought about working in magazines in the past - perhaps this is something to consider as I move forward.

My times at Magnetize, the boutique integrated communications consultancy that focusses on online marketing and business development, and Muse Bureau, the luxury public relations and events consultancy, were very different.  Social media driven development of clientele and learning about industries like financial advising was part of my work there.  My roles at Muse were more publicity based, heavily involved with liaising with talent and media in the lead up to Perth International Jazz Festival over 29-31 May.

I have learnt so much about my own professional and personal skills, along with the differences between the classroom and the real world.  There is only so much that can be learnt at university, and experiencing placements in two consultancies filled with professionals has been an eye opening experience to what awaits me in the future.

The world of public relations and communications is so intertwined, I still do not really know exactly what lies before me.  The pressure of finding work is a daunting task that I must be ready to face - but I know I can do it.  Having grown as a practitioner in my field, I believe that whatever comes, my time studying and my placements have shown me that I am indeed capable of tasks put before me.  

I leave you with this quote - as graduates, we all have to start somewhere, even if it's not in the place we first saw ourselves coming out of university.  However, with at least one placement behind us, we all know that we are capable of hard work - that means we are bound to be successful if we put our minds to it!

Good luck everyone, and all the best with your future - congratulations, we made it!!

Laura xx

Intern Excitement - The Joys of Getting Published

Three days into my internship and I’m actually loving it.

My main roles so far have been social media posts, including the brainstorming of potential blog topics, editing and drafting several posts for a medi spa and health clinic, along with writing some Facebook posts for several different clients.  I was extremely excited when Melissa called me into her office to show me my posts queued to be published!  It was a great feeling over the following days to see my work posted on behalf of the clients (and consequently I have been stalking their pages to see each update).  I also got to see a marketing strategy in the final stages and contribute to some parts, with the Magnetize girls presenting it to the client the next day with some of my work included.  It was interesting to note that the format for the strategy was indeed very similar to those we have prepared at uni - a relief to find that I already know the basics! 

As I really enjoy writing and playing with words to fit into themes and messages, these tasks have given me a huge sense of accomplishment knowing that my strengths are of assistance to the company.  I’m very grateful to Mel and the team for giving me jobs that are actually necessary for them, rather than slave labour jobs like photocopying that some of my friends have unfortunately had to do.  The praise for doing a great job is a mega confidence boost, and I can feel myself improving on things already.  I am also learning lots about time management in the industry, with efficiency and attention to detail being very important in the marketing and PR world. 

Now the initial nerves have worn off, I am confident that this industry is something I can look forward to being a part of in my future career.  Each day has led me to doing something different, and it is so great to be told you’re good at something by people you admire.  I am really excited for my next day (a whole week away L) and cannot wait until I can get a proper job in the industry.  I can definitely see myself as a corporate businesswoman either in the city or areas like Subiaco – having a coffee in the morning in a trendy café suits me very well!

Until next time.  I’m going to try and remember to ask at least one good question each day I’m there so that I can learn even more and make the most of the Magnetize team’s knowledge.  I hope everyone is enjoying their roles as much as I am and are learning lots!  

Laura x