Sayonara Internship Program, see you in another time!

Today marks the last day of Internship program that I had for the Public Relations unit as part of my Bachelor Degree completion, focusing on final exams and hopefully I will be able to graduate on February 2017 *yeayme*.
Inul Vizta Family KTV has been an interesting place for a fast pace of working place. The company is eager to compete with another companies who is offering similar type of purpose which is Karaoke for customers such as working people, students in schools and Universities, families and corporate events. The company can be said as a leading franchisee based company that succeed to achieve a positive brand image and media coverage toward the company.

By completing the Internship program, I will of course miss the company and my small desk (more about it below) and I cannot wait to apply the skills that I have learned to the real world later on. I will mostly feel grateful to my supervisor, Herry and his assistant, Hendra to guide me when I was interning there and receiving important information about the company and to know more how to work in an office environment as personally I have never been working in an office before doing this Internship.

These below are some images of the office that I worked for:

 This above is the desk that I sat during the Internship days.

This image above is the situation of the 5th floor office at Inul Vizta Family Karaoke KTV Palembang, Indonesia.

This table above in the image is where me and the supervisors have a weekly meeting or daily follow up in the office.

Therefore, by creating this blog post marks the end journey of Public Relations Internship and my journey as a University Student.
Thank you my small team members and people in Inul Vizta for the precious memories and fun working situation that we had. See you in another time.

Thanks for reading my blog posts guys :)

Sayonara Internship Program, see you in another time!

Today marks the last day of Internship program that I had for the Public Relations unit as part of my Bachelor Degree completion, focusing on final exams and hopefully I will be able to graduate on February 2017 *yeayme*.
Inul Vizta Family KTV has been an interesting place for a fast pace of working place. The company is eager to compete with another companies who is offering similar type of purpose which is Karaoke for customers such as working people, students in schools and Universities, families and corporate events. The company can be said as a leading franchisee based company that succeed to achieve a positive brand image and media coverage toward the company.

By completing the Internship program, I will of course miss the company and my small desk (more about it below) and I cannot wait to apply the skills that I have learned to the real world later on. I will mostly feel grateful to my supervisor, Herry and his assistant, Hendra to guide me when I was interning there and receiving important information about the company and to know more how to work in an office environment as personally I have never been working in an office before doing this Internship.

These below are some images of the office that I worked for:

 This above is the desk that I sat during the Internship days.

This image above is the situation of the 5th floor office at Inul Vizta Family Karaoke KTV Palembang, Indonesia.

This table above in the image is where me and the supervisors have a weekly meeting or daily follow up in the office.

Therefore, by creating this blog post marks the end journey of Public Relations Internship and my journey as a University Student.
Thank you my small team members and people in Inul Vizta for the precious memories and fun working situation that we had. See you in another time.

Thanks for reading my blog posts guys :)

Nothing Pretty: The reality of the past 10 weeks

Today marks my final day at Event & Conference Co. Over the past ten weeks I have written press releases, multiple blog posts, conducted extensive amounts of market research and spreadsheets, completed data entry and ventured out into Perth’s foodie hot spots to handout fliers, all in all, a lot of work.

Bridget has always told her PR students that the public relations profession is not glamorous. I finally understood what she was talking about. Whilst I was working at an events company, the behind the scenes work was often tedious, bland and repetitive, far from fun and creative. I assume that if I was interning as a graphic designer, my tasks could have been more creative, however the PR work I undertook was predominately research based. Whilst I was prepared for this, the amount of research and areas of research did take me by surprise.

Most weeks at my internship consisted of the same types of tasks, however in the final week of my placement, I was able to help in the setting up of a conference my company was organising for one of their clients. Unfortunately as this was a corporate event, there were no pretty flowers, glamorous table displays or aesthetic decors that I could photograph and attach to this post. I was hoping there would be :( I'm sorry!

My duties for this event involved setting out the identification tags of the entire guest list in alphabetical order. In order to do this, I had to arrive at the venue, which was Frasers Restaurant in Kings Park at 6am. Once this task was finished, I helped with odd jobs around the venue until our 7am de-brief. My final task at this event was to greet the entering guests with a fellow intern and assist them with finding their nametags, then instructing them to the seat list. I was not able to help out for the entire day, nevertheless leaving the office and experiencing part of what goes on at an event behind the scenes was valuable.

In a previous week I was also given another chance to leave the office by distributing fliers around Perth’s most popular café strips. Along with two other interns, we visited cafes and asked if we were able to leave fliers for the upcoming gourmet food expo with them. To my surprise, everyone was accepting of the fliers and it was nice to think that we were actually helping contribute to this event being successful. The strips we visited included Subiaco, Leederville and Northbridge, so look out for the hot pink De-Lish fliers with Anna Polyviou on the front! You really can't miss them.

Whilst my placement has truthfully not been exciting, I am grateful for the opportunity at my placement and am definitely glad I chose the PR Internship unit. The last ten weeks have opened my eyes to what goes on in the real world and different workplace tasks. Being able to state that I have had this practical experience will no doubt be valuable when it comes to future job applications. I even think this process has helped build confidence within me, cementing the fact that I am capable of work life after university. I am proud of how far i have come and how i have managed to deal with the commitment of this internship. 

All Done and Dusted

I am FINALLY posting my final blog for my PR internship, even though I finished over 2 months ago, I wanted to post it at this time so you guys could benefit as you are about to finish up your internships.

Well, well, well, this brings me to the end of my internship blogs, and I would just like to say a huge thank you to the team at CBH for taking me in with such welcoming arms. My overall experience has been well worth the hour long commutes into the city centre and the constant walking in high heel boots. 

I would just like to give a tip to those of you who are finishing up their internships, make sure you let the workplace know how much you appreciate them dedicating extra time and effort to give you work to do, and thank them for the both work and personal level you got to know them on. Below is my final email I sent on my last day, as a general thank you to everyone who I worked with in my corporate affairs and marketing team. 

“ Hi Team!

This is my last day and I would just like to thank you all for the dedication you have given to me in my time here at CBH.

My time here has been great and I have experienced what it is like to be involved with a team that works so closely together. Thank you for letting me tag along to your meetings and giving me real jobs to do while I was here. 

I wish you all the best, especially Sarah, Nikki and Jody with your soon adventures. Have a great time!!

Thank you for a great internship! And I will be sure to write some positive notes about you all in my Final Report. Also cheers Roz, Kate and Matt for being boss pod buddies, and Sarah, Susan and Christine on my days in pod one! 

Will miss being part of the CBH team and I will see some of you at the Dowerin Field Day, and other farming things I am sure. 

Keep representing us farmers well!!

Regards, Rachel Clarke (The Intern) “

Throughout my time I created a very personal relationship with a lot of the women in my office. Therefore making an email such as this one very appropriate to show my gratitude to everything they had done for me over my time.  I cannot emphasise enough how important it is, good experiences or bad, to say thank you. It is something we are losing in today’s world and I believe people who dedicate so much free time to you appreciate this at least.

As a final parting gift to my group I left chocolates and some slice, this is something I do regularly and was a slight bribe as they are now on my resume as a reference. Remember to be smart as this is one of our first experiences into the PR world which we wish to enter.

ANY WHO, over my past four blogs you have read my rants, my confusion and most importantly my interest in what we do. So now I say good bye and GOOD LUCK! Make every last day worth it!

Happy Interning

-        Rachel

I Survived!

I did it! I completed 20 full days at my internship!

During my last few days many of my colleagues were asking me questions in regards to my time in the office. One reoccurring question I got asked is, “Has this experience been everything you imagined?”

To be very honest before starting my 20 days I assumed everything I had learnt would come rushing back to me and I would be completely fine. Considering I had sat through 3 years of theory and practical PR classes. Put in countless hours for assignments and exams and interacted with multiple students across the course. How different could PR in an office environment be to a classroom environment?

Probably a naïve thought right? Never did I imagine I would be writing articles, pitching to newspapers, speaking with journalists, or be involved in confidential projects. All of this and more I can say I have achieved in just 4 short weeks.

I have been very fortunate to experience my time as an intern with another intern Jess from Curtin. Having someone beside you defiantly make things a little easier when you are asked to do tasks such as monitor the media room of a large Oil and Gas conference! A crazy job for 2 inexperienced PR girls, but what better way to gain experience then to be thrown straight into the deep end.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt coming out of my internship is to believe in myself and trust things will work out. I have never been one to enjoy change, so when day one of the 4 weeks began, everything that I was used to was completely different. Instead of driving, I was catching the bus, instead of lazing around in the afternoons, I was working on client pitches. All in all, my days were completely different to what I was used to. However, the knowledge and experience I gained doesn’t compare to anything else I’ve done before and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

If there’s any advice I could give to someone thinking about doing an internship or work experience for a company, I would 100% say go for it. Take every opportunity you get, (even if it seems scary)because the only way you’ll learn is if you give it your best shot!

Completing my internship has made me excited about the future and where my degree will take me. I have more experience, I have more confidence, Now I just have to secure a job....Wish me luck!

Yummy Morning Tea from PPR to thank Jess and I for our time in the Office.

The glamourous and not so glamourous side of PR.

One thing I always remember about my first ever PR unit is that my tutor said to us, "If you think this degree is going to be anything like Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, you might as well leave now". Wow was she correct! As fun as partying it up with celebrities in NYC sounds, there is a whole lot more to PR, and I have quickly discovered that being at my internship.

I always imagined there were going be times where things didn’t go smoothly and events did not go to plan. Today was the perfect example of that!

I have always had an interest in events and thought I understood roughly how event management worked. However, after today my views have changed completely and I praise those who manage to keep their sanity while planning for an event!

I was told to meet at the Perth convention centre an 9.00am on Wednesday morning to help set up and prepare for an event that was taking place and due for a 10am start.

When arriving at the location I called my supervisor to organise a meeting place like we had planned. From that moment on it was manic! She was stressed, exhausted, out of breath and overall drained. Everything that needed to be done before 10am wasn’t even close to being finished. People were arriving early, and there was nowhere for them to go besides hanging around the foyer area while the rest of us franticly set up the conference area. As if things weren’t stressful enough, one of the colleagues who had volunteered her time to help with the event slipped and fell down the stairs. Thankfully she was ok but she had to be rushed to the hospital as she is 20 weeks pregnant- so you can imagine the thoughts that were running through everyone's heads.

Things were a bit out of control as we had to manage those arriving early, those complaining about the temperature of the heat in the room, organise each person a conference badge, all while being still being worried and anxious from the previous accident that had just occurred.

Needless to say, my supervisor was close to tears as everyone counted on her for a successful event. Thankfully by 10 o’clock the hall was set up, the guests were enjoying tea and coffee in the foyer and everyone was ready to enjoy a successful conference!

If I’ve learnt anything from this experience, it that, you can prepare as much as possible, but there will always be a time when things don’t go to plan. And that’s ok! The most important part is that you stay calm, stay focused, and keep smiling so that everyone thinks things are ok! (even if they’re not).

It’s given me a lot to think about as I feel event planning may be an area I would like to dig deeper into.  Minus the stresses and unplanned injuries, the event was a success and the feeling of accomplishment makes you feel like all the hard work was worth it!

And while I do admit, I still enjoy indulging in episodes of Sex and the city, I am also grateful that PR is nothing like that of Samantha Jones career. I am learning so much more then I ever imagined and look forward to where my future is headed.

I am hoping to volunteer outside of my internship at other events to get a greater feel of the environment! Who knows, maybe this could be a new pathway for me!

Interns and the boring ‘stuff’

Hi all! I’m back to shed some more light on what it is like to be an intern and the journey so far!

What I really want to focus on is something we are all probably experiencing at our placement, not because we are bad at what we do, or can’t be trusted to jobs, it is all down to sometimes our supervisors just don’t have time. So this I like to call Interns and the boring ‘stuff’.

As we all know there is a considerable difference between being on a payroll and working for free. Unfortunately in our situation we are volunteering to help an organisation just so we can experience what people do in our field and be in that environment on a weekly basis. Although we get to create documents that are based around our role, such as newsletter articles, speeches, information packs and much more, there are somethings which I feel have just been backlogging till I came along.

The team at CBH have been more than supportive in sending me tasks and giving me the opportunity to communicate with our stakeholders regarding information and social media, such as the current Broome campaign which I am completing. Although there are jobs such as filing and organisation which has not been a priority throughout the corporate affairs and marketing team. Therefore I have found myself doing the boring stuff, such as organising over 300 CDs into date order and placing them in cupboards, or putting documents into alphabetical order for the data collection team. Small jobs I have been given purely because having someone who does not have a specific role in the team means that my supervisor has to stop doing her role in order to occupy me.

Although I understand that filing and organisation of photo data is in the role of what I do and what I may have to do in the future. I feel they found themselves on a winning ticket to have an intern to do tasks that simply take too much time out of a day.  I have had many productive days where I have had my head down sending emails and researching information for a company tour, and these days I feel have given me real insight into where I will be in the future and what I need to prepare for. Although small filing jobs I do not feel I get as much experience from, even though they are a necessary part of my job.

It simply all comes down to time! The time to organise tasks for the intern, the time to check over their work, the time to stop your jobs and explain what they need to do. This time is very precious to someone who is constantly working on social media or newsletters, therefore I glad that CBH has taken the time out to give me the opportunity to experience a workplace environment and consider it to be a wonderful place to work. 

After that rant! I would like to fill you in on what I have learnt so far… just today.  I have learnt that the paper you print your marketing on is extremely important, I went to a meeting with the graphic designer and a manager from Spicers, who are a paper company, they discussed new paper that is in, the weight and what colour of white they should use… This was a very interesting meeting as I had no idea there was more than white A4 in a printer. Also I have written some executive emails and been in contact with our suppliers of things for events such as lecterns and cameras, being involved with the money side and filing quotes has been eye opening to exactly how much money goes into event, more than what we have discussed in budgets throughout university. 

Happy Interning Everyone!!!!

Good luck!

Rachel

First Steps

It’s been great to finally have a break from the stresses that come with #unilife, but for me it’s time to hang up my bikini and take my first steps into the ‘real world’.

The day is finally here.



I’ve been up all night trying to decide what outfit will most effectively portray the fact that I am keen to learn, professional and above all capable of what they are about to throw at me (even if that include ‘I’ll get a skinny long mac topped up- no sugar’.

I’ve taken my first steps into the office with the social precedent of the word intern hanging over my head, and excitement running through my veins. I keep thinking ‘all I’m going to be doing is filing, getting coffees and running errands- I’ll be fine’.  Boy was I wrong.

I thought that wearing the intern paper crown meant doing the slug work, yet in the first hour here  I feel as if I’ve been thrown into the deep end, and I can honestly say that I’m loving it. The work that I am doing is challenging, interesting and it gets me thinking. It’s a great change from my usual boring 9-5 retail job. I get to apply what I’ve been learning at Uni in a real life situation where it’s actually all starting to make sense now.

Media releases, blog posts, ‘what’s happening’ research, social media- you name it, I’m doing it!

I’ve found myself having been thrown into a world of events and public relations that I honestly love doing- and I’m being intellectually challenged every day I’m here, having to push myself and feeling like one of the head honchos and actually contributing to the team and the business operations.

I had the stereotype in my head that an intern will be placed in the corner, doing silly work that doesn’t make a difference in the businesses success, rather just helps them out with jobs around the office. The tasks and to do lists being passed my way include researching client content and Event/PR topics to include in media releases, event listings and blog posts. I’m liaising with companies and clients and surprisingly I'm actually implementing the skills I’ve learnt at University.

Being thrown into the deep end is an understatement to say the least. 

I’m so happy that an Internship is included in my degree as it really has opened my eyes to the sides of an Event Management and PR organisation that I didn’t realise were so crucial to raising business awareness, gaining momentum and reaching success.

Having a large amount of previous Event Management experience I was already aware of the planning and organising that is contributed towards achieving an event- so that to me was no surprise. Yet what has actually been a surprise to me is the work that is done behind these events that have the potential to make as business great, or give them the image as just another Events and PR company. Of course I knew these things existed in businesses, I just didn't realise how crucial they actually are in all aspects of any business- not just PR and Events! It comes in portraying your business and selling yourself to your desired public's and demographics.

I’m realising how important components like social media, marketing and client management are to the success of an emerging organisation in the market, and I know I will definitely embrace these elements of running a business when I embark on my own adventure. It's definitely relatable to me and what I want to do.

The day is coming to an end and I feel like in one day I have already learnt so much. I was required to do research such as content and image publications to be comprised into promotional material for the business. I never realised how significant components such as promotional and informative e-book’s (electronic material) are in showing your public's what you’re made of and what you can offer client's. These are elements of owning your own business that I didn’t realise mattered as greatly as they do, and I can confidently say that I will definitely be implementing this into my own business path and my career.

I’m actually quite surprised at how easily I found I am fitting in to my new environment. I feel like what I’ve been learning at University I am easily able to apply this into what I am working on. The experience from just one day is extremely surprising and I'm gaining experience that will help in making my own path.

Some could say I'm pretty happy where I am right now, and for some odd reason working for free or slave labour as some might say isn't actually as bad as it sounds.

Tips to End Your Internship the Right Way

As well all finish up our internships (expect the lucky ones who are continuing or have a landed a job!) there a few tips I have picked up to successfully finishing up on a postive note.


1. Get feedback
This is your chance to get all the feedback you can draw out of your supervisor. Ask them what you did well and what you did not do so well. Internships are all about learning from your mistakes. Don't be scared of criticism as this will help you in your next step as a PR practitioner.

2. Network and stay connected
Network, network, network! We have heard this countless times but this is your opportunity to use colleagues and staff members as future networks. Stay in touch through business cards or Linkedin.

3. Finish what you started
Don't leave until you are done! If you have any unfinished work or projects get them done. Identify with your supervisor what you have done and where you will be leaving off. This will help the team move on efficiently.

4. Ask for a recommendation
Ask your supervisor to write a recommendation whether that be on paper or on Linkedin.

5. Be appreciative and say thank you
A little thanks will go a long way. You will be remembered for your courtesies.

Best of luck to you all,
Haleh