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

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

It is the end, but also the beginning. The end of my internship with Meridian Services, and the beginning of a new phase in life, as someone who has the experience and knowledge of how public relations applies in 'the real world', outside of textbooks and classrooms.

The past 12 weeks have been a crash course in all-things PR and communications, with a minor in handling stress. From creating contacts and relationships to benefit the firm in the long-term (that is, long after I've moved on), to organising and being a part of the three-day BUSTED WA Roadshow, each and every task I've been left with have left their mark on the manner in which the company interacts with its stakeholder and how Meridian functions internally. As I mentioned before, nothing can function without the smallest piece; despite sometimes experiencing frustration at the seemingly endless minute tasks like putting together contact lists, I also got the satisfaction of witnessing my briefs and contacts being put to use with the frameworks of public relations plans being pieced together. 

Part of BUSTED WA's PR campaign against site crime

It's also been fascinating to watch how different departments interact with each other and how their actions influence the business as a whole. When presented with potential issues, the marketing department's response will be entirely different to that of the public relations department, but each can work together to  provide a more holistic, long-term solution.

Being mentored within such an environment has been so educational as to exactly how important effective public relations is to business success. The team at Meridian took me under their wing, and by dividing my tasks between the four main branches of the business created several opportunities to embrace challenges such as creating product fact sheets, updating social media, interacting with stakeholders through direct contact and email follow-up, writing briefs for conferences and meetings and even presenting to rooms full of stakeholders. The challenge was met only by the thrill of a job well done.

It has been such a pleasure to have completed an internship where not only my PR skills, but also my communication and critical thinking skills were consistently trialled and improved. Meridian's anti-cyber bullying, anti-poaching and anti-site crime initiatives (Space Safe Kidz, Chameleon and BUSTED, respectively) showed that my efforts were seeking to make the community around us a better place; there's not many other places where drafting an email-out can give you the same feeling of satisfaction!

 

To those who are still in the throes of their internship, all the best of luck! Be satisfied with who you are, be always reaching for the better result, consider what else you can do for your community.

Phoebe.