Final lap

Regular coffee spams

Hi readers!

I’m Justine Lai, currently pursuing my final semester as an undergraduate for BA in Marketing and Public Relations.

I finally ended my internship with Porter Novelli (PN) Singapore last week and I must say that I felt really appeased, yet sad to leave. I learnt so much during these three and a half months and every single day was fruitful. Despite the OTs, heavy workload, and coffee spamming, I really enjoyed my time working at the office. Everyone was really nice and generous with their patience and understanding.

For my final blog post, I would like to reflect on my overall experience and past mistakes made.

I remember making several mistakes during this internship, and one of the most memorable ones was a phone call to a luxury magazine. A post-event press release was disseminated to the media a week before and I was tasked to call several journalists to follow-on the status. I was still inexperienced speaking with the media at that time and I was really nervous. The first call went alright, as it was short and the person made it clear that he wasn’t interested. For the second call, the journalist I spoke to mentioned that she only publishes exclusive pictures of events, and at a state of white-headedness, I promised to send her a folder of it, without checking in with my colleagues. When I ended the call, my colleague beside me looked horrified and whispered, “We don’t have exclusive pictures, the ones we sent out are the only ones we have. Why didn’t you clarify with us?” My heart stopped and I wanted to cry. I ran towards my colleague, Navreet, who was handling that account and told her what had happened. She looked surprised, but kept calm and said, “Let me discuss this with Gabriel (another colleague on that account.)” Scary thoughts ran through my mind, such as being fired, getting scolded, causing a relationship breakoff with the magazine etc. However after their careful discussion, they managed to come up with a solution, which is to get client's agreement to send them other pictures that weren't used before. Then they told me, "Don't worry, there are many other problems much worse than this. This is nothing really."

I couldn't help but feel fortunate, as my colleagues were always generous with their patience and encouragement regardless of my mistakes which I really appreciate.

Another thing that I would like to reflect on is my attitude, as I sometimes gets a little angsty during days with heavy workload, and I may have appeared rude or impolite when my colleagues ask me to help out. Guess I wasn't used to multitasking and I'll need to be more prepared for work pressure. Thus, I included a phrase into my farewell email, "If I had in any way messed up, please accept my apologies."

Occasional sweet treats from colleagues

 

It's been a wonderful experience  and I must say that everything was so worth it. All the regular OT sessions, bringing-work home to do, were all worth it.

Guess I'll be missing my colleagues, conversations, gossips, laughter and the random lunches as well as the occasional sweet treats from the team.

Thank you for reading!

With love,

Justine Lai

15215640

Curtin Singapore

What I Wish They Taught In Class

Hey all,

Having been there and done that as an intern, there were many times that thoughts of “I wish the school taught me this…” came to me. I believe we have all had our fair share of boo-boos at work and would like to bury our head into the ground every time that happens.

As I mark my last post on this blog, I would like to share the 10 “I wish they taught me…” that went through my head at work in my three months with Touch Communications. Who knows? Maybe one of the lecturers might catch upon this and make it a point to kindly share these trade secrets for potential PR393 interns before they dash off into the real world.

1.       I wish they taught me what a media drop is.

2.       I wish they taught me how to reject cordially.

3.       I wish they taught me when the deadlines for SPH, Mediacorp and other media outlets are

4.       I wish they taught me when the media centres published their publications

5.       I wish they taught me how to squirm out of a tight situation

6.       I wish they taught me how to make intelligent conversations

7.       I wish they taught me how to hold those conversations

8.       I wish they taught me how to introduce myself without a namecard

9.       I wish they taught me the different ways to network during a social event

10.   I wish they taught me how to cope with difficult situations (e.g. low event RSVP even as event is nearing, zero turnout for press conferences, etc.)

Personally, I feel that the theory we learnt in school (except for techniques) is not as useful  for the internship as compared to if the lecturers took time to share with us on more practical examples such as the 10 listed above. It would help to ease transition between school and work, especially for an intern in a fast-paced industry where time waits for no man. 

While I eventually managed to find out how to deal with the above, it is not without hard lessons. If I had the slightest inkling of what to expect, it could have been better handled and consequences may be less dire!

Signing off,
Grace Ong
15230928
Curtin Singapore

The end of my internship

The end…

Hi everyone,

This is my last post about my internship at Imagine Communication. During these 20 days, I have been able to observe and learn a lot as it gave me an opportunity to apply what I have learnt and acquired during my studies to the working world. 

I have been exposed to basic and more complex PR tasks such as media monitoring, press summaries, press clippings, database entry, press release, invitations, meetings and so on.

However, during my internship at Imagine Communications, I learnt that daily media monitoring and press summaries are actually a very important facet in public relations. From these facets, I also learnt to look at the different aspects of PR activities in a different perspective as each PR activity plays a different and important role for the consultancy and its clients.

This internship also helps me to learn to work in a professional manner and professionalism.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Senior Consultant and Director of Imagine Communication for providing me the opportunity to do my internship in his company and I sincerely thank my supervisors for their guidance and encouragement. Their supervision and support helped me in the progression of the internship program. 

Concluding My Placement With HSBC

Everyone has mentioned their goodbyes and appreciation for the 20 most rewarding days of their university lives.

It's time for me to say my good bye too! Although next week marks the last week for my internship.

Where do you work?
On April 16th, I commenced my first day at work with HSBC, Brunei.

What are the challenges 
- It was the location that worried me a lot. No where near my home, it's in the most center of the capital in  Brunei and where traffic accumulates throughout lunch hour. I've made the decision to commute back and forth to my workplace once a week and rented a place there, normal commute time takes 1.30 hours. No,  public transportation isn't the best choice here, visit and find out! :)

- Having to toggle between uni and work! Week 13 was so hectic, come home at 6pm and must to go to bed by 12am, where is the time for my final report? I know we were not supposed to leave it till the last, but it's over now what matters most :)

What have I gained during my internship
I've actually covered 23 media releases during my one month internship with HSBC! What a milestone. From a student who doubts if she's chosen the right course and struggles to give an answer for "Hey, what is PR about?" to a confident under-graduate student who can carry herself well in front of important executive officers from different organisations and does not shy away from contributing meaningful ideas!

What's so special about working with HSBC
The people that I work with, they are some of the most jolly personalities with great sense of " Russell Peters" kind of humour, if you get what I mean!

Do I see myself working in the company in near future?
Apparently, working in a bank is so much stressful than working in other white collar offices. Despite the other departments of the bank, I find the Marketing and Communications department's level of stress utterly fine for me. However, I would really like to try something new in event planning. Wish me luck in job hunting!


ALL THE BEST, till then...

Xx Jasmine

Concluded with a sense of achievement

I had a magical time!

Hi Everyone,

I have had so much fun reading all of your interesting blog posts. It looks as though we have all learned a lot from our time in the 'real world' as we so fondly like to label it but really enjoyed this experience at the same time. I am happy to say that I have completed the expected 20 working days at Hollywood Private Hospital and am staying on to help here and there. They can't get rid of me that easily!

It has been a really hands on and fun glimpse into everyday life as an in house PR professional. In my particular placement there was a big mix of marketing involved in the job but that only helped me to understand the relationship between the two and how they can work hand in hand in a very productive way.
Reading about the fantastic placements many people had at PPR, I am also quite intrigued into the world of consultancy. It has the appeal of different clients and exciting ventures that in house PR just doesn't hold.  So these blogs have definitely been helpful in understanding both sides and also not closing us off from the rest of the world of PR as we might have been only seeing one side to it.

It has been a while since my last blog and much has happened. I helped with the launch of Glengarry Private Hospital's new branding which is now Real Magic. Everyday. I was in charge of taking photos once again and had a great time capturing the day as we held a surprise lunch and reveal for the staff. The launch was lead up to by a teaser campaign which consisted of the CEO emailing out elusive magical messages each day to the staff which I had made up for her earlier in my placement. There were also foam asterix's placed around the hospital to pre empt the logo of the brand. Below is one of the designs that includes a chef at the hospital who catered the lunch on the day. It was a nice touch including staff members from the hospital in their campaign as it is a very close knit community they have.

My internship has come to a close now but they are still wanting my help due to a heavy work load. It has been a great experience for me and can only hope to learn more and delve even more into the typical PR elements of the marketing department. 

I am finishing off my report and hoping it all goes well. I wish you all luck on yours and hope you had as great an experience as I did. 

Cheers,

Kate Millar

13643087

Modern Slavery

The concept of slavery isn't something foreign to us; in fact, history has taught us that some of the greatest empires were built on cheap labour, be it minimum wage or via slavery. In Egypt, it took an estimate 20 to 30,000 slaves to erect the Pyramids of Giza; while a quarter of the entire population of the Roman Empire comprised of slaves.

Although slavery has been abolished in the majority of most developing nations today, the basis of this ideology still exists in numerous industries, large and small. Large number of organisations employ numerous strategies with aims to generate sufficient revenue to attain maximum profit in the industry they're in. With that in mind, the concept of modern slavery can be introduced.

As a graduand, unpaid internships are pretty much a rite of passage that many hope it would eventually lead to paid, full-time employment. In saying that, the work and 'designated assignments' an intern has to complete can sometimes be repetitive, exhausting and often not what you were expecting.

The last official day at my placement at Rossmoyne Senior High School (RSHS) saw me commencing my shift with a fresh dewy face. Nine hours later, I walked out looking like Lindsay Lohan after a hard's night of partying; with sweat running down my face, smudged make up and hair that could nest a couple of bird's eggs.

What was expected to be an easy day, filled with small but joyous last minute tasks, turned out to be a day potentially similar to the interns who work for Chief Editor of Vogue US, Anna Wintour. It saw me driving to the seven primary schools associated with RSHS while trying to organize some last minute preparations for the staff’s final morning tea before the term ends. In addition, four press releases that will be issued once school resumes from it’s two week break had to be written an hour before I was scheduled to leave; and instructions and the fact sheet for those who will be operating the alumni program after my time at RSHS ends. Therefore with all that work, there was no choice but to, just like most days, skip both morning tea and lunch while staying on past my scheduled finish time. I guess when it is your last day as an unpaid laborer, the world would try and maximize all they can out of you.

With that amount of complaining, I realise I may come across as an ungrateful and lazy intern, however my feelings are actually quite the opposite. Yes the workload may be intense, and often physically exhausting but the reality of it is that without this internship, I wouldn’t have received a large amount of auxiliary benefits including industry contacts, experiences that were once taught in classrooms, and an improved resume that can potentially lead to employment in a similar field. In saying that, I am extremely thankful for this experience, as I do believe it has broadened my perspective on not only the public relations industry but as a ‘grown up’ individual.

One Foot In The Door

My Public relations internship at Limkokwing University has come to an end. i must admit it was a bitter sweet goodbye because all in all it was a very rewarding experience.

i walked in a raw intern and walking out a polished profession/industry ready individual. i have learned a lot in terms of how to deal with external key publics especially the media and i also how articles/releases are written. I can now draw the line between writing a journalistic story as well as pr story. you will find that articles in pr are written in promotional style and the prominence of the organisation is a must throughout the article.

As i have mentioned in my earlier post, being a practitioner requires plenty of patience, research and knowledge too are a must. Research gives you an upper hand when dealing with your external key publics and they too will respect you for your insight and confidence.
When you are involved in organizing an event you should always make sure that you have all the angles covered especially when dealing with the media so that you can be in a position to give them all the information they will require about the event.

i am especially greatfull to the Limkokwing staff i worked with. it was fun. what was amazing was the atmosphere in the office was a very relaxed one yet every body new when to get serious. this especially as a young intern looking to learn the ropes of the industry is a welcome aspect because you find your own niche in the set up and aren't afraid to ask questions. one does not feel intimidated.

They say education is a lifelong experience. i am armed with plenty of it, knowledge to add and ready to take on the corporate world.

Baatile

LUCT

End of Corporate experience

Everything eventually comes to an end and this internship was no exception.I'l have to say parting with this experience was like going through a slow spiritual death.In the last 20 days, i have networked with different people from different nationalities and learnt to appreciate them irregardless of the differences we may be having. The thing i liked about the university i worked at was that the staff treated me like a co- worker and did not delegate me mundane tasks for me to do but rather challenged me to be and do my best.

From press kits, making media clippings, writing press releases, performing administrative duties such as faxing media invites and making calls, being briefed in house, the type of skills i had learnt is priceless and the knowledge i had gained is endless.

To sum up, through the articles and the press releases i wrote, i found out that like any other discipline, writing takes the patience equivalent to that of a sniper ready to take his shot. The more you write, the better you become. In short writing requires ideas, and ideas requires thought and when pitching the story to the media, its always best to strike in the active voice rather than passive.

I really had a best time working at the university, saying i enjoyed working would be an understatement, i'm going to miss the professional office set up as well as my co-workers. Now that i'v experienced what the corporate world is like, like a vampire that had a taste of blood,i cant wait to graduate and join the real world. I guess we meet to part and part to meet like the saying goes.


Bethel


LUCT

End of Internship

Well after four months of my Internship I have finally finished!
I must say that I was both glad to finish and sad at the same time. I will definitely say it extremely hard work and quite stressful, but at the same time so rewarding. The last three weeks were definitely the highlight where all the hard work and preparation paid off with the events we organised. Leading up to these events I was working up to 5 days a week getting these events organised. Firstly I will talk about the first event Myer Basement presents Shopaholic that was held as Fashion Festival event .

I have probably not had a more stressful week than the week leading up to the Shopaholic event. It could only be described as sheer madness! In the lead up there was model fittings, confirmations with make up artists, hair artists, confirmation of Cassie Davis and finalising the contract, the lighting, media releases, PA announcements, dressing rooms, goodie bags, prizes, invitations being sent out to VIPs, food for model (yes they eat). Pretty much organised chaos. The actual day was the most stressful as every thing happens at once. You are doing five jobs at one time with your mobile ringing constantly, with people asking questions. I was co-ordinating backstage to make sure all models were there, that people were where they were meant to be, organising Cassie Davis and liaising with her management. After setting up for countless hours I went front of house where I ushered VIPs to their seats and helped the media get to their spots. The fashion parade went so well and we had a full house with most media there. Watching the parade was so rewarding.It's so good to know all your hard work paid off which was a great feeling!!

The week following the Shopaholic parades was also busy as we had the Myer in store parades featuring Jennifer Hawkins. This was so much fun to help with, as we got to help pick the location for the media interviews and shots with Jennifer Hawkins and coordinate outfits. I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to go to the shoot with my supervisor to assist with a fashion shoot for Jennifer Hawkins. It was us, Jennifer the photographer and journalist all at private location. It was so much fun to see how a shoot works and how relaxed every one is. After the shoot we went back to Myer for the parades. This included me ushering all media to the media pit, getting models organised and making sure they were back stage at the assigned time, which was harder than you may think! After the parade I spent an hour taking photos of fans and Jennifer Hawkins, which was interesting. After the event was over we finally realised how successful it was and how much media coverage we would get which was so exciting.

So this was the last three weeks of my internship which I think will be so valuable in the future. I am so grateful I had such an amazing supervisor who gave me so many opportunities to learn and experience difference aspects of Public Relations. I have learnt that events are not as glamorous as I once thought nor is fashion. I also realise you rarely get any breaks when you have an event on which means carrying snacks with you! There is so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make a successful event happen.

I have also realised that PR still has a long way to go in large corporations to be fully appreciated. It seems many in management levels do not understand the value PR creates for a company, something I hope changes in the future.I particularly enjoyed liaising with the many editors in Perth and found they all cooperate together. I have found my understanding of the media and how each publication works will definitely assist me in the future along with realising the importance of building strong networks. Networking in Perth is a huge part of public relations, the relationships you build with other PR professionals and the media will greatly assist you.

I hope every one enjoys the rest of their placements!