Beyond this internship – CTI

The semester is almost over and I’m finally going back home for the holidays. This module has motivated me to pursue another PR internship instead of laying around for the next four months. It would be another great opportunity if I would get the chance to work within the same industry that is aviation or tourism while the skills and knowledge from my current workplace is still ‘fresh’ in my mind. Unfortunately there is only one aviation headquarters in Seychelles; Air Seychelles-Etihad Airways, which means that the chance of working within this industry is very limited. My goal for this internship will hopefully to secure a job placement when I complete my studies in July 2017.

My internship is still ongoing after the 20 days and I am grateful that my Supervisor wants me to back after the holidays that is from March-July 2017. I said yes because I was proud of myself for getting the call back and felt appreciated for my work but now that I have time for myself, next semester will be my last and I don’t want added stress or having to juggle multiple assignments both for work and university. The past month and a half was really stressful and I found myself indulge in work and neglecting school work compared to the attention I use to give.

So what do you think I should do? Any advice on whether I should do both or stick to school?

My current pros;

·        • Work experience is of more value nowadays during job interviews

·        • Many students are part timers, I can do it too lol

·        • It is my dream industry and I love working for them

Overall I was pleasantly surprise with this module; PR Internship, from my placement to the tasks I completed and lessons learnt. I remember the first day like it was yesterday, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole morning of because I was thinking of the worst scenarios. This internship has also reassure me of my decision to be a PR practitioner and think beyond being merely an employee. The excitement of having to brag to my next interviewer about all the skills and tasks I am capable of doing, especially since some PR tasks were for international brand names such as Air Asia and Air France. This was really the chance of a lifetime to have my first ever work experience in a prestige company and I am thankful to Curtin for initiating such unit. My CV, LinkedIn profile and my professional reputation is finally starting to be of value within the PR industry.

Don’t forget to leave some advice in the comments below and all the best with the report. x 

Different PR approach within different Industry - CTI

I am privileged to work with one of the leading pioneer company within the tourism and aviation industry in Mauritius that is Rogers Aviation (RAV). It was difficult to find a suitable placement because

     •Little PR acknowledgment in Mauritius’ firms

    •I am not Mauritian so it was difficult to find and initiate the internship earlier

RAV is the parent company to numerous organisations and a partner to a list of well-renowned national and international companies such as airlines Air Asia and Etihad Airways. The PR/communications aspects of the company is led by the Marketing department, fortunately my tasks are tailored to encompass the PR criteria. This internship is putting into practice what we have inculcated over the years but customized to meet each organisation's wants.

Currently within the first week and a half I am working on;

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLcpqNXhXVH/?taken-by=curtinpr
• the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) which is the crisis management plan for RAV and their sister company in Mozambique.

• quality check on RAV’s website and subsidiary organisation resaplanet

• press releases for their website and Mauritian press

• writing blog articles and social media posts

• work on the event - Le Salon du prêt-à-partir 

For these tasks I had to adapt to alternate terms for example BCP instead of crisis management plan, multitask for different organisations and adapt to different working environments.

To highlight my first ever work experience in the world of Public Relations, here are some tips for your successful start.

Basic tips for first-timers as a PR practitioner

Searching for Placement: Approach organisations that you know already has a PR department or what appeals to you as PR aspects within their organisation. Note some firms are clueless about the functions of Public Relations, take this opportunity during your interview to pinpoint their current work and reference as a PR feature. In your CV or cover letter elaborate on what you want to cover (PR-related) within their organisation referencing potential and their existing PR work. This gives your supervisor an overview and understanding of what is expected from you.

Internalise jargons: Prior to initiating the internship, familiarize yourself with not only your company but the industry’s abbreviations and idioms. A PR practitioner has to adapt to an industry’s ‘culture’ and this differs from industry to industry.  Ideally, the language spoken within the Health sector would be different from that of aviation/tourism. For example, abbreviating all flight destinations is common semiotic within the aviation industry furthermore, the ‘Cockpit’ is the name given to our company’s intranet. This also extends to the company’s font preference for documents. Internalising these basics will facilitate interaction and note-taking. However, be careful not to use these technical terms in official documents such as media kit or interacting with other stakeholders that may not be aware of these terms.

Jot down everything:  Public Relations functions encompass a wide range of activities from multiple press releases, events, blog posts and planning which is bound to numerous meetings sometimes in one day.  Organisation is vital and investing in multiple planners, agendas or notebooks is ideal to keep track of future events and note taking. It is ideal to jot down information whether it is from meetings, online and traditional (newspapers) media relative to your industry and tasks. This will give you a better understanding of the organisation by gathering as much facts as possible. Since we write/blog a lot in PR, these notes will inspire your final content and give you more information to work with.

Self-taught PR skills: Aside to the academic knowledge it is essential and beneficial to gain some skills to better your professional capabilities and reputation as a PR practitioner. Familiarize yourself with these self-taught online tools and list them on your CV.

Surveymonkey.com – design surveys and generate creative/organized presentations.

Canva – simple photo editor, include a blog illustration or social media tile with your article and await approval from your supervisor. Also create and recommend a letterhead to your company if they do not have one.

Photoshop – most common photo editor which is requested by employers.

InDesign - to create company newsletters or flip information files for both online and offline.

Radius6 – social media monitor which compiles all mentions of the organisation or key words online. Learn about implementing keywords used in SEO and paid search.

These would not only impress your employer but facilitate your work in a creative way.

Build a PR network: Include/add a PR-related account to each of your personal social media presence. Recommending; @PRPERFECT account on Twitter, PR lifestyle for the fashionistas on Pinterest and most importantly networking and interacting with PR content on LinkedIn. Aside to social media, use RSS feeds or applications such as Pulse to stay-up-to-date with the PR industry. Consider becoming a member of PRIA or other relative PR organisation. You’ll get to say a thing or two or at least understand these corporate ‘lunch’ conversations.

Feel free to add some more tips for first-timers in the comment section below!