Placement Selection & Future Employment

I decided to complete my internship with the organization I am already officially employed by and I am now in two minds about the selection of this placement. On one hand, I have enjoyed focusing on PR activities at work and relating my current job back to my university studies. On the other hand I have felt somewhat envious of other students who have branched out and worked for consultancies and had other exciting PR placements. Some of the blogs are incredibly interesting and I feel as though these students have not only gained a great insight to the real-life PR industry, but a variety of hands on experience and skills which will inevitably serve them well when they graduate and are seeking proper employment.

Having said this; studying full-time, working full-time hours and trying to balance other commitments (such as work-experience) has meant completing my internship with my present employer was the only realistic option for me.

On a positive note - I have been in my current role for the past two years and it has assisted me greatly with my studies. Many times I have been able to relate the topics brought up in seminars to life outside university. It is safe to say that the information we receive in class is pretty much on the mark with what is required of PR professionals in the real world. If you ever sit in a seminar and wonder “will I every actually use this information outside university?” the short answer would be a big YES (from me anyway).

Moving on, many of us will be graduating this semester which means we will no doubt be applying for jobs intensely over the coming months (if not already). From my own personal experience the advice I would give students who are about to start looking for their first job in communications it would be as follows:

- Take advantage of any opportunities.
You might not be able to gain a communications job straight away, but you can always work your way up internally though an organization. My job title is marketing/ communications officer but I was first hired to fill the position of General Office Clerk. Before that I was a bartender...
Unfortunately I think the first tip only really applies to working for larger corporations which is where my personal passion lies.
- Use your initiative.
One thing my boss always says to me is how much she values people with the ability to see a problem and find a way of fixing it. She says “there is always a better way of doing things” and I would have to agree. Go beyond the general scope of your everyday tasks and often others (particularly management) will view you in a positive light (which is basically how I ended up where I am now).

I had a quick view online today and there seems to be a reasonable amount of work around at the moment which is comforting for those about to seek employment, but many of the positions vacant are after people with ‘experience’. Fortunately we all now have at least a good solid four weeks of internship under our belts.

I wish you all the best of luck with your job applications (unless I am applying for the same job, in which case – I only wish you a moderate amount of luck, and not as much as I am wishing for myself),

Kind regards,

Ashleigh Coyle
Marketing and Communications Manager & “The Competition”