Work experience - Make it work for you

My placement at the Perth Fashion Festival is officially over. In saying that my time there is not, I was offered a full time position as Executive Assistant so I will be spending a lot more time there which I am pleased about. This is a very exciting opportunity for me as the Perth Fashion Festival is a great organisation with a lot of exciting opportunities available, not only within their own organisation but also for networking.

To sum up everything I have learnt so far would be a very large task, but there have certainly been some highlights for me and I greatly look forward to continuing on and learning more. I have already learnt some very important skills which will allow me to form a basis for my future goals and career ambitions and I definitely look forward to enhancing them with Perth Fashion Festival.

First and foremost I have learnt how the PFF office operates and how each office is different. I have had extensive experience previously working in an office environment for almost three years at an accounting firm as a data entry assistant. What I have learnt by working at PFF is that all offices don’t work in the same way. There are different policies, different work ethics and different procedures depending on the industry and the nature of the work. Working in an Accounting firm requires a very quiet environment and staff need to concentrate on their work and they usually work alone or in pairs. Whereas working at PFF although we require a level of professionalism and manner, creativity is thriving, the office is decorated with inspirational pictures and words and often staff work together on projects in order to encourage and enhance the flow of ideas and productivity.

On top of this I have already been able to put a lot of skills I have learnt at University into practice. I have played a key role in developing creative proposals for sponsorship and funding as well as aiding in collating relevant presentation material. I have also written creative briefs which have been sent to potential sponsors about the organisation and the Festival. Other work includes co-ordinating all office stationery and other inventory such as water and kitchen supplies, helping to manage unpaid invoices and the accounts system, managing the General Managers emails and physical documents, managing incoming and outgoing mail and enquiry emails as well as host of other duties.

Some days going to PFF doesn’t even seem like work. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I have chosen the right career path and this is the work that I really want to do. Although I may not have landed the top job which all graduates expect to get at the end of their degree, I have got a foot in the door and I am very excited to be working in the Public Relations and Events industry and I haven’t even finished Uni yet. I guess at this point I could give some advice to fellow Uni students and graduates and that is put yourself out there; if it means working countless hours for free over a nine month period like I did then take that opportunity and embrace it. You are still going to learn something and open doors for your future, and never let an opportunity pass, make sacrifices to make it work!