Waking up at 6:30am for four weeks now and coming to the office has been challenging. I realise that there is a lot I needed to learn and a lot I needed to understand about being a professional. There are a lot of challenges that I have faced and still is facing and one of them is to keep up with the competitive and fast moving working world.
A lot of times especially as a students our competitive spirit is not so high simply because you are with your friends and classmates whom you want to help to do just as well. In the working industry its different, good for those given work to do and helped to do it. In Mantissa every one has to learn to do work on his/her own without fail. within a few days of work I was expected to make an impact in the company and it was not easy because I did not know well what I should do. I had to learn fast and bring good results in the process, there is no time to wait forever for you to catch up.
Withing two weeks I was given a region of Southern Africa to work on and to make contacts to our clients no help or assistance given. I had to communicate with the Southern African media without fail and make sure I monitor the media. (this is because our target audience has diverted to Africa) and knowing Africa and Asian times differ, the network is not that reliable I had to use wisdom. I was given a task to write a proposal on reaching the Southern African Market since its my baby now and come up with good strategies and recommendations. All these may sound easy but I found it challenging to do everything without help being an intern, I felt like I couldn't take the pressure of expectations and always having my work examined made me nervous. I culdn't even make a call, I waited for my supervisor to go somewhere and call the clients lol!!
But looking at the bright side, am learning that in the working world there is no time wasted, you need to learn fast and move. Your presence has to be felt and there is no time to expect everything on a silver platter. Due to being left alone to fend for myself and struggle doing it, I have learnt to be firm and quick to impress my supervisors. I am slowly getting my competitive spirit back and knowing that things don't come easy and knowing everyone wants to be on top and for you to be on top you need to be straight up competitive. There is a ladder to climb and there is not time to wait for someone to hold your hand up.
If you know what I mean share your experience with me. Thanx
Ciao...
Pearl
LUCT
10 comments:
Living in this competitive work world is not that easy. You have to be real and not write imaginary things. I remember when I came for the interview I was told that Public Relations I broad, I did not know what they mean by that till I was exposed to it. Writing a good strategy is very challenging because Southern Africa is a broad sub continent, you have to learn how you approach media of each country. Media Ethics do differ from country to country.
How do you build relationship with the media abroad? I mean you do not meet them anywhere. As for me I will say I have a big advantage as I sometimes meet them during events. After events I have conversations with them to create ties.
One of the best way of building relations with media abroad is to speak with confidence, to be fluent and to be friendly when you talk to them over the telephone. They will love to talk to you again. And also to always say thank you being it over the email after they have published your article and every time you talk to them over the phone.
Time is very essential more especially the deadline. When your supervisor gives you a deadline you have to submit earlier or before the deadline as that builds the trust he or she has on you. And it is also important as sometimes he or she have to submit it to the clients. Remember we are living in a competitive world if you do not submit things well on time you might even lose clients.
well am counting on meeting them lol!! Well it really is not that different from creating good relations with the local media. I have to constantly call them and be as friendly to them as I possibly can. I send them mail and always check on them to remind them to reply or give me a feedback.Its a beautiful experience for me because I come from Southern Africa myself (Botswana) and so i sometimes speak Setswana to them and to top it on they are always delighted to communicate with a Motswana in Malaysia so its great for me
Well I don't stuggle much with language and cultural differences because the countries in Southern Africa do not differ much in their lifestyle and code of conduct and being one of them makes things so easy.
how is waking up every morning to work? For me its a bit difficult for me to come to work every morning but am trying. Do you find it easy to arrive late and sleep on time? Do you now get why adults don't have a lot of free time to rest? What time do you start working. Maybe you will help me a bit.
thanx
hey Pearl..wonderful to hear from you...
i have no problems, before i was very uptight and so quiet, and i felt really not myself, but these days i am able to talk like the usual Trish, and laugh and joke!
the biggest problem im having is waking up! ijoooo, hey everytime i have to get my head up frmo the pillow i have to keep dragging myself on the bed. but i just tell myself i have to get up and do it, cos there is no other way!
keep going on girl!!!!!God bless ya
Yep its a one man...one mission, and with that you HAVE to come up with good results that will put a smile on your boss and client.The working world is challenging which is why we have to be ready in all areas as we need more focus and good results.Being independent does help a lot as u are learning to trust in yourself and what you do.
All the best Pearl, and i hope u did well (**,)
I prefer going to school than working. But I cannot go to school for the rest of my life. Waking up in the morning is a very challenging as I have to get up very early than when I go to school. At first it was difficult for me to wake up but as time goes on I am now adapting to it.
My problem is getting home late. I am constrained,as I don't have time to socialize or be with my family as I get home exhausted it really hectic but I am doing all my best to make time for everything. It is not easy being parent as I thought. At first I thought it is just because parents don't want to spend time with me.I normally start work around 10am but arrives at 9am,calling people at 9 is a bit early for the media.
Thank you...
Eish you are right Pearl,it is important to respect time because every second counts in the work place and its best to make sure that you always submit things before time.By doing that is helps you because if there is something that needs to be corrected before clients comes,you will still have time to correct that.Just imagine you submited something while the client is at the door and your boss never had the chance to cross check it and you made a mistake, then the clients notice it and calls your boss and tell him/her that she no longer want to work with the company anymore.That means your boss will not want to see you face in the office again and you wouldnt want that to happen right!!
As for waking up in the morning and getting home late.haahahahaaa...Thats an issue for me that even up to today am not used to waking up at 5am,sometimes i wake up at 6am while the bus leaves at 6:20am but i always make sure i get it and pls dont ask me how..hehehehehehe
How would someone expect to prosper, if she/he is living a life without challenges? Yes Pearl challenges cause changes. Being in the idustry is a big challenge for us people. Waking up in the morning, connecting to reach our work place etc. Oh yah, some of us our bags were snatched while walking to the office. Did we quite just because we lost our passports, atm cards,money and student cards? No, we didnt.We pressed and continue with the internship knowing that we are going to reap the best fruits. Never give up people, there is a lot waiting for you.
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