Five tips on how to 'survive' your placement

Hi Everyone!

A few weeks ago I finished my placement at PPR and as I am due to make another post, I thought I would give you all a few tips for your placements, as many of you are probably due to start your placements this week, or have just begun them.


So here is:

Dominique's 5 Top Tips on how to 'survive' your placement

Number 1: Say yes to everything! Well, almost everything...
Show that you are keen to help with anything that gets past your way. Even if it is a task such as following up phone calls for a particular client or colleague or doing a bit of Google research for someone else, show that you want to help out and learn. The main thing to remember is that if you have a huge work load with urgent deadlines and someone else asks you to help out with a task, make sure you let them know your schedule. There is nothing worse that stressing out because you are overloaded with jobs and can't finish them all!

Number 2: Ask questions and use your initiative!
If you are asked to do something and are still unsure, make sure you clarify the task with the person who has instructed you on it. There is no such thing as a stupid question, rather, it is stupid not to ask a question. While you may feel a bit embarrassed to ask something simple, you are not expected to know everything and your colleagues will be happy to help you. Using your initiative is another key - if you can show that you can do tasks without being asked, this will really impress the people you are working with!

Number 3: Keep a diary/log and copies of your work so that you have samples to provide in your final report.
Make sure to check with your supervisor/the people you are working with, on which documents you can copy - such as if you write a comment piece for a particular publication, make sure you check you can take a copy of this. You will most likely not be able to take home with you confidential information, such as information you may work on regarding an upcoming client pitch, but check anyway. If this is the case, make sure you keep a daily diary/log of everything you do so you can still write about it in your final report, as well as for your own reference in the future.

Number 4: The people you work with could be future business contacts - utilise these contacts!
Get to know your work colleagues during your placement and gain their business cards/contact details at the end of your placement, so you can contact them if need be in the future. Also give them your contact details as well, so if something ever pops up (i.e. opportunity for more work experience/a vacant paid position) they will be able to contact you!

Finally, Number 5: Remember to have fun!
The 20 days you undertake at an organisation will drag on if you don't enjoy your time there, so put on a happy face, interact with your colleagues, be prepared to take on the work load and before you know it your placement will be finished and you will be sad to go (I know I was!).

I hope my tips assist you all in some way during your placements and thank you to those people who have participated in my posts over the last few months.

Good luck with your work experience placements for Semester 2!

Over and Out,

Dominique,

Bentley Campus