Finally I'

Finally after weeks of trying to get this sorted I'm finally here. Where to start. First of all i absolutely love my intern-ship for its both rewarding and challenging. There's a wealth of knowledge I've gained from the experience i'm having at United Way WA. United Way is a not-for-profit organisation that unites business and charitable not-for-profits in WA to facilitate programs that help people in need. Seeing as this is my first entry I'll begin by explaining what I discovered about settling into a firm.

1. Know your firm WELL!

In the beginning things can go from extremely exciting to alarmingly nerve-wrecking in a matter of minutes. However i soon discovered that the best way to settle in quickly is to take ample time in getting to know what exactly your organisation does. When i started doing media releases it got extremely easier over time as i started to understand how United Way works and what they do. Knowing what your organisation does also makes for a good impression with the people you work with, and allows you to be accepted as part of the group very quickly. When i started making calls on behalf of the organisation i would often get asked what we did, and having an elevator speech that is based on a well rounded knowledge of the organisation certainly helps in those circumstances.

2. Set a standard you can maintain

From the way you dress, to the quality of work you hand in: everything is about maintaining a standard. If you do something once you get recognised but do it consistently and you gain a reputation. A great way to settle in is to set a standard you can improve and maintain. This has helps your boss understand which tasks he/she can and cannot delegate you. This also helps in people understanding how you work and can prove to be valuable for letting your boss know whether or not you fit in with the firm. Even the way you interact with colleagues and clients alike can earn you a great reputation and put you in good books with your people.

3. Stay motivated by keeping busy.

Always be hungry for something to do that helps develop your skills. Work can slow down considerably and you can quickly feel redundant. However if you align yourself with an office mentor you can stay busy, stay focused, and above all learn hands on about the business your in. Showing a keen interest in contributing to your organisation's work helps in the developing a solid relationship with the people your working with and your supervisor. If there is a campaign or long term initiative that your firm is working on make sure you fight for something to do that gets you to grow and be recognised rather than typecast. Lastly showing enthusiasm and hunger allows you to experience different facets of PR in the workplace as your handed out a variety of jobs and challenges. This variety is good for getting a grip on whether or not your in the right niche of PR that bests suits you. It also gives you a taste of what it may be like being the sole public relations officer in a firm who will have to handle all the PR responsibilities. Most importantly it allows you to see what talents you have and which you need to improve on and also which you need to learn and then incorporate.Personally i'm already seeing the need to learn website development.

That's all for now my next few blogs will be about the exciting work I'm currently doing

Kuda Mangwe

14802038

Bentley Campus