Intro to the Real World of PR!

Hello, my name is Tatiana Leite and I am third year Mass Communication student at the Charles Telfair Institute in Mauritius. So far PR 393 has been the most challenging module I have undertook with Curtin! You might be thinking that I am mad but the entire of my academic experience has been centered on ‘pupilism.’ In other words being a student that listens, asks question, turns in nice assignments, receives good grades etc. But since the first day I started my internship I learned something very quickly. “I’m in the Real World now” and just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz I found myself wanting to click my little red shoes and saying, “there’s no place like home…”

From the onset of my internship search I wanted to be different. I couldn’t bear the dreadful black on white CV so I decided on a newsletter of Tatiana, added a bit of color, threw in some photos, crafted a decent cover letter and appeal and after only 2 days I was receiving call backs and interviews.

As from this point is where it all began. My first interview was at a respectable PR agency in Curepipe. I was greeted with full assurance and complemented on my great CV and experience. All was well up until I was asked “tell me about yourself and why are you in Mauritius?” A no brainer right? Wrong! After fumbling my words a series of questions followed and I soon realized PR is more than a great strategic plan or writing a release its about people, communication and charisma. Long story short I was told that speaking on English was a major disadvantage and that the team will see what they can do to try to accommodate my needs. I walked out of that office with a assignment on hand to write a website review on their largest client. My failure like many others forms part a learning experience of transitioning to the real world.

After that day I returned home, swallowed my pride and I dove head on into all things PR and all things ‘obvious.’ Rehearsing who I was, practicing how to hand shake the works. That same evening I received a call from the director of Imagine Communications that was well impressed with my CV and he asked if I was interested for an interview within two days. I did my research only to find that he was one of the toughest PR figures in Mauritius but I wasn’t worried or didn’t fret too much because I have learned that preparation and practice makes perfect.

I landed the position and my boss welcomed me onboard. Which brings me to where I am now… I am currently internship at Imagine Communications in Port Louis Mauritius. A Public Relations Boutique Consultancy that specializes in Media relations, business facilitations, corporate communication, crisis and issues management and documentation.

My routine tasks consist of media watch, updating databases, contacting journalists, & attending various client meetings. In my next post I’ll be discussing my new understanding of what in fact Public Relations is and going over a few of many challenges that I have encountered in regards to professional practice and communications.