One thing I knew was inevitable about being an intern is having to do the tasks that nobody else wants to do, or has time for. And as much as it sucks it's all a part of the experience and this was something I wanted to talk about in one of my blogs.
Even in a fast paced environment like 96FM there still needs to be organised chaos! And lets just say there filing system before I started was just pure chaos.
On numerous occasions when asked to file away client information I was faced with over flowing cabinets and some seriously confusing clutter. So one of the less busy days of my internship I took matters into my own hands and took to those cabinets with some archive boxes!
So, there is only suppose to be this years and last years client information within each folder and they had some dating back to before it was even called 96FM so many hours and numerous paper cuts later I had about 5 head height piles to be archived and some sparkly clean, organised filing cabinets.
So even though when I began my internship I had such high hopes of the tasks I would undergo, I found myself trying to figure out how to put together archive boxes and doing administrative tasks. But all in the name of the game, and i'm happy to say it was appreciated as who doesn't love an organised office! And whilst doing this task I learnt so much about Perth's media industry and the relationships that 96FM has with both small and large companies throughout the state. Seeing who they are currently working with for competitions, advertising etc and who they use to in the past. Gave me a broad understanding of just who's out there and what they're up to!
Sometimes we feel like we are doing things that wont further our skills but one thing I found from my internship is that even when it seemed boring it was furthering my overall skills that may help me in the future and is most definitely appreciated by those you're helping out.
Alicia
5 comments:
Alicia, You are one hundred percent correct about the little things. I think to often people take for granted the little things that happen day to day in a business and not only how much time they can take but how important they really are to the business.
I like you have also found myself to be doing some of the little things in my placement yet its funny how much you can learn from these. As you had to sort a filing cabinet I was faced with the tedious task of creating a database of contacts that my company has dealt with since the day they opened their doors. Many of these contact may not be relevant now but the amount of things, people and places I learnt about in this process was incredible and this base understanding of who has been and still is involved with the company is vital information to know in order to help the company move forward in my case.
So to any other student doing their placement don't underestimate the importance of the little things and make sure you make the most of these "little" experiences as they can some times be of a large benefit.
Jess
Great thoughts Alicia, I totally agree with you, little things add up.
Good job at learning from the little things, people generally ignore them.
Thanks House of PR and Sharonn for your comments.
I'm glad to hear you had similar experiences. And yes you're so right, at the time it may feel like you're getting nowhere but afterwards you realise just how much you've learnt from the smaller tasks.
When i began all the organising I thought it would be a simple job, however, ended up taking me all day! But those hours makes everyone else's job a little bit simpler in the future. And most importanty i gained a great understanding into the relationships and stakeholders that 96FM has and has had in the past.
Hi Alicia,
I really like your blog about the little things. As for me I could totally relate to the little things that might seems boring or time consuming does matter in a big way later on to the company.
Filing cabinet may seems easy but its truly confusing once your get your hands dirty! Not to mention you could not screw up.
I hope you get to do bigger things later on in your internship. I started with the boring stuff but was able to be part of different exhibition later on.
Good luck!
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