Sorry, can you please repeat that in English?

Delving deeper into my role as a public relations Intern at 32dsg, life isn’t all smooth sailing. In a matter of hours my expectations of work experience had transformed in to a desperate desire to simply prepare coffee and tea for my superiors. But how did I get to this point…?

It was nearing the end of the working day when I was asked by the event director to complete a social media strategy for the Omnivore World Tour. I was familiar with the French culinary festival after previous work on a media release; however I had limited experience with social media. Despite this, with a good brief and a reasonable amount of time, I had the utmost confidence in my ability to produce a solid strategy.

The issue: The director has only recently located to Perth from France, where he was born and raised. With the directors basic grasp on the English language, the brief was found to be less helpful than originally anticipated. I was reassured when I was handed a two page social guideline, only it was in French… and I had three hours to research and complete the strategy ready for the 32dsg Project Manager.

In one afternoon, I was equipped with lessons that would guide the entirety of my professional career. So what were these lessons?

1.      Perseverance is key

I have discovered that within the workplace there will always be obstacles that enhance the challenge (in my case, communication), though it is in these situations that your true character is tested. Despite an overwhelming feeling of pressure, it was essential that I remain focused on the task at hand without giving into insecurities. Completion was imminent, and perseverance was a key element to success.

2.      Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines

Deadlines are a fundamental component of professional practice, proving to be both unforgiving and testing. Despite the onset of fatigue at the end of a long day, I had been given a task and its completion was immutable. In those few hours, I thought back to my university studies. In reality you are given hours, not weeks to produce work; minutes, not hours to respond to a crisis; and notes, not ‘project extension’ forms when given instructions. As a result, my ideal of deadlines has changed, resulting in an enhanced sense of urgency in all that I do.

3.      No more hand holding

In the real world there is no one to hold your hand. During those hours, I was forced to recall everything I had learnt during my PR studies, as well as personal and work experience. I could not ‘phone a friend’ or ‘pass’. I had been given a task, and it was my responsibility to complete it. Although confronting, surprisingly this lesson exhilarated me the most. I have always been an independent worker – I enjoy focusing on the task at hand and getting it done. This experience gave me the opportunity to test my work ethic, and thankfully, I excelled.

Moving forward, I look back on this experience fondly, and will instil these lessons not only throughout my professional career, but also in life.