PR393 Internship is a unit I've spent most of my time at university looking forward to doing. Feedback from past students has always suggested it to be the most beneficial unit a PR student will undertake during their degree.
I knew my PR393 placement had to take place at a Consultancy - as the only ‘genre’ of PR work that I hadn’t previously
experimented with (as opposed to internal, project-based and freelance)
consultancy both intrigued and scared me. The thought of having multiple
clients and never-ending deadlines made me question “would I be capable?” Quite
different from the laissez faire workload that we enjoy as students, consultancy work requires high accountability, full transparency & well
documented working days - along with a vivacious ability to tackle new
challenges. As one who has never been deterred by the prospect of hard work, I
couldn’t wait to throw myself into the world of PR consulting.
As it were, I was fortunate enough to have previously dealt with
a leading Perth consultancy who agreed to take me on as an intern. Before I
knew it, I was rocking up to Rokeby Rd in Subiaco, ready for my first day as a
Digital/PR intern at Clarity Communications.
Not too sure who I’m talking about? Even if
you’re not familiar with Clarity, chances are you’ll know their work, with clients
including BHP Billiton, Woodside, Grant Thorton, CBH and the Shire of Broome…
the list goes on.
All Images Courtesy of Clarity Communications.
My first few weeks at Clarity were a blur. Those two days a
week I spent in the office were insightful, educational and demoralizing – I
quickly came to the conclusion that I wasn’t even close to the standard of
these professionals (even the office juniors!). This reality check was beneficial in two respects, first by forcing me to accept that my skill set is still that of an undergraduate (meaning I have a lot to learn) and secondly motivating me to continually aspire for more.
After the first two turbulent weeks, I began to find
my feet. Drawing on my strengths (being social media and creative thinking), I
tackled daily tasks to the best of my ability. When a situation arose were I couldn’t complete a particular
job as well as I thought it needed to be done, I asked for the help. My supervisors Christie and Andrew were extremely helpful in this regard.
When reflecting on those first three weeks, I returned to my
original question of capability. Could I actually make it as a PR
consultant? At that stage my answer was an optimistic 'no'. Why optimistic? Because in recognising that my existing skills don't meet the demands of such a position, I can comprehend areas I'd need to improve in order to realise this 'ideal'.
Internship Golden Rule No. 1 – think smart, work harder and when in doubt, ask for assistance; this helps develop our skills further.
7 comments:
Hi Beth,
It definitely sounds like you got thrown into the deep end, but you've found your feet and are getting the hang of things!
I couldn't agree more that asking questions is such a beneficial task, its how we gain insight into the PR world and learn from those already in it! Asking for help can be scary to begin with, but i've found from my internship that most people are more than happy to help and really do want you to learn and improve your skills!
I hope the rest of your time goes well!
Imogen :)
Hi Beth,
Sounds like an amazing opportunity for you.
I hope it went along well.
I would ultimately love to work in consultancy; it's great to hear an honest opinion on what it is like!
Good luck!
Hi Beth,
It sounds like you have really learnt a lot about yourself and skill set through out your internship.
I am comforted to read that other people find the demands of working in a consultancy as daunting as i do!
Hannah :)
Hi Beth,
Wow that certainly sounds hectic! I can assure you that most of us are/were in the same position. Deep end tactics sometimes are the best kind, puts on a certain pressure that you can certainly use to motivate yourself to do better and work harder!
I was in the same position when I first started too and I know I worked a lot harder because of it!
Best of luck!
Hi Beth,
Firstly congratulations on getting your internship at such a well known PR firm. I know myself when looking for an internship it can become difficult because of all the competition.
Although its been challenging for you so far, i agree that it is the best way to learn being thrown in the deep end. From another perspective Being surrounded by people with such a large amount of knowledge can only be beneficial for you in the future. Once you get over the intimidating stage that is.
I would love to work in consultancy in the future, and have always heard that it's a really high pressure environment. It's good to read that your still enjoying yourself despite how crazy and hectic the work environment is!
Good luck with the rest of your placement :)
Hi Beth!
Such a great place to intern at! Sounds like you have had a lot to take in over the course of such a short time. I really admire your ability to look back on your journey and see the improvements that you feel could be made and to not be afraid to ask for help- something I find extremely nerve-wracking at times. Reading your post has made me look back on my journey in a different way and made me realise that I too have learnt so much from my experience.
Nicole
Hi Beth,
I found I was in a similar position to you at the start, as I sat back and watched everyone around me managing so many tasks at once, with multiple deadlines every week I wondered if I would be able to cope on my own. While on prac you have heaps of people to ask for help, so it is somewhat more relaxed, but it will be scary once you are thrown out into the workforce by yourself.
I suppose that is what PRAC is for, so you can gain more experience and feel more comfortable when it finally comes to working in the real world.
My boss at PRAC told me that she still feels overwhelmed sometimes and has to ask for help, so we cant expect perfection from ourselves and just have to put our best effort in, nobody can ask any more.
best of luck!
Camryn
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