The last day of my internship at Kota Kinabalu City Hall (KKCH) was memorable and heartfelt. I still remembered how surprised I was when my colleagues asked me to go outside for a photo session and I thought it was another Hari Raya(A Malay festive season in Malaysia) photo taking session. It was then when they hand me a bag of souvenirs from the PR team.
I am really thankful for this internship program. Even though it is just a 5 week long internship but I have learned so much and definitely have a long peek at how working in public relations is like. In more specific terms, I have learned so much about public relations in government. It is also really a blessing to be working with experienced colleagues who have worked in the PR sector for decades and they are unselfish to share their working tips with me. Without further ado, I want to share with you what I've learned about public relations in a government sector. I believe these apply in other sectors too.
1. Knowing extra languages
As a PR person, we deal with different stakeholders. Sometimes we will come across with people from different nations or cultural backgrounds. Knowing different languages is definitely a plus point when meeting with these people.
2. Attitude
Public relations is exciting but it can be quite hectic. And sometimes, situations can be tough because PR person acts as a middle person and you have to manage both stakeholders, your organisation and its publics. Therefore, it is important to have a right and positive attitude to handle these situations.
3. Be yourself
Finally, be yourself. When I asked my supervisor to give me any working tips in public relations, she said to be myself. Personality is important in the field because it is all about communication with people and people loves good personality. However, it is important to be yourself while working instead of portraying someone you think is great for the job because in the end when you show who you are as a person and is passionate for your job, you'll go great length in your career!
For those who are starting or currently doing their internship, I wish you have a great learning experience. And for my friends who have completed your internship, I wish you all the best in embarking your PR journey in the near future!
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing this post, I found your advice to be really helpful. Like you, I also believe having a strong positive attitude is really important for someone who is working in the public relations field. I have found that maintaining a calm, confident and professional attitude has helped me throughout my internship and working with my employees and clients. I also agree that being yourself can help when it comes to successful communication.
Post a Comment