Whirlwind

Hi interns.

Wow, this week I have been extra busy at the organisation* where I am completing my internship. With the Curtin Career’s fair approaching, the marketing and PR team have been busy preparing for the event. My first task was to edit and re-word my supervisor’s company description that was to be provided to Curtin. Although I was happy to be able to write this, it was a little stressful trying to find the right words to say with a 180 word limit. After this I got the exciting task of making goodie bags for the students and graduates. I was amazed at how much promotional material our organisation has. It seems that this material is effective as the organisation is very successful and marketing campaigns are also very well received by the public.

 

My supervisor also asked me to conduct research to collect some good data and statistics which would then be used to create a poster and hand out that would be given out during the careers fair. Little did I know I would also be in charge of making this handout. One of the issues I experienced during this was receiving conflicting instructions from my team members. Initially I felt nervous as I was unsure of which instructions to take regarding the required content and layout of the handout. However this was cleared up for me after a team meeting. This made me realise the importance of communication amongst PR, marketing and digital professionals. If there is constant dialogue between a team, successful communication will be achieved.

This week I was also fortunate enough to attend a special event held for a client from my internship organisation. This involved heading to a site owned by the organisation and introducing ourselves to a number of clients and fellow staff employed by the same company. As I made my way around the room I introduced myself as the “marketing and PR intern” and tried to engage in conversation with as many people as possible.  I found this experience to be particularly rewarding as I not only got to practice my verbal communication skills, but I also was trusted by my supervisor to be a representative of the organisation to a large number of important people. This helped me to become more confident in acting professional in an unfamiliar situation.

Although this week was a great experience, there were times when I felt like I had taken on too much. I find that it is quite a difficult task to balance an internship with uni classes and a part time job. My advice to anyone who is also feeling like this is to talk to their supervisor. My supervisor reassured me that if I were ever in a position where I couldn’t cope with the amount of work I was provided with, then I should let her know and she would make sure I didn’t take on too many tasks. In the mean time I have created a time management and organisation plan – a tool the team I work with also uses. I recommend this to anyone who is feeling a little overwhelmed as it helps to manage and prioritise tasks.

 

Enjoy your day and thanks for reading J

- Sarah

* Please note due to a confidentiality agreement I am unable to publish the company’s name