And here it comes to an END!

Hello there everyone, Hope everyone have their great time of interning! This is my last blog for my internship as I have already completed my internship.

Firstly, I would like to say thanks to every single person that helps me and assisted me throughout this internship. It was an incredible experience that actually open my eyes to the real world. Before the internship, working is really a "mystery" thing I would say because I have a lot of different thoughts and imagination about it on how will it be. However, I have this opportunity to start an internship officially and this is when I really have an image in my brand on how the working world are. I have gain a lot of different experiences from the internship and assistance by my supervisor, Ms Marcella and my lecturer, Dr Kamala.

During my internship period, I have be involved in various events and tasks. These jobs of mine has grow me up to a better person that is more prepared for the industry. Jobs that has been done is listed below:

1)Media Clipping:

- Media monitoring for the organisation so that news and updates about the university itself and the industry will be known all the time.

2)Event Photography:

-Taking photographs of events happening in the campus which will mostly use for media release purposes

3)Media Releases

- Using techniques learnt in PR Technique units and other PR units to write media releases about any events from campaign to promotion of senior management staff

4)Interviews:

- Interviewing with different person like students with techniques and skills learn from all the classes and videos shown in classes. Information obtained will mostly used to be input of media releases.

Below are something that I have learn from the internship experience and which I think will be useful for any other interns and students.

1) Be Initiative

- In nowadays working environment, people that talks are the one that always being chosen because they dare to try and look for more things to accomplish. Especially for us as an future PR Practitioner, we should be more daring to start or talk something so people will be able to see the value of PR.

2)Take up challenges

-The reason I think everyone should be having their internship before they graduating from university or college is because interns can survive with failure or even getting better with it. The reason is because as an intern, people around are urge to teach you and leads you and you have an obligation to learn. Therefore, interns should always take up challenges that you will not do normally do it.

3)Be efficient

-Time is not just money but everything for every company because everyone in this world only has 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Therefore, who got employees that can use it more efficient that the others, they got the competitive advantages among all others. Especially for the PR industry which is always up to all kind of cases and events, time is even more precious than ever. Internship will be the greatest time for you to practice it and stay out of your comfort zone forever.

Lastly, I will like to thanks the unit for giving me opportunity to get closer to the real world. Besides, i would like to wish all the interns enjoy and learn the most from you internship experience.

Featured Article done during internship

Media release that is done has being posted to Curtin Sarawak's media room with the amendment done by supervisor, Ms Marcella

Above are some of the works I have done during the internship. Hope my blog will give some of you some idea about being an intern and working in the PR field.

Best Regards,

Stevenson Tan 

17635907/7E3A1836

Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia

The End of Internship

It's been over 25 working days for my internship program and I have learned a lot. Thanks to my PR supervisor for guiding me throughout the whole period.

Things which I get involved so far:

1. Media releases
     - 7 media releases in total
     - Follow up with media outlets
     - Media monitoring
     - Media clipping

2. Event
     - Organised a visit to orphanage
     - Coming up with proposal
     - Supervising the event

3. Pay visit to media outlets
     - Get known to editors and reporters, make sure to get their names and titles correct

4. Writting letters
     - Organisation's Anual Sponsorship Program
     - Zero Strays Miri and AIESEC Educational Talk in primary schools

I did make some mistakes during the period. Media releases for example, I had wrongly spelled few names in the emails for the media outlet but immediately I sent another email to apologise. Although it's a silly mistake which cannot be made by a PR practitioner but admitting and apologising on the mistake is also important.

Even though my internship period has ended and it's time to prepare for the finals but after everything is done I will still continue to stay in the organisation to help them out as well as continue to learn from them.

Thanks for reading.

~Elson Tsen~

It's All About Give And Take

For being a non-profit organisation, all the expenses and costs of Zero Strays Miri are basically being supported by public donors and sponsorships. Regularly the organisation will hold charity sales and fund raising events in order to maintain its normal operation financially. Apart from using the donations to help stray dogs and cats and organising educational talks, we also help those who are really in need.

Previously, I was assigned to come up with a proposal reagarding a visit to an orphanage. Although it's a simple visit but yes, I get to organise my very first mini event. So the theme for the visit is "Eco-love, Eco-life", where the children have to design cat playhouses using recyclable materials and was held on 21st May.

For the proposal, it includes:
          - Event overview
          - Event details
          - Objectives
          - Timeline
          - Preperations
          - Volunteers
          - Budget

Since I'm the event coordinator for the visit, I need to make sure eveything runs just as they planned. I was nervous at first but thanks to the volunteers from our organisation helped me out, I managed to pull it off. Besides, during the cat playhouse designing process i was amazed by the kids' creative imaginations.This has been a great experience for me as a PR intern to organise my very first event.

In PR, building good reputation for the organisation is a norm but helping the community is also important such as delivering positive education.

Thanks for reading.

~Elson Tsen~

A Day to The Media Outlets

In May, the organization had prepared a number of “Thank You” cards to be sent out to adopters, sponsors and media outlets to thank them for their support to the organization throughout the years. My supervisor had arranged a day for us that for media outlets, we gave them a visit as well as handing them the cards personally along with some small gifts. 

We went most of the major media outlets such as Sin Chew daily, The Borneo Post, See Hua daily News, The Stars, United Daily News, New Sarawak Tribune and Radio Televisyen Malaysia Miri office. When we reached each of the media outlets, I introduced myself as a new PR intern for Zero Strays Miri to the editors and reporters because I’ll be sending media releases regarding the organisation’s activities and it’s better to let them know who I am. After we verbally thanked them for supporting our organization by publishing our news on their newspaper, we handed them the gifts with a group photo being taken. 

It’s an unforgettable day and a great experience for me. I mean, how often you get to visit media outlets and to meet with the people behind the newspapers? I’m feeling grateful to be able to meet them and also for the arrangement from my supervisor.

                                                                     I'm the guy in blue shirt.
 
So what I learned from the visit?

1. Get known to the person, both editors and reporters, in media outlets because by getting their names, emails and their titles correctly will greatly reduce any embarrassment  or mistakes I might make in sending media releases such as getting their names wrongly spelled. Moreover, I get to know who to email to whenever I have a press release to be sent out. 

2. Media is one of the primary stakeholders to the organization because our exposure to the public mostly depends on them to publish our stories for free.  Their effort cannot be unseen and by showing our gratitude sincerely is the best we can offer. In hope of their continuing support, being on good terms with them is important.

Thanks for reading.

~Elson Tsen~
 

The unit my have come to an end, but my placement has not

Although I will continue to intern with RugbyWA for the foreseeable future, the last 12 weeks has made me reflect and take on board what I have learnt and achieved through my internship than I would have otherwise. RugbyWA's media department has opened up so many different opportunities for me, all of which I am grateful of.

Working alongside my supervisors, the Media Manager and the Digital Content Coordinator, I have discovered how much goes into maintaining relationships with stakeholders and the internal management of players, coaches etc.

I always found I was kept busy through a wide range of tasks, all which challenged me and essentially allowed me to reflect upon what I was doing whilst I was there. I learnt that if stakeholders are not engaged through a companies media department, they will not want to engage as there is no valuable two-way form of communication.

I also learnt how valuable the use of social media, website content and the production and distribution of newsletters and EDM's are, as without them there would be an enormous void in terms of two way communication.

When I first arrived at RugbyWA, I hoped to apply what I learnt at university and test my skills in a real life opportunity. I have done exactly this and I am more than grateful for it.

The experience not only allowed me to see all aspects of the way public relations is run in a not-for-profit sporting organisation, but has helped me realise the career path I would like to take and ultimately where I hope to end up in my career.

Started as zero, finished as hero!

Hello dear friends!!

So, i had extended my internship until the last minute and now i have officially completed my internship at Ropsen Tour Operator on Monday the 30th of May! Been there for a long time..

It has been an amazing experience for me as i have acquired skills which i never thought i would have been able to do in a short period of time!

I must say that my director was the best person that i could have as supervisor. He taught be every task from A to Z and made me a more confident person in a workplace. My supersivor, Mr Ropsen assessed my performance on an ongoing basis and corrected me where i was wrong.

During the internship, i have noticed that my supervisor wanted me to demonstrate whether I could work independently, was I self-aware, knowing where my strengths are? Do I organise myself and prioritise through rearranging commitments to get the job done?

Also, time management is among the best skills that i have acquired while working!
This is a great tool towards success if somebody knows how to manage his/her time to get the job done without sacrificing time with family, relaxing or partying. It's all about time management!
Hence, you don't really have time for procrastination :P

Good luck to everyone and all the best for the future!

Cheers

From Little Things Big Things Grow

Looking back to where it all started I remember dreading starting my internship, where do I begin, where do I want to go, can I really do this, were all questions circling in my mind.
I think I speak for a lot of students when I say I was not looking forward to working for free and that some of the intern adverts looked a little dry, not quite as exciting as Samantha's office from the Sex and the City. But could I really be picky? I'm just a university student, and I'm definitely not the only one looking for a placement, so I should just be happy with anything I can get, right? Wrong!
If you start early enough and do your research you can find somewhere that fits you as well.

Fortunately for myself whilst social butterflying around Perth I began talking to someone who worked for Rugby WA and the Western Force. This organisation was the dream for me as an internship, because of all the rugby players walking around the office? Maybe, but mostly because I had always taken extra interest in sport. Throughout school I was always the sport captain and that didn't change when I arrived at Curtin becoming their sports captain in 2014. All my work experience and volunteer work had been with sporting events so Rugby WA just seemed like the next step up for me.
Networking is a handy tool for any students toolbox and thankfully that is how I found out that they were looking for interns for the upcoming season and eagerly asked for a direct contact that I could submit my interest to. After handing in my resume and acquiring an interview I received an email congratulating me on my new role in the partnerships team at Rugby WA and Western Force.

For a moment I had a sigh of relief, the hard part was over, or so I thought. Day one rolled around and I began to doubt my ability to 'PR', the 'what ifs began to appear in my mind, what if I have to write a press release on my fist day, what if I end up sitting alone at lunch, what if I forget how to send an email, what if I make a mistake. But day one interns don't stress, most tasks are simple, like spread sheets and data entry and all my tasks always came with a set of instructions to help me along the way. I also quickly learnt that the ability to ask questions was my greatest ally, no matter how silly I thought my question might have been, my manger was never frustrated at me and never thought my question was stupid. Asking the question helped to get the job done quicker and ensured it was done to the best of my ability.

As my internship continued my confidence built and the more tasks I was given. Towards the end I was able to walk into the office, sit down at my desk and continue working without any instruction from my manager. My what if's had faded away and I realised that every mistake I made throughout my time at Rugby WA had built me up to be a better intern, learning how to fix things myself and how to avoid making future errors.

Now at the end of my internship I realise that I was never working for free. Hands on experience teaches you things that you could never pick up in a classroom and I am so grateful to Rugby WA and Western Force for giving me this opportunity to grow and develop as a PR student. I now have the confidence I needed to take me into the next stage of life beyond university and I owe it to my internship.

'The Interns' and ladies from commercial services, celebrating our final Western Force home game together

Implementing what i learnt..

Hello Everyone!

I want to share the experience that i had last week in the organisation where i have done my internship.

Learning theories from events classes has finally been practiced!

The Tour Operator organized an event to celebrate its 21st anniversary on the beach with all its regular guests. It was an amazing experience for me!

I was asked to plan almost every single thing for this event - Catering services, inviting our guests, seeking permission from authorities in order to access the beach for party at night etc.

Fortunately everything was well organized and the event was a complete success.

I realized how important and what impact it made to be close to your guests and keeping a good relationship with them. While talking to some of them during the event, i noticed that such events are a great way to build a solid relationship and keep your work going, which is considered to be the most important aspect of public relations.

Compared to marketing, public relations focuses on a good relationship instead of the product or service.

More of these activities will surely help to further build my self confidence.

I look forward to form part in such events in my work in the near future after my studies.

Cheers 

You always learn..

Although many colleges now offer public relations courses and majors, PR as a field requires more professional experience than what’s taught in school for the best results. Internships represent an important part of the PR student’s education and bring lasting results if companies key into the skills students have acquired.

My internship has helped me a lot in acquiring some skills which i will definitely use in my career.
Even though i did some administrative work for a small tour operator, it has surely helped me to learn some basic things at work and i would like to thank my supervisor for correcting me each time i did something wrong. You learn from your mistakes! 

I got used to talk to my guests, to take bookings, to write some press releases, work on Adobe Photoshop and develop a sense of confidence within myself! I was so nervous on the first day that after one month i felt like a different person sitting on the desk and working. I am grateful to my internship organisation and i hope that you guys enjoyed yours!

Cheers

Expedia Partners Award Summit 2016

Expedia organized a ceremony in Sofitel Resort & Spa and the company where i'm doing an internship (Ropsen Tour Operator) was invited as it has a few accommodations listed on Expedia.

The summit started with a nice coffee as from 9.00 am, followed by a presentation from a few members of Expedia where they explained how tour operators and hotels might become more competitive and they proposed some ideas that could be implemented in the near future. The presentation included statistics from tourists in Mauritius so that entrepreneurs who attended could figure out where potential guests were more keen to stay for their holidays. I can say that the young lady who presented learnt everything as all the statistics' figures were so easy for her where everything seemed complicated for me!

Afterwards, there was the award ceremony which took place, where the best hotels and tour operators that received the most bookings through Expedia were rewarded. It ended at 12.30 and lunch was served after.

It was the first time that i attended a presentation as such, as each time it was only the presentations at university! It was really professional and i learnt a lot of things in the tourism industry.

A Foot in the Door...

A Foot in the Door...

As my time as a Channel Nine Perth intern comes to a close I am beyond thankful for this experience, everything I have learnt along the way and the people who guided me through such an exciting time giving me the opportunity to grow not just as a PR professional but as a person too. I would like to use this final blog post to reflect on some of the things I have learnt and the skills I will continue to develop in my future career.

1.     Over Communicate!

One thing I learnt at my internship is that in an environment where many different departments need to come together, and many other organisations are involved you can never ‘over communicate’. This means that to communicate regularly through email, phone calls and meetings, explaining and reiterating is a solid way to ensure everyone is on the same page, which everyone involved appreciates. At my time at Nine I did witness an event, which was attended by competition winners, go wrong due to the fact communication between the event organisers, Channel Nine and the competition winners was not as succinct or involved as it could have been.

2.     Ideas Require Appropriate Presentation

One of the most valuable things I have learnt at my internship is that when you have an idea you need to own it, presentation is apart of that ownership. At Channel Nine this presentation was usually in the form of a PowerPoint or brief overview write up. This really allows you to think through your idea and work out any potential issues or any areas that can be elaborated on.

3.     Have Fun!

This one is pretty simple, I never really understood how important office culture and having fun at work is to the productivity of the team and the quality of work produced. Being able to enjoy everyday and be surrounded by friends rather than just colleagues will now be an extremely important factor when moving through my future career.

Those are just a few things I have learnt from my experience at Channel Nine Perth, and excitingly I have now been offered a casual position as apart of the marketing and events team! A first stepping-stone in the right direction for my career!

I hope everyone has enjoyed your journeys as much as I have and I will continue to see where this journey takes me, who knows what lies ahead for us all but I look forward to working with other graduates in the future! Until our paths cross again, I wish you all good luck!

- Maddi

A Challenging Industry - NGO

I started my internship in Zero Strays Miri (ZSM), a non-profit organisation based in Miri City in Sarawak, Malaysia. I do have some working experience for being part-timer at various small companies before this intern but working for a non-profit organisation will definitely bring new challenges to me which I never experienced before.

For some basic background information, ZSM established in year 2013 which prioritise on Trap, Neuter and Release or Rehome of stray dogs and cats while also carry out rescue jobs for the injured strays. Besides, the organisation carries out educational talks regularly to encourage responsible pet owners. Due to it is a non-profit organisation, all its operational costs comes from fund raising and public donation.

So what is the challenge I’ve faced during the first week of my internship? Writing a lot of press releases!!

Before I joined the organisation, I already noticed that ZSM had organised quite a number of charity sales at malls, educational talk at its centre, schools and even orphanage through newspapers and its Facebook page. I do understand that for a non-profit organisation to raise awareness against something, publicity is the most important aspect. Usually news being reported on newspapers are based on their news value. In order for small events to be reported, press releases have to constantly be submitted to media outlets and hope they can be carried out.

Same goes to ZSM. Just in the first week itself I’ve been assigned to write two press releases with another one pending. This had given me a great opportunity to really improve my writing skills because what I wrote most probably will be seen in the newspapers; of course every draft has to be approved by my supervisor. I’m glad that I could join the organisation and anticipate for more new challenges for me as a PR intern.

Thanks for reading.

~ Elson Tsen~