It's not the end for me just yet!

Although it’s now nearing the end of our work placements for the majority of us I am happy to say, I will actually continue interning at Jett! I have learned so much and I am really enjoying my time there, it has been an amazing experience so far and I couldn’t have asked for a better placement so I’m not leaving just yet. As for my last blog post I thought I would reflect back on my experience thus far, talking about communication and teamwork.

First of all we already know communication is key in the public relations industry, but it isn’t something we have necessarily been tested on. As brand managers the Jett girls pride themselves on being excellent communicators. I have been lucky enough to see how they communicate with publics and how they handle both the positive and negative situations they are thrown into. They always stay very formal and professional, they go out of their way to help their clients and brands and there are never any signs of disappointment or irritation even when the worst of news is delivered. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to sit in on showings and really listen to how the girls communicate and how they cater the way in which they talk, communicate and present themselves in accordance to each client. This experience, and being exposed to so many different scenarios has really helped me gain an understanding of communication I could have only attained through a workplace environment. As a result I think I will be able to communicate more effectively when I enter the workplace in the near future.

The importance of teamwork and a positive working environment is something I also came to value and respect during my internship. It is something our employers seek when hiring employees all the time. They always want to know how we work in a team and really value seeing this sort of information in a resume. As a fashion agency, teamwork is highly valued, the agents need to work with brands, clients and it is vital to work together and have strong relationships in order to reach their aim and goals.

I knew that an internship would be the most effective way to apply what I have learnt over the course of my public relations degree into a real world situation. However I didn’t realize how much I would learn and grow as a person as well. I am thankful to both Curtin University and Jett Agency for this experience and look forward to entering the workplace much better equipped to handle the any situation.

What do you mean the importance of social media still goes unnoticed!?

While at the agency I was asked to help them with their instagram account. I was surprised to see that still to this day there are companies which don’t realize the benefits social media can bring them! 

The importance of social media has been drilled into us for three straight years, we’ve made our own twitter accounts and blogs in order to get familiar with all the technologies available to organisations. However there are companies which still are unaware of how important it is, Jett themselves have no clear strategy for social media. They have an instagram account but no twitter or facebook page and their personal website has little to no information available to the public. However their instagram account has a much higher following rate compared to its follower rate which some will put down to having no clear strategy.

Jett agency instagram account (@jettfashionagency)

Everyone go follow!!

I found it very unusual that they didn’t have a facebook or twitter page but as my internship continued I realized why. The girls at Jett are extremely busy and social media just isn’t a priority. As part of my internship I took on the duty to manage their instagram which was a really beneficial as I was able to incorporate what I have learnt over the course of my degree into practice. 

When posting on the agency account I had to make sure I was always researching before every post was made, ensure I noted where the photos were from as well as mentioning the particular style or collection the clothes came from. I made sure I was posting consistently as well as posting around the times social media traffic is know to be at its highest. So far the Jett instagram is growing at a much faster rate than before I took on this role and this has helped show the agency how important it is to be consistent on social media in order to really reap the benefits. Although it will take time to really increase the followers to the point where it overtakes the number of accounts the agency is currently following, it will happen over time.

What are your social media experiences? And what are some of your techniques you have used to gain a larger social media following? 

There are positives and there are negatives

There was one thing I was certain I didn’t want in an internship. I didn’t want to be sitting down in an office all day doing computer related tasks. I wanted balance and I wanted to make sure I would enjoy my internship which is why I searched for so long, until I found Jett Fashion Agency.

Lucky for me my internship gave me that balance and I am doing both computer tasks as well as physical tasks. However there are still positives and negatives to this, of course the positive to having a balance is I’m never bored and there’s always something different for me to do. However the main struggle I found was it was often challenging to stay public relations focused. This is an issue I knew I would encounter from the beginning, I mean it’s a fashion agency not a public relations agency and there is a significant difference between the two. Its always very crazy at Jett and as they say time really is of the essence. I often wouldn’t have time to do many pr related tasks because there were so many other jobs that were placed much higher on the list of priorities.

Now despite the challenge I face in terms of applying my degree to my internship there are days when I am able to incorporate what I have learnt with ease. Producing flyers, managing social media and communicating with publics were my main public relations related tasks. I was able to use my creativity and put together flyers which would be sent to boutiques and retailers around Perth. Aside from this, managing their social media gave me the experience I needed in terms of managing a company instagram which we all know is very different from managing a personal account. There are procedures to follow, you must ensure the photo original source is noted, the range worn in the photo needs to be mentioned as well, the model/blogger in the photo also needs to be tagged and so on. Then finally communicating with publics, the task I learnt the most from. I think this has really helped me develop an understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable in terms of communication. It has also given me the confidence to communicate efficiently and effectively in the workplace, which is something I knew I had to personally work on.

Ultimately although there are always going to be positives ad negatives in an internship, the positives always outweigh the negatives! Has anyone else struggled to apply their public relations degree to their internship?