Being a PR Consultant: How do I?

Following the first 3 weeks of my strenuous work placement, things soon became easier to juggle. Names were matching the right faces, my Apple iMac was becoming less frustrating (I’m a PC girl through & through) and the Friday afternoon office ‘wind-down’ was not nearly as intimidating as it first seemed.

I was in the Clarity office every Thursday & Friday, working cross-department; Thursday was spent in Digital and Friday on the PR team. I slowly developed a routine of arriving at the office by 8.30am and checking my emails, before asking the relevant supervisor about my projects for the day. On weeks when a deadline loomed, I often found jobs to keep myself busy –  ticking the box next to ‘using my initiative’ on my mental checklist.

My role in digital was heavily focused on online development, content creation and website maintenance; whilst not strictly ‘PR’ these are jobs I found extremely informative. Creating content calendars for Clarity and client Celebrate WA, has consumed approximately 15% of my time over the duration of my placement. For those unfamiliar with it, a ‘content calendar’ is essentially a document that social media strategists use to map out posts for a period of time (typically on a month by month schedule). Whilst it might seem like an easy concept, coming up with 25 targeted posts that pertain to the client and their audience is no mean feat. Here is an example of the document I created for Celebrate WA.

As for the PR side of things, Clarity maintains a standout record. Handling the media relations for big names around Perth means they know their way around a press release. Within those first few weeks, I was asked to write a first draft release for an exciting partnership expansion to be announce in a few months time – it was a project I would be able to see through from start to finish during my placement. As for the processes of the PR team, every Friday morning starts with a brief 15 minute team huddle, where the week’s progress is reviewed and next weeks’ direction determined. As an intern I was asked to partake, to summarize what work I needed to carry on from digital and what jobs had already been scheduled for my day in the PR department.

Image Courtesy of  Cornerstone Advisory Partners.

This post is intended to highlight the accountability/productivity that is expected at consultancy level. As an intern I had it fairly easy, but even I stressed out about being timely in my work ethic. When your clients are paying a fair penny for your services (per hour!) you need to make sure you're giving them the most bang for their buck.

Internship Golden Rule No. 2 – just because you’re an intern, doesn't mean your work will be any less appreciated by the client; make sure you do their investment justice.

Being a PR Consultant: Could I?

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.