Loyalty and commitment in the realm of Corporate PR

The role of a public relations officer in a company is not an easy role to shoulder. With that said, I hardly think that it is fitting role for me to take on in the future. From my observations, when working for a company a whole lot of loyalty and commitment is required is do a job well done. In the context of corporate PR, the level of loyalty and commitment is even higher when it boils down to safeguarding and improving the reputation of the company. 

Thankfully, my role as intern did not require me to shoulder such a responsibility. However, the purpose of this post is to reflect on the requirements of practicing PR in a corporate setting. Throughout my placement, I was mostly exposed to the company's CSR activities and some industry events. Nothing too heavy considering which industries (Timber production and property development) Interhill is involved in. As an intern, my tasks were satisfying enough. 

Going back to the role of PR in a corporate setting, my experience has taught me that it is necessary to have a strong sense of loyalty to be able to constantly plan for activities that will be able to change public perception and improve the reputation of the company. 

This may seem like a simple task on paper but add in all the challenges a corporate job entails, it comes to a point where the only people who are willing to do a good job are those who are truly enthusiastic about the industry and committed to the company. 

My point is to say that before considering for a PR position in a company, I would first have to be enthusiastic about the industry that the company operates in and be inspired to work in a company with a conducive environment.

Daphne Margaret Jolly
17895620/7E4A2937
Curtin Sarawak Campus

Building relationships takes time and personal sacrifice

Over the last few weeks I have become less like my Supervisors “Intern” and more of a fellow work mate. I have found that I spend a great deal of time in the office than my allocated two days a week, 9am-5pm. Often I am there until at least 6pm at night and it is not unusual for me to be following up on different things for Starlight on my days off. This has made me feel more involved as an employee of Starlight and it is with going this extra mile I have developed close relationships with those in the office and have gained their trust and respect. This means I have the capability to go above and beyond the role of a basic intern.

Over theses weeks I have discovered my Supervisor struggles when pressure is placed upon her. This is nothing against her capabilities; her work is constantly immaculate, no matter the time frame. Simply when she realizes she is close to a deadline (of which there are a huge amount in event coordination and planning, who knew four revisions would be required for a dinner menu! – but I digress) She struggles. She will begin to “stress out” and often will begin hyperventilating. I believe my commitment to going above and beyond at Starlight has assisted in calming these situations. I know she trusts me and therefore my presence and reassurance has a great deal of impact in calming her.

I have found I have been trusted to do a great deal of activities that generally interns would not be provided with. Last week for example I spent two days driving around Perth by myself meeting with our generous benefactors. This was in order to strengthen Starlight’s relationship with our contacts and collect donations for the upcoming event. I was trusted to not only collect thousands of dollars worth of donated goods. I was a representative of Starlight, promoting exactly what we do, conversing with the donors and encouraging them to maintain their commitment to Starlight.  This was an interesting concept as I was expected to “have a chat” with our donors (something I have never shyed away from!). Starlight believes the core of their work is to make people smile and to ensure everyone who engages with Starlight has a unique and personal experience. It was my responsibility to make sure this occurred.

I was very proud to have this opportunity and I believe it has re-enforced the PR ideal of two-way communication. I now realize this is the very core of what public relations is all about. It is engaging the public and our stakeholders face to face, it is having a conversation and responding to feedback. I feel that this is the best form of Public Relations for any company – whether or not they are “not for profit”, that engaging with our associates on a personal level is the best way to maintain relationships.