My time at Alcoa has finally come to an end. Packing up my
belongings and leaving for the last time just didn’t feel right – I wasn’t
ready to leave! The last 20 days provided me with a lot of self-growth, and a
few words ring loud in this crazy-busy brain of mine – organisation, communication,
confidence and learning. No two days were the same during my time at the
internship, giving me an opportunity to watch other people and to learn and to
grow in trying new tasks I had never done before – as they say, learning begins
at the end of your comfort zone, and it is definitely true!
Communication – In a communications based department, I guess it only makes sense for communication to be a vital part of everyday tasks. Something I was not aware of when I began the internship was the complexity of communication within departments, across departments, to management, to global communications and to stakeholders and the public. There is SO much to consider! As an open person that asked a lot of questions, I found I was always talking about tasks; however I never realised the actual importance in doing so. The company needs to talk with ‘one voice’ and every aspect of the company must work together in communicating a singular message. This taught me to ensure my work is communicable to the next person, so as if i was not around, the next person could come and complete the role if they needed to. This meant not leaving my work so only I could understand it, but being transparent and thorough in all aspects of communication. The communications team is what brings all company actions together to communicate to stakeholders, and each employee needs to do their part to ensure this is done smoothly.
Organisation –
Organisation is SO important! To be organised just makes everything seem just that little bit easier. I learned this very quickly during my internship, I needed to know where everything is, so if i received an unexpected phone call I could very quickly find the relevant information I needed. Also, my internship supervisor was always very busy, which meant I didn’t always get time to see her or talk to her. I had to ensure I was always organised and had pre-prepared questions so when she got the chance to see me or to call me, I knew exactly what I needed to show her and to send her before she had to leave again.
Organisation is SO important! To be organised just makes everything seem just that little bit easier. I learned this very quickly during my internship, I needed to know where everything is, so if i received an unexpected phone call I could very quickly find the relevant information I needed. Also, my internship supervisor was always very busy, which meant I didn’t always get time to see her or talk to her. I had to ensure I was always organised and had pre-prepared questions so when she got the chance to see me or to call me, I knew exactly what I needed to show her and to send her before she had to leave again.
Learning –
I learned so much during this time, not only did I learn about styles of writing, communicating messages, feature stories and press releases, but I learned the importance of learning – how learning never stops. It surprised me to see that people within the PR industry continue to learn throughout their whole career, there was theory I spoke about that I had learned at university that they had forgotten about and had not used in years, and theory they spoke about that I am yet to learn or practice. This is quite exciting for me, I cannot imagine being in an industry without the capacity to change or to continue to learn!
I learned so much during this time, not only did I learn about styles of writing, communicating messages, feature stories and press releases, but I learned the importance of learning – how learning never stops. It surprised me to see that people within the PR industry continue to learn throughout their whole career, there was theory I spoke about that I had learned at university that they had forgotten about and had not used in years, and theory they spoke about that I am yet to learn or practice. This is quite exciting for me, I cannot imagine being in an industry without the capacity to change or to continue to learn!
Confidence -
Confidence is definitely not a trait you can buy, and not something that you just ‘have’. Confidence grows, prospers and evolves over time, through self-development, career development and the aid of educated people. Before beginning my internship, I was unsure whether I was cut out for the PR industry and whether it is really something I am good at, and want to be a part of. Since finishing my internship, I know this is where I want to be, and I know I can do this – if I set my mind to it. I feel much more confident in my abilities, and I know it is right for me.
Confidence is definitely not a trait you can buy, and not something that you just ‘have’. Confidence grows, prospers and evolves over time, through self-development, career development and the aid of educated people. Before beginning my internship, I was unsure whether I was cut out for the PR industry and whether it is really something I am good at, and want to be a part of. Since finishing my internship, I know this is where I want to be, and I know I can do this – if I set my mind to it. I feel much more confident in my abilities, and I know it is right for me.
Although I feel sad to leave, I feel I am empowered with
greater knowledge to aid me into the transition between university and my
career. I am currently within the recruitment process for a position in the
Corporate Affairs team as ‘Communications Services Advisor’. I have my fingers
crossed this works out for me, however if it doesn’t, I’m sure another door
will open along my journey. While this is the end of my university PR journey,
this is just the start of my PR career, and who knows where it will take me. It
could quite literally be ANYWHERE!
Good luck to you all in your future endeavours,
Lauren x
