Am I industry ready now? A reflection of industry placement

My time at Event and Conference Co. has come to a close and I feel like I have learnt a lot.

But do I feel ready to enter the Public Relations Industry?

Working for Event and Conference Co. as an intern was an eye opener into the way a small events businesses work. The business had minimal paid staff and quite a few interns. This posed it's own challenges and benefits.

While I felt comfortable knowing I could talk to the other interns and bounce ideas around, the owner of the business, however, having so many interns producing work meant everything needed to be proofed and reworked in more detail than, I think, if the work was produced by professionals. It meant I had less room to fail and I needed to learn to produce industry quality work quickly so she didn't need to review my work so much.

I learnt a lot from my industry placement that I only knew in theory before starting my placement. I have more confidence in myself and the skills I have learnt while at Curtin University. I now know for certain I chose to study a profession I will enjoy and excel at. I do not think small business event work is where I see my career path heading but working in that environment taught me a lot and gave me to tools, knowledge and experience to know where I want to head and know I will succeed in the Public Relations field.

How was your industry placement experience? Do you think the area you interned in is where you want your career to focus? Or, like me, did it show you you want to pursue other areas of public relations?

Over and Out,
Bridgette

It pays to be healthy

Wow, I can’t believe that I’ve finished my public relations internship with St John of God Murdoch; it certainly hasn’t felt like three months!

For my last blog post I would like to talk about what I have learnt about public relations in health care, which believe me, has been more than I could have imagined.

What makes public relations in health care so unique is that the health care industry will always be in demand; you will always need health care regardless of how society changes and it will constantly be growing at a constant rate.

Combine a strong growth rate and increasing competition between hospitals and you have an extremely fierce market where PR is (if it is not already) becoming an important part of organizational long term strategy. In fact many experts agree that the health care industry will be one of the biggest growths within the PR sector.

Private health care specifically relies on a squeaky clean image and strong ties with your local community and employees in order to succeed, so if you are interested in pursuing a career in community relations the health care sector might be an interesting place to start your journey.

For any PR 393 prospective students who are looking for a challenge and interesting field, I suggest trying to find a placement within the health care industry. You won’t be disappointed.

Farewell!

PRintern

The End of being a Socialite, but with a New Chapter

May 9, 2013 

 

( Dwyer, It's about progress not perfection)

You know the feeling you get when the final day of work is not really the final day of your work? When I showed up for work, I wasn’t as keen to work on my roles and responsibilities like I always do, because I knew this would be the last task I would work on.

However, towards the end of my internship, I’ve pondered of what I’ve learned throughout the internship and thought about my new chapter of my career. The quote above “It’s about progress not perfection” says it all and sums of what I’ve learned throughout the internship.  

When I first walked in, I thought I knew everything of what I learned from the past three years and thought I could do everything in my knowledge and power to add the value for Socialite Media and their clients that I’ve worked with.

 However, I had to learn the hard way from my mistakes. The only ways to learn knowledge is from your mistakes and also learn from campaign manager’s success and failures.  Also, it’s all about progress and improvements.

Furthermore, throughout the day it consisted of me writing a monthly report for two clients comparing the month of April to the month of March.  I had to provide recommendations for brand awareness, demographics growth, and provide recommendations of strategies they can improve and add for the next month.  The content and date needed be to be analyzed to understand any trends or large differences between those two months. It was interesting for me to compare and look at the evidence of what segments of the contents for Facebook and Twitter made it work and what didn’t. 

To sum it up, all the internship is all focused of Public Relations and Social Media. I hope you guys learned something from my blog. Also, if anyone is looking for an opportunity to work in Social Media and use your knowledge of Public Relations in social media agencies, I highly recommend Socialite media and other social media agencies that are available depending on what type of social media agencies you are after.

Blog Refrences:

• Dwyer, S. (Photographer). (2012, December 9). It's about progress not perfection [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.five-words.com.au/page/8

Au revoir WACOSS

Hello Everyone,

This is my final blog post for this unit. It was also my final week at Western Australian Council of Social Service.

I must say I have really enjoyed my time at WACOSS. I have been able to learn a number of different things. I am also intrigued by the fact that looking back on it all I have not just learnt about Public Relations, I have also been able to learn about communications, internal communications, Not-for-profit industry, stakeholder relationships, members, reputation and much more.

The wonderful team at WACOSS have treated me with such respect and have trusted me to take on tasks that most work experience students do not have the priviledge of. My Director and Membership and Communications Manager have taught me so much in writing skills, communicating with others and the way WACOSS works on a wide range of levels.

I have also had the ability to work across the different deparments which has provided me a scope of what WACOSS does for the community sector. It is an organisation that works to ensure our communities are well looked after and given a voice in society.

My most favourtie thing about WACOSS is that I have made friends and connections that I know will benefit me in the future. It has given me the skills and knowledge that I know I will use later on in my career.

My final note is that I have been given the chance to come back to the organisation on a casual basis and perhaps have some opportunities to take advantage of in the coming future.

My 2 pieces of advice is to all of those who are completing this unit and there degrees...

No matter what you do, always do your best, make a good impression, listern to your supervisor, learn from them (even if you do not always agree with them), go out of your way to help the organisation and prove yourself that you can be what they need you to be (make sure you are passionate about what you do as well).

Secondly, it doesn't matter where you start, if you can get your foot in the door then you have pretty much made it. Use your first job regardless if it is not soley in PR or Marketing  and look at the skills you can learn in your position and build them! These skills will help you later on. You can take these to your next job and make you an even better PR practioner or something similar. And hey if you can get a job that is always a little different from the one before then that will keep you interested and give you the ability to overcome challenges and broaden your knowledge. That's what I love about PR nothing is ever the same it is constantly changing and there is so much variety out there!

This picture below was my last day at WACOSS!

It was a sad but great day as we had a morning tea with the rest of the WACOSS team.

Carly, Carla and Bree and WACOSS the wombat! 

It has been wonderful being able to share my experiences with you all and I wish each and everyone of you the best wishes and luck in all your careers! 

Thank you! 

Carla Lo Presti 

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Bentley Campus

alas, the end.

After completing my placement at Corporate Sports Australia i'm so glad i was given the opportunity to gain some practical experience in the real world of public relations - and to be able to this as part of my degree.

While hours spent stuffing envelopes and sifting through survey results wasn't exactly my idea of fun, you've got to start somewhere!

During my internship i was given some great opportunities to put my skills and knowledge of the Public Relations industry into practice through media release writing, producing business reports, media guides and stage managing on event day. I was able to build on this knowledge through attending a press conference, communicating with key stakeholders and working alongside industry professionals.

I've gained invaluable PR experience from interning at CSA, as well as some great insights into the world of Marketing and Event Management. Receiving great feedback from my supervisors has given me a great confidence boost and reinforced just how relevant everything i've learnt at Curtin really is.

And i think, just maybe, i am ready to enter the challenging and fast paced world of Public Relations. Look out.

Summing up my experience with angelhands

Hello Fellow PR393 Students!

This will be about the final thoughts about my placements with angelhands as this is my last and final post even if I still have 2 weeks of placements left. I can’t believe how fast time has past and I still have much to do before the campaign launches. Though I have learned so much throughout my time here, I believe there are more skills that I can perfect.

In regards to what I have accomplished so far, I have:

1.     Drafted a final corporate email

2.     Drafted a final coverletter

3.     Drafted a final flyer

4.     Design of the poster is completed

5.     Made appointments with past victims to be in the 50K in 50 Days promo youtube video

I believe that on placement I have used all the skills that I’ve learned from Curtin University. From PR techniques to write press releases or even helping out with the monthly newsletter updates for the campaign. I just can’t believe that the semester is already over and time just flew by.

There are 3 more weeks before the campaign’s launch and since I have decided to continue volunteering once a week with angelhands until the campaign ends, I’m sure that I will be able to meet the deadline and that this experience will be immensely rewarding when I decide to find a job after a graduate.

I hope everyone else have enjoyed their placement as much as I do (:

Thank you for reading my last post & good luck on your reports!

Deanna C.

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Good bye and good luck!

So after 20 days I have come to the end of my placement at the Department of Sport and Recreation. No more database, no more San Churros hot chocolates and no more talking about sport twice a week. Despite realising government work wasn’t for me, I was sad to go. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and learnt a lot.

As well as filling in some important skills gaps I have also realised what I need to work on more. I need to feel more confident in my contribution and what I have to say, I also need to practice my telephone manner and not be so scared to pick it up and call someone. The most important lesson I learnt however is that even after years of experience you never stop asking questions. It was a relief for me to sit in staff meetings and have people ask the same questions I had running through my head.

On my last day I made Anzacs for the staff and went out for lunch in the beautiful sun. While I was sad to say goodbye I will always be grateful for all the staff taking the time to say hi to me every day and for my supervisor being patient with my many questions (some of which were relevant to the task I was working on).

Government work is not for me, but I know sport is where I want to be. I am hoping that in the coming weeks I will be called up to help the not-for-profit organisation mentioned in my earlier blogs because it is a perfect fit for and something I really want to be part of.

I hope everyone had a placement as enjoyable as mine!

Finished at the Fellowship...for now

And so, my placement at the Fellowship of Australian Writers has been completed. I won't however be leaving, Trisha (the president) as high hopes that all three interns that completed placements at the Fellowship will stay on and help out when we can. We all plan to do exactly that.

Many past writer’s that have had the pleasure of staying at the Fellowship have commented on a certain feeling you get when you visit the Fellowship. It's an inexplicable desire to be a part of the Fellowships long standing heritage and to provide them with a helping hand where you can. So I plan to stay on and help throughout the holidays.

I can’t stress enough the level of experience I have gained during my time, I have learnt invaluable lessons about initiative and for the first time saw the usefulness in many of the things I’ve learnt during my degree. I also believe that FAWWA has benefitted from having me there during this semester.
Whilst writing my report I began to see the extent of my help at FAWWA and my recommendations come from true firsthand experience, of the organisation’s needs.

FAWWA was my first experience working in a not for profit organisation. I can see the significant difference between my experiences working for a consultancy and for a cause. A career in a not for profit organisation is now something I would truly consider and enjoy, there’s a sense of motivation that comes from knowing everything you do that day in some way is helping others.

I’d like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Fellowship for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to be a part of this wonderful organisation

final thoughts...

Dear Fellow PR 393 students,

I can't believe how fast the semester flew by, it seems as I just started my placement a week ago where I was a nervous wreck. Our reports are due soon and the panic mode has begun even though I have it half way completed.

My placement with CEDA has been over for a month now, but my time with them was invaluable. I feel I have grown up in the short time I worked there. The industry placement unit is the most exciting and rewarding unit in all my time at Curtin. I think getting 'real world' experiences should introduced much earlier in the PR degree.

All that time we were in class discussing theories and possibilities in mock up situations does prepare you for what to come although in some instances you become overwhelmed. At university you have much time to come up with solutions, in the real world time is fleeting and very precious. Thinking on your feet and keeping everything moving is very important for successful outcomes. At CEDA as soon as one event is over and all the paperwork was completed, it's right on the the next one. One of my projects was to create a series event for a regional development program, it is scheduled for mid next year but everything needed to be done before I completed my placement.

I found working in a boutique organisation to be extremely rewarding and also challenging. I think for me it was the best decision to start with small organisation before moving onto a larger one. I liked the closeness, transparency and the comradery in the office. However when you messed up it was glaringly obvious, but I feel mistakes make you grow are a lessons learned.

One thing I feel was very important to the girls at CEDA was separating work and regular life, although during lunches breaks they talked and bantered about their families and social lives, this never got in the way of completing work. There was a clear distinction between work and home. Once I asked if it was okay to take some of my projects home with me just to catch up, but my supervisor thought it wasn't a good idea, go home and relax don't think about work at home, it isn't healthy she told me.

You don't want this to happen..

 

 

From this experience I have gained lifelong mentors, friends and a job opportunity. Although CEDA wasn't ready to hire another employee due to resource constraints, the girls helped me find a job with one of their members, I am now volunteer Event Coordinator at The Smith Family who help disadvantaged kids in Australia. I want to gain as much experience I as can before I am comfortable in working full time.  

 

80% of success is just showing up: Woody Allen
 

The big bad world doesn't seem so intimidating any longer, it's all about getting your face and name out there. Before my placement I was hesitant with no confidence in my wok and ability but today I truly believe we can take our career anywhere we please. Finding opportunities that suit you and grabbing them will take you a long way, I know it's cliched but its simply the truth. My final semester at university has opened so many doors, it's really is just the beginning.

 

Choosing the right career path for you is very important, do something you love and it won't seem like a job and the daily the 9-5 grind. Working in events is exactly what I want to do with my career. I hope to open my own business one day, a charity organisation which brings together and educates Somali youth in Australia to give back to their country which is in turmoil. There is a need for western educated and established youth's to go back to Somalia and help build the nation. This has been a lifelong dream for me and I believe working in PR will help me accomplish this. Who knows I might one day be involved in changing the perception, image and reputation of Somalia to the wider world. I find its okay to dream big now and I encourage my fellow students to do.

 

 

 What have you lessons have you learnt at your internship?

 

I wish you all the very best in all you hope to accomplish.

Good Luck for the rest of the semester.

Thank you for unit, its been life changing.

 

Yours truly,

Suleeka Goomane

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Last few days... offered a job!

Super excited about this being my last post, I can now start writing this huge report! I honestly don’t know how in a few thousand words I can describe what I’ve learnt and explain what I’ve done it doesn’t seem to serve the experience justice. To say the least I have done way more than I thought I would or could do and I’m so stocked with the whole time at my prac place Gymnastics WA.

During my time over the semester I have designed and written a sponsorship package, written many media releases and liaised with many local media personal, organised photo shoots and liaised with some well-known journalists and set up a webpage and produced a heap a news bulletins, just to name a bit.

The coolest stuff i've done laterly has been organising media. I've been the Media Officer at GWA since the start of term and have built great contacts, the event I'm involved with is recieving coverage from The West Australian and Not Another Footy Show, and I'm in talks with Foxtel and Channel 7!

What I have learnt has been through doing and its pushed me out of my comfort zone which has challenged me. Working at GWA where they don’t have a public relations person meant I had to jump right into the deep end and apply my knowledge of the skills I had learnt at uni in theory into practice.

The hardest thing for me to overcome was learning through doing and the mistakes I made because I prefer to learn by watching first. This meant I learnt through my failures and by the things that weren’t great, which was a reality check for me, in that in the real world you won’t be told what you’re doing well necessarily only by the things that need improving.

The greatest improvement for me has been my writing, I honestly struggled to write a media release at the beginning of my Prac, now I can write one in 5 minutes no problem. I knew before my work experience that I was well spoken in person but I found this hard to translate into text, this has been something that I’ve defiantly improved with.

I have seen firsthand a well-run organisation that doesn’t utilise the benefits of public relations and have seen how quickly it has benefited from someone implementing public relations techniques. Through my experience I have learnt so much (cliché I know) and have surprised myself. I surprised the event partner too, he offered me a job!

So goodbye blog and good luck to everyone with their reports

Peace out trouts

Reflecting on my time at Devahasdin

After being at Devahasdin for three months my internship has come to an end and I cant believe how quickly it went by!

Throughout my placement I had the opportunity to work on a range of tasks for a very diverse range of clients. This provided me with a great insight in to all the different aspects of PR and also the different needs of clients. Some of the main tasks I completed included:

·      Compiling media databases relevant to the client

·      Client clipping and valuing reports

·      Pitching to the local community newspaper

·      Liaising with various clients

·      Overseeing a client promotion

·      Event preparation – nametags, invite lists etc.

·      Online event listings

·      Preparing material to be used for client’s social media

All the tasks I completed both big and small, even the lengthy and not so exciting ones were beneficial to my own learning. All tasks undertaken in public relations are important for different reasons and without doing them you aren’t able to offer the client the best service and achieve great outcomes. I was always kept busy through my placement ensuring I was making the most of my experience, which meant there was never a dull or boring moment!

Reflecting on my internship I believe I have grown both personally and professionally and I am glad we were ‘pushed’ by university to go out and gain this experience whilst studying. All the ladies in the Devahasdin office were great mentors each providing me with different learning’s about public relations, which I am more than grateful for. One that has really stood out for me is the importance of communication within the office - always ask questions, know your deadline, get your work reviewed and ensure everyone is on the same page so there is no confusion or error!

My placement at Devahasdin was truly invaluable and I now have a much greater understanding of professional public relations and the wider corporate working environment.

It’s great to know that from my placement I will be taking away new skills, new friendships, new professional contacts and it will also be a great addition to my resume. 

I hope everyone else really enjoyed and gained a lot from their placements!

Caitlyn