Reflections of a PPR Intern

Hi folks!

Unfortunately, this will be my last blog entry as my internship with Professional Public Relations has now drawn to an end.

As I walked into the office on my last day knowing it would be the final time I would as a PPR intern, it made me reflect on my time here. Did I do enough? Had I immersed myself in the culture of the organisation? Did I leave a meaningful impact on PPR or would I soon become a distant memory meshed in with every other intern who was there?

I knew the one thing I wanted to do was to make myself stand out from other PPR interns. PPR only accepts 12 interns a year and when I was talking to the consultants, they could barely remember who the intern before me was. How was I going to prevent this from happening to me? Obviously, I wanted to be remembered as PPR is definitely an organisation I would like to stay in contact with, not only for potential employment but also networking opportunities. Perth, the market it is, I would likely come across many of these people again sometime in my career so it would be nice to maintain a relationship that I had fostered over the past four weeks which would extend the life of my internship.

Reading the article, Nine Tips for Ending Your Internship on a Positive Note made me realise I had to leave my internship believing I did make a positive impact not only with regards to the work I produced but also with the relationships I has formed. The article goes on to say there are certain things you should do on your last day (which I would definitely recommend doing for those of you still completing your internships). The following tips are slanted towards a consultancy only because that's where I undertook my internship but they are easily transferred to in-house.

My farewell email I sent everyone

Tie Up Loose Ends
I made sure that all the tasks I was given were completed and those that weren't, I made sure I told the consultant who I was doing it for that I was unable to get it done. As I had to brief the next intern, I made sure they were aware of what to do when they got to the office on Monday morning.

Set Up Time To Talk To Your Supervisor
I discussed with the HR manager the positives as well as the negatives I experienced during my internship and also thanked her for the opportunity.

Give A Standout Gift
As you should have read from my farewell email (sorry it's a bit blurry), I came into the office on my last day with donuts, cupcakes and spring rolls. I didn't think it was much but the comments I got back raving about the food was amazing. A little tip for you guys, food is always something that will make people happy so I would definitely suggest bringing something in on your last days. Chatting to one of the senior consultants, she told me it was great that I brought so much food in because as I said before, interns are usually forgotten in a month or so and a scenario to remember me she said: "Oh you don't remember Jamie? He was the intern that brought all that food in." Distinguish yourself and make yourself standout in more ways than just quality work!

Thank Everyone!
I literally thanked everyone at PPR; of course I thanked the HR manager like I said before for giving me the opportunity to complete my internship here but beyond that, I thanked the consultants, account managers, group directors and even the admin staff. I also had a chat with the executive director, personally thanking him and also to talk about what my future endeavours were. It was a great opportunity to pick his brain about what it's like to search for a job in the PR industry in Perth.
In my farewell email, I also thanked everyone again as I didn't want them to think that I took their efforts in providing me with work as unimportant. It took a lot of trust for them to give me work, particularly because they had known me for less than four weeks and that what I would do had real implications on their professional reputations. I was and still am extremely grateful and appreciative of this.

Ask For Feedback
Feedback is such an important part of any internship. How are we to improve if we don't know how our performance actually stood up? It was so important to me to get this feedback so I could work on my professional skills and to see if what I thought my weaknesses were ran parallel with what others thought. This will be discussed further in the second part of this blog post.

Stay In Touch
In the email I sent out (I know I keep referring to this email I wrote but a final email is really a great way to conclude an internship, complemented with personally going up to people) I included my personal mobile, email address as well as LinkedIn account details. As I have already said Perth is a small market and maintaining these connections is instrumental in my career longevity. Talking to the executive director, he told me to stay in contact with the HR manager emailing her once every couple of months saying what I am doing now even if I have already got a job.

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As you know, I asked for feedback if anyone had time in my farewell email. I invited them to my desk or just to send me a brief email about anything regarding my performance. Quality of work, meeting deadlines and communication were things I particularly wanted to know about though. Obviously, this internship meant more to me than just a grade on my transcript; I wanted to know how I would perform in a role within a consultancy because of course, what we're all looking for after graduation is employment. Any feedback I received while at PPR, I would use as constructive and help myself improve for any future employment opportunities be it at PPR or at another organisation.

After I sent out that email, it was so humbling to have so many of the consultants come up to me and tell me that I did a great job and that they would definitely recommend me to other organisations, particularly because it was coming from such a credible source as PPR. If any of you had read one of my earlier blogs, I was daunted by the fact that the consultants wouldn't accept me as a valid and reliable intern which turned out to be all in my head. This is my message to all of those who have just started their internships or haven't started as yet: as long as you are 100% committed to producing quality work, you should have no problems being considered as reliable, trustworthy and responsible. If you were in an intern role like mine, I had to generate my own work and it was important to be seen as reliable because the consultants wouldn't have given me any extra work to do, if they saw me as incompetent and unorganised. Looking back on it, I'm glad I had to find my own work because if I was given tasks to do, I may have become complacent and not have taken as much pride in my work. Having to "work for work" made me just that much more motivated to keep deadlines and produce quality work. It has definitely made me more work-ready and now believe that every task done, no matter how menial I think it is, fits into the larger picture of PR and is something to be proud of.

Reflecting back on my entire internship, I now realise how beneficial it actually was. Particularly because this is my last unit, I will be entering the job market as of now. The experience gained at PPR has helped shape my idea of employment as well as the field of public relations. It has allowed me to explore different elements of PR with a wide variety of clients. The one question that still remains is whether I want be employed in a consultancy or as an in-house PR professional. Having never worked in-house before, I cannot answer this question without bias and unfortunately, until I myself figure out which career path I want to head down, I cannot conclusively give you my thoughts on this. I sincerely apologise but as you know, it is not a decision I can make lightly.

As I now look to the future and graduation in February, I now look onwards and upwards with the new found knowledge I have gained through my internship. It will be interesting to see how I apply everything I have learnt here into getting a job in the PR industry. I have had a pleasure reading all of your blog posts and hope you have enjoyed reading mine. Best of luck to you all and hope to see you guys at graduation next year!

Happy Interning!

Jamie :)

Research: The Tool in Every PR Professionals Holster

First Day Jitters

(Written Monday 29th July 2013)

Hello again everyone! It’s that time again… Blog time! As you should know by reading the title of this blog, it’s all about my first day at Professional Public Relations or PPR for short. I must admit many nerves were held by me before I arrived for my first day. The anticipation was horrible. I didn’t know what to expect having never worked in an office environment before and being a little intimidated by how much more experience everyone at PPR had on me. The worst thing that could happen would be that everyone thought I was an idiot for not knowing simple things that came easily to them. Shallow as it may be, deep down most people want to be accepted and I think this is where most of my nervousness and anxiety stemmed from. Of course I wanted to be accepted at PPR to start building my reputation as well as just making the work environment more pleasant not just for me but everyone at PPR.

So the first thing I did when I got too PPR, which has very recently moved from it’s Subiaco location to West Perth was park on the street. I went to the ticket machine… $4 an hour! My heart nearly dropped to the floor. I’m a university student who can barely afford a cup of coffee let alone pay for parking at a rate of $4 an hour. Anyhow, I paid for just one hour and went up to the office. Here, I asked if there was possibly a staff parking bay. There was, however, it was reserved for senior members of PPR which was completely understandable although I did get some tips on places to park where I could avoid paying for a ticket. Please keep this on the down low though! All jokes aside, parking was one thing I didn’t think I would encounter. Now I know why so many business people take public transport and this may be a suitable option for me in the future.

So when I finally got shown to my desk, I familiarised myself with PPR’s body of work by reading up on their past projects in a book given to me. I was then shown how to navigate through the computer system and then taken around the office to be introduced to the staff. At this point I was so overwhelmed. As I mentioned before, these people were so much more experienced and knowledgeable then me and I didn’t know what to do or what to say. You know what they say that it’s all about that first impression so I tried to be as professional as possible but somehow I don’t think I left a great impression. I was told I had to generate my own work and that tasks would not be handed to me so it was important to build a relationship with each and every one who worked there to make sure I would be consistently getting tasks to do, while also building my reputation as a reliable person.

I asked around and my tasks on the first day were all pretty administrative. I had to contact organisations in order to validate their contact information for an event that was coming up. I also had to research advertising data for online websites which included finding specific sites’ unique browsers per month and the advertising rates for them. This would be used to identify how much PPR would have saved clients on advertising when they received publicity online. I then had to create a list of corporate advisory firms for each state in Australia and include relevant contact information for each. All in all, a very stimulating and challenging day and I look forward to what awaits me in the next four weeks!

Jamie.

The Impending Internship

(Written on Saturday 27th July 2013)

Hello there fellow PR 393’ers!

Firstly, I think an introduction is in order. My name is Jamie Kho, I’m studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing & Public Relations) and this semester, I only have this unit to complete before I graduate. University has just flown by, which I am sure a lot of you would agree with. I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog and I hope to gain many insights into how your internship experiences went as well.

That's me on the left there - if you ever see me around campus, please come and say hi. I'm a very nice person once you get to know me!

As I have yet to start my internship, this blog post is going to be dedicated to the “journey” I took in securing a placement. When I first decided to search for internship options, I asked myself: “what do I want to do after I graduate?” Many things came to mind; media relations, event management, attending business meetings and crisis management were all things that I wanted to at least experience once.

There were so many options that I really didn’t know where to start. I ended up creating a list of about fifteen possible organisations. From there, I called them one by one. Some said they were not currently looking for interns, others told me to call back at a closer date. The one thing that infuriated me the most was there was one organisation which shall remain nameless as I don’t wish to tarnish anyone’s reputation in this blog, said they were interested and would call me back soon. After a week of waiting, I called back. “Oh yes, we are still interested. We’ll call you soon.” One more week past. “Yes, we will call you back as soon as we can confirm dates.” Another two weeks past and still no response. I called back and once again received the same reply. This made me question, as I had exhausted all other possible organisations on the list, I had hedged all my bets on this one company. Should I have continued looking elsewhere instead of hoping for acceptance here? Or was the organisation to blame for giving me “false hope?”

It soon dawned on me though that they were not going to call me back and after wasting weeks on waiting for this company, I knew I had to continue my search for a placement elsewhere. I know at university we’re taught to maintain a certain level of professionalism in the workplace, especially with external stakeholders and yet, I know that this doesn’t always stand true as I had just experienced. This experience only made me step back and re-evaluate how I wanted to behave in the workplace. Professionalism, honesty and dedication are my three cornerstones that I decided would be the backbone of my work ethic and this is all thanks to a failed internship request. Who knew?! There is always a silver lining!

So as you guys now know, I had to continue my internship search. Stressed for time now, as I really didn’t know what career path I wanted to pursue, much like an epiphany, it came to me. Consultancy! Of course, it was right in front of me the whole time. Rather than attempt to work at a specialised organisation, a consultancy would allow me to experience most, if not all aspects of public relations and put all the theoretical knowledge I had leant at uni into practice. First organisation on my list: PPR. Who could go past it? Being the largest PR firm in WA, I had to at least try to get a placement here. I knew it would be competitive but as they say: you have to be in it to win it! As luck would have it, I secured my internship here and could not be happier. I am going to be able to experience many
different aspects of public relations and hope to gain as much knowledge as I can from the accumulation of years and years of experience withheld by the consultants at PPR. I can’t wait and I will keep you guys posted on how it all goes!

Happy Blogging!

Jamie ;)

Third week is done, the end is coming and I'm not ready for it!!!

Third week of my work experience is over but the thrill and excitement of the work force hasn't even slightly subsided. This week has been a great learning week and has allowed me to have some real insight and experience in the field by helping to write a media release for the Camp Quality Supper Club. It was a really fantastic way to really hone in on my skills and learn what was really needed in the industry these days. The media release was submitted to several newspapers and was set to appear in the Community News and The Sunday Times. Definitely adding that one to the portfolio.

It was absolutely fascinating to see the preparation and the talent that goes into organising an event such as the Supper Club, even down to the invitations as the event was Alice in Wonderland themed, it was truly amazing.

A few more databases were tackled in this fateful week too, after work I like to go home and just not speak so that I can stand the sound of my voice the next day when I'm stuck making phone call after phone call verifying names and positions.

I start to get sad every time that I remember I only have one more week to go in this position, it really has been such a great experience and after having become quite close to quite a few people and finally getting the hang of the train and morning traffic that plagues my path to Subiaco every single morning without fail.

One more week to go, better make the most of it.

Two weeks down, two to go. Hopefully they won't notice if I just never leave!!

Second week is done and the time is flying past me, I'm 1/2 of the way through my internship and I don't want it to end! In saying that though, the constant drone of my phones dial tone is now making its way into my dreams as I continue to tackle the database. I've got one page to go and I think I'll buy myself a chocolate when I finish it!

This week I was asked to re-write a writing style guide for PPR, there had been changes made to a hard copy but unfortunately the soft copy could not be located so I would have to re-type the whole thing with the changed included. Just a casual 35 pages long. It took me about 12 hours so I smashed it out pretty quick; I was always such a keen kid in typing class in primary school.

Watching intently on what has been going on around me gives me an insight into how the business really works and what my chosen profession is really about. Watching everyone work with and around each other, client meetings, deliveries, the rush around deadlines, and the final products, it all intrigued me and I enjoyed watching the inner workings of the organisation and how everyone meshed together.

I did some research this week for a new apartment complex about to be finished up north and did some background research on information for Little Athletics.

Speaking of athletics; this week I managed to do my weekly exercise in one day, one exhausting day. Myself and one of the office assistants had to do a letter box drop of flyers for Landcorp throughout the Cockburn area. Took us about six hours of constant walking. Got in a great gossip session but unfortunately I managed to twinge my calf muscle and walking that night and the next few days was a task, especially when I managed to come across stairs.

So the week is over and I keep becoming more and more attached to this place, it's got a certain charm about it that makes you feel welcome and makes everyone act like a family more than colleagues.

Until next time,
Bye!!

It begins. Nervous but oh so excited!

Professional Public Relations (PPR), I could gladly stay working here past my work experience. I would of course have to give up my paid job I’m currently working 9 to 5.30 Saturday and Sunday. Oh the joys of a seven day working week, these 6am starts don’t sit too well with me to begin with but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. My days are already so busy they fly by and I find myself being told to go home as I lose track of time, there aren’t enough hours in my day for everything I need to do.

But of course it doesn’t stop there as I get home from PPR and dive into my university work, sleep is so far away. Again the grueling task of my 6am wake up, bumper to bumper traffic and rude drivers; it’s all forgotten as soon as I get inside the office, make some tea and sit back down at my desk ready to face the new tasks that have been emailed to me. I enjoy it, the constant thrill, the insight into what a PR consultancy is all about, the friendly staff, the office chats (the water cooler doesn’t work so it’s mainly around the coffee machine). PPR is kind enough to provide the team with black tea, coffee, Milo, green tea, a coffee machine, and a fruit bowl replenished daily.

So far I’ve been working on some items for Bunnings Warehouse; a few forward features. I have an overview of what the magazine is going to be about and then draft questions and answers on the topic that the Bunnings representative could be asked by the journalist, just like PR Media last semester. This is right up my alley due to the fact that I work at Bunnings so I get this done in record time, barely having to research the answers; I’m quite impressed with how much I actually know.

Next I’ve been given the task of tackling an A3 20 page contact database for every publication and media outlet I’ve ever heard of, and plenty I haven’t. My task…determine whether these people are still in the roles listed under the publication. I’m given a time frame; by the end of my internship. I start straight away and go through searching on the internet for verification. I find that there are a large number that are not available through the internet and I will have to call and harass the receptionist. I begin the dreaded task of calling, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, although there are a few people I come across who have woken up on the wrong side of the bed and aren’t in any mood to help me. Just keep smiling.

The clock ticks past 5.30pm and my co-worker, Bianca, tells me it’s home time. Thank goodness, I’m sick of the sound of my own voice through all the phone calls. Time to go home, eat dinner, do my university work, and head to bed ready for my 6am wakeup. I’ve decided it’s a good idea to put my alarm clock on the other side of the room; I’ve never been a morning person.

To be, or not to be, that is the question....

Thirty days ago when I started my internship at PPR – I set out in search of an answer to a question which has plagued me since the beginning of my degree – ‘To be or not to be a PR consultant?’ I am happy to report that after my finishing my last day at PPR on Friday – I am now a whole lot closer to finding that answer.

The world of PR consultancy is an exciting one to say the least with a multitude of clients that subsequently come with a multitude of different projects, experiences, deadlines and demands.  It is because of this versatility, that in the past month at PPR, I have had the privilege and the opportunity of working on a range of different projects for different clients. I find this versatility to be a very attractive characteristic of working in consultancy and one that I will attempt to explore more when I begin my search for employment in July.  Having said that, there is still a large part of me that is curious about working in corporate PR and I think that I will need to experience this before I can confidently choose the path that appeals to me the most. Have any of you ever had experience working in both fields? And if so, which one do you prefer?

As I write this, I can’t help but also smile at the fact that in only 20 working days, I can say that I have done everything from media clippings, reports and releases through to invitation drops, research, phone interviews and writing for some of PPR’s professional publications.  When regarding the writing I have done in particular, three pieces of my work were officially published in my last two days at PPR – which I think was such a great way to end what I would definitely call a great internship!

One of these pieces of writing was a media release entitled ‘Dalwalinu Channels Its Own Rottnest Swim’, which was published in a regional WA newspaper that you can read here.  As some of you would know, that feeling that you get when your work is published in a public space is like nothing else and has certainly given me the confidence and self-assurance that I need to believe in myself as a professional writer and PR practitioner.

Another thing that I have learnt throughout my time at PPR is that though Uni definitely has its place in teaching us the fundamentals skills required in the PR industry, there is still nothing quite like applying and refining these skills in a real working environment. I am thankful for the opportunity that PR Professional Practice 393 has given me in this regard as I have been able to use what I have learnt and expand on what I have learnt in all my classes in a way that I believe will serve me well when I graduate and begin my career.

Thanks everyone for following my updates over the past month and it's been wonderful reading all of yours. Though these entries have been useful for reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve also learnt a lot about other aspects of the industry through reading yours. I wish you guys all the best in the remainder of your internship and your degrees, and best of luck in your careers.

The Perfect Blend

So it’s now my very last week at PPR and as I sit and write this, all I can think about is where has the time gone?! In theory, a month sounds like a long time but in the fast paced world of PR, I’ve rapidly come to learn that it isn’t.

In my third week at PPR, I spent a lot of time on the road, delivering invitations for an event on behalf of a client. At the time I treated this as a bit of respite from all the work that I still have left to do but with only 2 days remaining to get it all done – I’m now working to a very tight deadline.

 At the end of the week I was also given the task of helping one of the account managers put together a credentials document for the firm. I was given this task based on my ability to write and to perform under a tight deadline, which was definitely the confidence boost I had been searching for. As you might recall from my previous blog entry, my second week at PPR was a tough one in terms of my confidence and belief in my ability to write but undertaking this task has given me a chance to resurrect myself. I got to work on the task immediately by compiling some relevant case studies, which will all be included in the publication and wrote a succinct synopsis of each one. Part of this task will also involve me proofreading the account manager’s work to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes or other grammatical errors. Though I have never edited anyone’s work in a professional capacity, I have nonetheless chosen to embrace this task as yet another opportunity for me to learn and acquire those much-needed editing skills, pertinent to a successful career in PR.

Another aspect that I really love about this task is that to me, it is the perfect blend of both sides of my degree, as not only am I writing for a professional publication, but I am also helping this PR firm carry out its own PR. This fusion of public relations and professional writing has definitely demonstrated how well the two degrees go together and how skills from each are sometimes necessary for performing tasks in this industry.

I am looking forward to this final week and I can’t wait to reflect on what has definitely been an exciting, frightening, educational and enlightening month at PPR.

PR is not for the faint hearted.

Wow my second week has flown by in the blink of an eye and I can’t believe I’m already half way through my internship at PPR!

This week – as expected was also busy, in fact much busier than the last. My calendar on my desktop has quickly become my best friend and my saving grace, reminding me of all the things I need to do and when. This week’s tasks have primarily been public relations orientated which has given me a well-rounded and very real insight into the various duties that PR consultants do in their line of work.

One of these tasks was to write a profile on a mining company for a magazine that PPR produces. As someone who has little knowledge of and no experience in the mining industry, this was definitely a very daunting task. However, with a little of bit of research, professional guidance and a lot of trial and error, I managed to produce a piece of written work that I was proud of and so was the editor at PPR who is going to publish the article in the company’s publication. Needless to say, I was absolutely ecstatic and when offered to write a second piece, I gladly accepted! This task has taught me the importance of versatility in a PR consultancy as it is likely that you will have to write pieces on certain companies, events etc that you have little knowledge about. Research is therefore a very important factor and one that I’m glad is emphasized in all our PR Units at university.

One area that I felt I struggled with this week was working to a deadline. On Wednesday I was given the task of writing a response to a year 12 student regarding the impact of FIFO on rural communities. Again, with little existing knowledge of the industry, I researched previous documents to gain a good perspective of the issue and then set to work. However, because I only had a deadline of two hours to complete the task, I felt like my mind (and more so my ability to write) completely shut down on me under pressure. Although I did eventually get to work, what I produced, I can’t say I was completely happy with.  This ability to work to a deadline is certainly one of the most prominent aspects of the PR industry and one that I’m determined to tackle in the next six months before I graduate.  I’ll be seeking some good advice from the PPR team about what to do when those terrible nerves take over and how to focus when working to such a tight deadline. What are your tips for dealing with deadline stress?

My last major task this week was to produce a media release for a recipient of a grant given by one of PPR’s clients. The idea of writing my very own media release, something I’ve done many times at Uni, really thrilled me but once again I struggled with the pressure of producing something that I expected to be of a high standard.  The media release that I produced was edited and tweaked a little by the consultant that I was doing the work for and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment that my media release had to be altered a little bit to flow better.  After all the experiences I’ve had writing media releases at Uni, I felt that I would know how to write these better than anything else – but the reality this week was different. Although the consultant assured me that I’d done a great job, I just couldn’t help but a feel that I’d let myself down.

One of the Account Managers reassured me further by saying that most media releases, even his, often get tweaked by more senior PR people and that it’s all part of the creative process.

Has anyone else had these experiences before?

I think I just need to remind myself that I am an intern and I still have a lot to learn instead of always being an over achiever and striving for perfection –  it’s simply not realistic or beneficial to my sense of self and self worth!

Despite the sounds of it, I have still had a great week, which has taught me just as much about myself as it has about PR consultancy.  I know now that PR is not an industry for the faint hearted and in order to succeed, you need to stay strong, focused and flexible to the demands of time, clients etc.

I’m grateful that I have had this insight this week into the areas of myself that I need to work on and I am glad for every experience that I have at PPR because it’s all part of a learning journey that I imagine will only continue throughout the rest of my degree and my career. 

Until next time…!