6 Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Internship

During my two internships there are things I did that worked to my advantage and things I wish I had done differently. Below are my tips to ensuring you get the most out of your internship.

1.   Triple check your work

No matter how small or insignificant the task may seem, always take the time to ensure you have completed the task correctly. Check your grammar is correct and that you have finalized the task to the standard requested.

When you are doing the same task over and over it is easy to slip up and make a typo. It might not seem like a big deal. However if you pass this work to your boss who picks up the mistake (or worse, the client) you are unlikely to be trusted with jobs with bigger tasks.

At the end of the day the work you output is a reflection of you and your professional standards.

2.   Complete the small tasks with a good attitude

I am not going to lie, there were times during my internships where I was completing a task thinking ‘three years of my life and $30,000 on a degree has lead to me spending half a day scanning documents’. It is frustrating, but at the end of the day you are an intern. You are going to be given the tasks that no one else wants to do.

My advice is to try and learn as much as you can from that task. Even if it is just scanning, get to know the documents you’re scanning, learn from them. Do these tasks fast and to a high standard. Only then will you be trusted to take on jobs that require more responsibility. No one is going to let the intern who can’t even scan a document strait write a media release.

3.   The answer is yes

You might just be lucky enough to be given a task that is challenging or even scary, that think you are incapable of completing. Never decline such an offer. You have been allocated the task because your supervisor believes in you. You should too. 

Don’t think about the worst that could happen. It is more than likely that you will do a fantastic job and impress everyone, including yourself.

4.   Dress for the job you want not the job you have

You might be surprised at the opportunities that can present them self if you are dressed like a corporate professional. If you have read my previous blogs you will know I attended a press conference during my internship. My job was media registration. With the knowledge that I would be meeting the client I dressed as professionally as my wardrobe would allow me. 

I ended up being asked to MC the press conference. I spoke to 30 media from Malaysia’s most successful media outlets. I have no doubt that I would not have been asked to MC if I was not dressed corporate.

See my blog post ‘From intern to press conference MC’ for more information on this story.

5.   It’s not what you know, it’s who you know

Networking has been absolutely hammered into us throughout university. Yet still I just cannot stress how important simply knowing the right person can be. Meeting one individual can change the way your career progresses.

When I start a new job, particularly an internship, I do my best to talk to everyone. Better yet, make a good impression on them. Chat to the person in front of you in the down stairs café, strike up a conversation with the lady heating up her lunch in the kitchen, pick up the pen the guy dropped because his hands were full of files. You just never know where that conversation might lead you.

6.   Talk to your supervisor about what you want to experience

A simple conversation might be the difference between you getting little out of your internship and getting the rewarding experience you want. Tell your supervisor what you want to be exposed to during the internship. Whether it is writing a media release, a story for the intranet, organising an event or interviewing people. At the end of the day if you don’t tell them they won’t know. 

Communication with your supervisor is just an important as any other form of communication, and I know you are great at communication, after all you are about to get a degree in it.

My internships at GO Communications and the Public Transport Authority have taught me a lot about Public Relations in the real word. I even learnt a thing or two about myself. 

Good luck to you all.

Whitney

Butler Station Opens

Since the beginning of my internship at the Public Transport Authority I have been planning the opening of the Butler train station.

It was my role to organise most of aspects of the event, from organising the plaque, the ribbon to cut, the community involvement, completing the run sheet, to writing promotional material in the lead up to the event.

While my boss did the very important tasks such as writing speeches for the Premier and managing media, the planning was very much left as my responsibility. 

A week prior to the event everything was on track for a perfect event. The weather was to be 28 degrees and sunny with minimal wind. Until three days prior when a storm began to develop. It was to hit at 10:00am on 21 September, which coincidentally was the start time of our event.

Contingency plans swung into action. Many of our plans had to be cancelled or changed. Being a train station we had very little room inside. Enough room for the guests, but not enough for community activities. Due to the weather two community activities had to be cancelled. The remaining groups soldiered on but struggled to proceed in the rain.

Despite the poor weather the official proceedings went ahead perfectly. The Premier Colin Barnett and Transport Minister Dean Nalder both gave fantastic motivational speeches to all that were present. The guests then made their way down to the platform and rode the very first train from Butler Station.

Click here to see Channel Nine’s coverage of the event.

If you pause this video at 11 seconds you’ll see me in my two seconds of fame on the right side of the screen in a bright orange t-shirt.

It very was satisfying to see a project I had built up from the ground successfully come together.

Whitney

Sssshhh, it's a secret

I am currently interning at the Public Transport Authority and finding it really interesting to be working in a department whose actions actually affect everyday people. The PTA is responsible for the public transport infrastructure, this includes building train lines, stations, bus stops ext.

Stakeholders

There are so many different stakeholders to consider, from local residents opposing plans for a new train station being built near their home, to the state premier who needs to ensure the PTA deliver on his election promises.

PTA projects can have significant effects on various communities and individuals. When making decisions about projects the PTA must consult with various other government departments, shires, agencies and of course the public. It is important that the public are consulted, because the projects are being funded by tax payers contributions.

Keeping it under wraps

From a communications point of view including so many people can be problematic in preventing information from being leaked to the general public. The more people that know a secret, the harder it is to keep.

Last week the PTA had a case where information about the new underground Perth Busport’s second entry had been leaked to the media. At that point in time the PTA had not yet informed the public of the decision to include a second entry in the busport.

Fly through animation of the new underground Perth Busport.

For more information on the Perth Busport second entry click here.

The art of being prepared

Information leakages are difficult to manage because so many other departments and agencies have to have access to the information. I was very impressed with how my supervisor, the Communication Project Manager handled the situation. She had all the documentation already written and ready to be sent out. Had she not been prepared she would have had to work all night writing and finalising fact sheets, media releases and speech notes.

It just goes to show how much being organised pays off.

Whitney

In-house vs consultancy

I am 15 days into my second internship at the Public Transport Authority (PTA). The PTA is responsible for the public transport infrastructure; this includes building train lines, stations, bus stops ext.

My experience working at the PTA has been the complete opposite to my time at GO Communications (GO). GO is a public relations consultancy firm in Malaysia, while my role at the PTA is in-house for a Western Australian Government department. As far as public relations goes I think they are as different as you can get.

Media communication

Working in a government communications department is different to consultancy in so many ways. One area that particularly stands out is media communication. 

At GO we tried so hard to get media attention, whereas the PTA never has trouble getting media to a press conference. In fact they are often trying to deter media in an effort to keep information quite to avoid premature release.

I guess this is because the PTA are working on projects that directly affect so many people. As well as this, they are spending tax payers money. The media will report on what people want to know about, and everyone wants to know if their tax dollars are being invested wisely.

Budget

Another thing that is very different is the budget. Working in a consultancy the client determines the budget. I was surprised to see the extravagant things clients expect for such little expenditure.

In a government department the state treasurer determines the department’s budget. It is interesting to see how big the project budgets are for government, and just how much things actually cost.

At the PTA I am currently organising the opening of the new Butler Train Station (click here for more information on Butler Station). It is my job to arrange the stagging, seating, the community activities, signage, the opening plaque and the budget, among various other articles. In sourcing quotes, ordering numerous items and keeping track of the budget, I was very shocked to see how quickly costs add up. 

In a consultancy you have to try and convince the client to spend money on all these extra little things to make the event perfect. This can be a hard task. At GO, my team spent days trying to convince a client to hire a professional photographer to capture their event.

PTA

I have really enjoyed my time at the PTA so far. I have had loads of exposure to all kinds of different communications. I have written stories for the intranet, attended meetings with internal and external stakeholders and been involved in event coordination. I like working for the PTA because I feel like I am contributing to making our state a better place, rather than simply helping big corporations get richer.

I am interested to experience working in-house for private organisation so I can compare it to consultancy and government.

I'd love to hear whether you'd prefer to work in-house or in a consultancy?

Whitney

For the love of football

From the very first day of my internship at GO Communications (GO) I have been assisting in preparing for an event for our client Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad.

Zurich is running a Corporate Social Responsibility campaign called ‘Love for Football’. The campaign is in conjunction with Little League Malaysia and involves going to schools and teaching children essential football skills. Zurich will also be donating money to each school to be put towards football related expenses.

GO Communications’ role is to ensure the event gets coverage in the media. Two and a half weeks before the event my team members and I delivered the invitations to the media in the form of a yellow card. The invitations were hand delivered to about 15 media and emailed to over 50. For more information on the delivery of the media invitations refer to my previous blog ‘same same but different’ posted on 13^th June 2014.

In the days leading up to the event it was my job to call the media to get their RSVP. Unfortunately for us, most media departments do not assign their reporters until 6pm the night before. This means we often have to wait until 7pm at night before we can call them for their RSVP. On some occasions I was told to call back at 10pm. Zurich however, want to know final media numbers by 3pm the day before, a somewhat impossible task.

Today was the day the event finally took place. I woke up at 5am to arrive at the Football stadium by 6am. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself having to wake up so early, until I got to the stadium and met the event crew who had arrived at 1am in order to set everything up in time.

The event was MC’d by two local Malaysia personalities. The event program included a speech from Zurich CEO, a speech from the King’s brother, a performance by the keepie uppies and a friendly indoor football match between a local school versing some football legends and Little League coaches. The football legends include Datuk Santokh Singh and Abbas Saad who use to play for Australia.

Wondering what a Keepie Uppie performance looks like? Watch the video below.

My job on the day was to register the media and ensure they were well catered for and comfortable. It was really good to be a part of an event and see how much preparation goes into it. We ran through the script with the MC’s at least five times.

My fellow intern Felicity and I with our 'event crew' passes.

It was interesting to see the things that went wrong that you could simply never predict. During this event the wind picked up and blowing the balloon arch over and ants infested the media desk. It made me realise no matter how much you prepare something can always go wrong on the day that you hadn’t thought of. I guess now I have experienced those things going wrong I can prepare for them at future events. Note to self, always bring extra string and fly spray to an event.

Whitney

From intern to press conference MC

This morning started like any other day as a GO Communications (GO) intern. I read the paper for an hour or so, identifying and recording articles relevant to our client.

I had a bit of a spring in my step, as this afternoon I was to assist with a press conference being held for Product of the Year (POY) Malaysia. POY has been running for 26 years around the world, but this year is the first time it has run in Malaysia.

Click here for more information on Product of the Year Malaysia

My assignment for the afternoon was media registration. The media arrive, I take their card, ask them to sign in and give them a media pack. Simple enough, but I was just happy to be a part of the event and see how a press conference works.

The media arrived and I began to register them and direct them to the conference room. With the conference due to commence in 20 minutes, the Chief Operating Office of GO, Peter de Krester walked out of the conference room directly towards me and said;

“Whitney you are going to be the MC for this press conference”.

My automatic reaction was to reply “okay”. Soon after it sunk in that I would be pronouncing names completely foreign to me in front of media from Malaysia’s top newspapers, magazines and TV stations. In addition I had the added hurdle of my Australian accent. I would need to speak slowly, clearly and with as little accent as possible. I try to take every challenge and opportunity that comes my way. I think the best things happen when you're out of your comfort zone.

I began madly jotting down my script as it was dictated to me by Peter. With little time to practice, the next thing I knew I was in front of a microphone and 30 odd media and camera crew. I introduced the nights esteemed guests, explained the history of POY and managed media questions.

What an experience! As terrifying as it was, I am glad I was able to rise to the challenge, and very pleased I didn’t make any major mistakes.

During my PR career I am sure there will be many times I will need to think on my feet and make quick decisions. I guess this was a taster.

Whitney

Same same but different

In comparison to Australia, working in Malaysia is different is so many wonderful ways. At the same time there are aspects I had not previously considered, that are worlds apart.

On the first day of my internship I arrived at the GO Communications (GO) office and was given a desk to call my own for the next month. The first major difference I noticed was my workstation. It was as if I had stepped back in time. It looked as though my computer was created before I was, and the phone, well let’s just say I don’t think they make them like that anymore. To add to the time warp the music playing throughout the office was reminiscent of my tweens.

Hardware and ambiance aside, GO is far from dated. GO staff think outside the box in order to service their clients in the most unique ways. Five days into my internship I have already had the opportunity to not only witness, but actually be involved in some of GO’s creative projects.

A day in the life of a GO Communications intern

There is no such thing as a standard day at GO. This is just one of the things I enjoy about working here. The day will generally begin with media monitoring. This entails going through that day’s paper and sourcing news relevant to each of GO’s clients. Although mundane at times, it is a great way to learn more about Malaysia and GO’s clients. I find it particularly interesting as a foreigner keen to be immersed in the Malay culture.

I have found news in Malaysia to be quite different to what I am used to being exposed to in Australia. I feel as though Malaysian news is more influenced by public relations (PR) efforts. This could be a result of the dense media competition in Malaysia. The country is home to over 20 daily national newspapers. When a journalist is stuck for ideas they often turn to PR for a story. On the other hand perhaps Australian journalists are just better at disguising the PR influence.

Yellow carded

On my second day I was given the opportunity to participate in media visits. The purpose of these visits was to deliver a media invitation to an event hosted by GO client, Zurich. The event was a football (soccer) friendly match with a high school versing ex-football players, as well as a member of the Malay royal family.

This was not just any plain old media drop. GO wanted this invitation to stand out from the hundred other invitations the editors would have received that week. Myself and three colleagues dressed in Zurich branded football jerseys alongside our referee who issued each editor a ‘yellow card’ which was their invitation to the event. The editors were informed that failure to attend the event would result in a red card.

My acting debut

Today is the fifth day of my internship at GO and I have been invited along to sit in on a media interview with Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba, the founder and chairman of Crewstone International. It was an honour to meet such a prominent Malaysian figure. The modest Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba is considered the top economist in Malaysia.

Click here for more information on Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba

Although I was unable to understand most of the interview as it was in Malay, it was a good opportunity for me to see how to set up an interview and how to best utilise the media’s time.

A lot of time was spent finding the right location for the interview, so lighting and branding could be maximised. The chosen setting was the boardroom in front of reception. Alas, Crewstone do not have a receptionist which made the background seem rather bare. Can you guess how this problem was solved?

Keep an eye on the Malay news over the next few days. There will be an interview with the chairman of Crewstone, with me writing this very blog in the background.

The things we do for PR!

Whitney