Lesson 1: get over the nerves!

Hey everyone, my names Kiranjeet and I'm in my final semester of degree. Just to keep you in the loop.. I started my internship at the Shire of Kalamunda back in March and so far it has been awesome! I started my blog but didn’t actually post it - had a few technical difficulties but here it finally is!

When I was told that I got the internship, I was super excited to get some real life experience yet I was scared at the same time.

What if my work wasn’t good enough?  What if they don’t like me? What if I’m too slow and they kick me out? What if the lady turns around and says my work is rubbish? All these questions kept running through my head making me feel nervous for my first day.

Anyway a week later, I rock up to the office and ask for the HR Manager Davina, who also happens to be a friend of a friend – sounds typical, I know. A couple minutes go by.. and I’m still waiting awkwardly at the front counter with the ladies looking at me confused because they don’t know who I am.

Lucky for me, Davina finally came to my rescue. We headed down to her office where I met the public relations coordinator Nicole O’Niell. After our introduction, I was given a tour of the office. Everyone that I had been introduced to was really friendly and kind which didn’t make me feel awkward – so that’s a plus.

I had my swipe card organised, email account set up and log ins all verified – I started to really feel like a proper employee at the shire.

My manager told me “this isn’t going be like a stereotypical internship where I make you do mail outs day in day out and boring stuff like updating mailing lists… We like to keep everyone busy at the shire so there will be a lot of work to do so you and hopefully won’t get bored.”

After hearing my manager say that, my heart started racing and I was excited - finally I get to do some proper work! So my manager and my system worked like this… She sends me a brief description or even just the flyer of an event, I write a draft media release, email it back to her for editing, she sends me back the final copy giving me feedback along with it and bang - job complete.

After sending her my first media release, I was scared to hear her feedback until I opened my email and read her response “great work! Really well written Kiran”. I will admit I was a bit stunned so just to clarify I turned around and asked her “are you sure its okay?” and she laughed and replied “yes its great, just a few tweaks but otherwise it looks good, don’t stress!”. After that, the next few media releases kept rolling out and before I knew it, it was 3pm - time to go home!

Overall, I found my first day to be initially nerve racking and overwhelming but once I got into the office, met everyone and began to work… things felt great!

Lesson learnt from day one: don’t sweat the small stuff. Meeting new people, entering new surroundings and building connections is half of what public relations is all about.. Get used to it!

- K

IN THE DEEP END

Every new challenge you face in life is likely to push you. This internship has most definitely been no exception having thrown me straight into the deep end.

Let me begin by telling you about how my placement started…

It was Thursday afternoon and I had been unable to focus on anything all day knowing that I had an Interview at 1pm with my potential placement employers. Professional presentation in check, my head held high, I marched into my interview determined to walk out with a secured placement. What I didn’t know was how much more I really would leave with.

My interview very quickly turned into somewhat of a client briefing and not only was I in but I had a media launch to organise in less than two weeks.  Filled with excitement I left the office on somewhat of a high thinking…

Invitation

Guests

Media

Event plan

Running sheets

Room setup

Champagne

Food

High tea

Fun

Fun

Only for it all to come crashing down the second I got home to realise how much work I had to do and how little time there really was.  With my mind working overtime, the settling thought was knowing that I didn’t need to worry; I know what I am doing.

Without even realising it I went into autopilot starting the procedure I needed to. It was at this stage I truly realised that Curtin and my degree have prepared me for my first step out into the real world and I have enough knowledge to really tackle this placement head on.

LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER!!

LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER

(Monday the 9th of July)

In the led up to my first post since starting my internship at the Department of fisheries I thought I would try and make it fun, exciting and comical. Although while I have enjoyed my first day a lot I now know that my blog could never be like that, the atmosphere at Fisheries just isn’t like some sort of cruised holiday job… at Fisheries there is a certain sense of professionalism and independent learning.

 

It is wholly different to the university system, there is a certain amount of chatting and occasional fun around the office for sure however everyone has their own areas and goes about their own work silently most of the time. Today I found that taking calls from the public and just writing reports takes massive priority over communicating with people in your immediate surroundings at the department, the whole environment is very work geared and there is a definite sense of purpose.

In the aquaculture area it feels like everyone is part of  a community working towards a solitary objective.

 

That purpose for me appears to be the checking of an Inland Aquaculture application form from 2000 and the writing of a new version. It is plain to me that there are due dates for the report and times when I should submit a draft but otherwise it is very much my choice as to how I write it. It seems like I’m left to my own devices in terms of the process I use to write the new copy, which is exciting because the report does not seem to relate to the traditional media releases and press conferences that represent public relations.

As for what happens on my next visits to the Department of Fisheries, I guess I will have to wait and see if there is a more PR directed role in my current area.

 If anyone is looking for information about the department or licenses, you should head here: http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx

I hope everyone who is still on placement is having a good time and if you have finished your internship let me know how and where it was. J

 

Regards,

Rob Dougherty

Team Work

I've been doing my professional practice placement at Curtin University within the Public Relations and Marketing Department. I have been working directly with the Project and Campaign Consultant, Asha Selvendra.

Our main focus was Curtin's Open Day. We were in competition with the four other major tertiary institutions in Perth, who were also holding their Open Days' in the week surrounding Curtin's, so not only did we have to make sure everything was organised in time for the event, we also wanted the event to be fun, innovative, and entertaining. Our main priority in the first few weeks has been the program for Open Day.

I have worked with all the different education departments within Curtin, Health, Science & Engineering, Humanities, CBS, and  in order to sort out the program/guide for visitors on the day. I have been finalizing lecture and activity times, to make sure everything that gets printed in the program is correct. The design coordinator within the marketing department, Angus Souter, has also been working with the graphic designer in charge of the design for the program. Asha and I have been meeting with Angus, to finalize designs for the timetable for activities and lectures, maps, and other images that will be included in the program.

My first two weeks really showed me how massive a job planning Open Day is, and how important it is to be very well organised. Small tasks such as the program, take up so much time, and involve a lot of team work and coordination with separate people in order to get the job done. Asha and I have spent a lot of time meeting with different people to ensure that the program is printed on time and correctly.

What do you do pre-placement?

Hello everybody!

I wanted to take some time out to just introduce myself and the placement opportunity I was given. So let’s get to it!

I’m Ann Samuel and I study journalism and public relations here. Though I came to Perth to study journalism, I fell in love with the dynamic nature of public relations. My first public relations tutor I had happened to be the most influential person in cultivating my admiration for the profession. Some of you might have had Jacinta Goerke as your tutor too! You might question the relevance of that little piece of info to my placement. At the end of last semester after a PR Consultancy seminar I spoke to her about possible placements and she suggested, among others, interning at Wise Earth Pty Ltd. 

WiseEarth Pty Ltd is a global enterprise committed to the establishment and expansion of wise businesses that meets the needs to people and Mother Nature. The tagline on the website is ‘natural, human and built environment specialists’. I encountered my first dilemma today when looking for information about the company before meeting my soon-to-be boss. For one thing, there were numerous subsidiaries under this corporation that I had no idea which entity exactly I was meant to do my research on. 

Anyway I combed through each link on the website and narrowed my research down to the architecture and urban design (Ecotect-Architects) business and the solar education and information online business (Solar-e) as those had websites linked to the main Wise Earth Pty Ltd page. 

To conclude this opening post, I simply want to stress the importance of keeping an open mind and psyching yourself up to rise to the occasion of your PR placements (for all who hasn’t begun!). I hope this internship brings the theories we have learnt in the course of our higher education together so that we may experience the joys and strife of public relations.

GOOD LUCK!!!