This is not the end.

How time flies. Today marks the end of my internship with the Corporate Communications Department in Curtin University. As I close my eyes, I could still picture the day I walked into the office to meet my supervisor for the first time. Having mixed feelings and I cannot believe that it is officially over. There have been some ups and downs throughout the placement but there are many things that I have learnt. So in today's post, I will summarize my entire internship journey and how I felt 'working' in the Public Relations field.

Over the past few weeks, there are so many things that I have learnt. First is to get an insight of how people work in this type of environment as I have always imagined it to be different from those working in the Accounting or Finance department.  The people they work with, and the direction that they are working towards are completely different. Public Relations is part of my double major and I can say that I have finally experienced how Public Relations is in the real world. I was only taught of theories and how to apply them but never got the chance to do so until my placement with the Corporate Communications Department commenced. And after a month, I can list out some of the major aspects of public relations as shown by a PR practitioner.

Some of the key elements to being a successful PR practitioner are:

Written and Communication Skills - Without both, you cannot be a good PR practitioner as writing media releases and communicating with the public is the most crucial thing in public relations. To key to succeed is to be an excellent writer, speaker and to top it off, some creativity too as it is needed for PR practitioners to bring out the best of what clients require. A good way of getting started is to be up-to-date with all the latest news so as to improve your reading and writing skills whilst sharpening your language too. Who says being a news junkie is boring? The ability to learn is a lifelong process and reading news is one of the ways to enhance your knowledge about current affairs and

Passion - In order to become an outstanding PR practitioner, you have to be very passionate about what you do. And you begin by loving every aspect of public relations. Being passionate about your job actually helps boost your performance because you will be working in a positive emotional state, and thus, achieving positive outcomes. I once read this famous quote by Confucius to which I agree with, saying 'Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life'. Also, there is another quote by Zahi Hawass which says 'Anyone can like their job. To love your job is not enough, you must give your passion to your job'. And I agree with both because passion is all it takes to be successful at what you're doing and to climb up the company ladder.

Dedication - With passion comes dedication. When you love what you do, you'll become committed to it. Because being a PR practitioner is not an easy job. There are a handful of things you have to know and skills you need to master. Moreover, dedication results in the quality of the work done. When you give your 100% at work, when you get things done on time, when you set aside all that you possibly can to get your job done, you are a dedicated employee. And there is nothing better than spreading joy and contentment throughout the work place. It certainly makes a much better working environment.

And as I closed the door behind me, I know that my journey does not end here.
As the saying goes, 'when one door closes, the other opens'.
This is not the end.


Cheers,
Vivian Lee
15442668
Curtin University Sarawak :)