1.       Working in confidentiality.
The firm, Flash Communications, is a PR Firm and a Modelling Agency. It is launching a new pageant style competition known and appreciated worldwide to Mauritius. This project, considering the fierce competition in this industry, had to be kept confidential.

This clause scared me as it was the first time that I was getting involved in something so serious.

The clause precisely mentioned that I was not supposed to let any information about this project go out of the firm and that in case of treason I was subject to be sanctioned under the law.
I trembled as I signed the agreement as this was a monster of a deal. The stress of keeping this a secret was terrifying as they were not kidding about it. The manager let me in, as they needed help on this project.

 It was more of a stress than a pleasure to work on that as my laptop could be easily hacked or information may get lost or misplaced which may be considered as treason. Working at the university made me vulnerable.
However, with time. I learnt to live with it and keeping it confidential became more of my cup of tea.

I started using code words and hidden language to process my information and communicate with the firm when I was surrounded by people.
This aspect of hiding things became fun and I was feeling part of a secret mission like in movies. This rose my interest level and I was happy to be part of it.
This confidentiality agreement which scared me made me fall in love with the very same project. This shows to what extent something challenging may enhance one’s performance, due to its uniqueness.
At the end of the day, this policy made my journey more interesting and worth while.

Are you looking for a career in Public Relations?

My placement has shown me two key attributes that I believe are essential to pursuing a successful career in public relations. 

I have been studying public relations for almost a decade. During this time I have held positions in fields such as sales and marketing, conservation, taxation, teaching, management and administration. During my degree I have been able to apply public relations theory to each position I have held. University has taught me knowledge of the field, and the theory behind it, but some things are not learnt in the classroom.

I organised my internship with an organisation that places high value on student placements and mentoring. For confidentiality reasons I can't identify the organisation but I can tell you a bit about what I'm learning. My placement team has shown me that I've got the skills and education to pursue a career in a public relations role. They are also teaching me a bit more...... that a career in public relations requires passion and perseverance.

Passion: The first three days in my internship placement have been really rewarding. I have enjoyed using the theory from university along with the skills developed in the workforce. More importantly it has given me the confidence that a career in public relations is the right thing for me. With every job there is some give and take.

I am going home exhausted at the end of each day.

I am required to work some unusual hours.

I have to do things outside of my comfort zone.

Despite all this there is no doubt in my mind that it is all worth it. I look forward to my placement days and the challenges and experiences it brings.

Perseverance: I’ve been thrown in the deep end at work as we received unexpected grant funding allowing us to run an event at less than two weeks’ notice. My role has included producing promotional material, seeking event sponsors and writing a media release.

One of my duties was to produce a promotional poster for the event. I drafted a poster but it was not accepted as it did not comply with the organisations style guide.  My team was keen to use my poster as it was more relevant to our target audience than the sample head office had sent us. I redesigned the poster over a dozen times before finding a suitable middle ground that would be approved.

Normally this is something that would frustrate and disappoint me; however I had been talking to a co-worker in my team. Once graduating she had applied for over 160 jobs and taken over two years to get a position in her field. She was a member of professional bodies and sought assistance from the careers team at her university. Her perseverance to gain a career in her field inspired me. It allowed me to see the drawn out process of getting a poster approved as a lesson in perseverance, staying focused and remaining positive.

The Lesson: Sometimes finding a job might be hard work. It might involve unpaid internships, volunteering, multiple job applications and rejections. The challenges you come across during your internship are similar to the challenges you will face when looking for work or in your chosen career. Finding something you are passion about is a good grounding for perseverance and can help you get through whatever challenges your workplace throws at you.

I would love to hear how your internships are going. What key attributes do you see as essential to getting the most out of your placements and pursuing a career in public relations?
 

Two weeks in, no slacking about

So after two weeks into my placement, I thought now would be a good time to start my blog. What can I say; these first two weeks have been full steam ahead. I feel as if I have already learnt some invaluable PR techniques I can use once I start my career.

My placement will take me approximately 10 weeks to complete. I am doing it in the Department of Health, South Metro Health Service’s Fremantle Hospital and Health Service (FHHS). I am situated in the Public Relations Office. There are three other ladies on the team, all with different levels of experience. They are all so kind and are willing to pass on their knowledge to me at any opportunity.

What I love about my placement was that on the first day there was no mucking about. I was thrown in the deep end and set to work as soon as I arrived. My first day consisted of drafting the fortnightly e-bulletin that is sent out to all staff members in the Fremantle Hospital & Health services. It consisted of eight pages of any important information or reminders current for the next two weeks.

 I learnt very quickly that deadlines are key and due to working in a government body, there are a number of protocols and approval policies that need to be met. It is not as straight forward as writing an article, then publishing it. Everyone’s work always needs to be proof read by the PR manager (despite level of PR qualification). At Fremantle, this is Claire Harris (whom is also my supervisor). If publishing an online article, it is also sent for approval by the head of South East Metropolitan communications team. It is to be proof read again before a final approval on whether it can be published on the health services intranet. So from my initial draft, two more proof reads, along with two approvals need to be met before publication.

On my first day I was also given the opportunity to shadow one of the PR Officers Anni on an interview and photo opportunity. Mr Murray Louden, Optometrist was retiring after thirty years of service at Fremantle. This was a great experience to take part in. One of the key learning objectives I took out of this was that depending on whom you were interviewing, was the type of approach you took. Due to the purpose of the interview, it was very laid back and more like a general chat with Murray. I also learnt that it was key/ courteous to follow up once the article was written. We sent Murray a copy asking if he was okay with what we wrote, including the quotes used. He approved this so it was then ready to be sent off to step through the many approval stages here at Fremantle. Finally out of this exercise, I learnt that being courteous is key. It builds strong relationships whilst giving yourself a very caring whilst professional name. We also offered Murray the chance for us to send him out a hard copy to his postal address of the final article published in July/August Almanac (hard copy Magazine circulated throughout all staff/general public of the Public Health system).

Overall the first two weeks were invaluable. My writing skills have already improved with every time I write. I am learning to alter my style depending on the audience. I can use a less informal style when writing the e-bulletins, but when writing Almanac pieces, direct structure with minimal, straight to the point language is key. Hopefully these small tips will help in the next few weeks worth of writing projects.