Started off with a WILD ride
How it started
One semester finished and just one more semester left!
It was time for me to find an internship. When I first heard about this practical unit I was so excited because I had previously completed one out of my own interest for Event Management. I learned so much out of it, even from the mundane tasks I was assigned to do but it all lead to a Gala event at Crown Towers! I was so excited to complete my internship during the summer holidays and immediately started looking for opportunities online and on the Facebook group chat.
With one underway, I landed an internship, succeeded at the interview and a start date was set… well that I thought. So thrilled that my placement was all sorted, I went on a shopping spree for ‘office clothes’. It was really starting! I was assigned to do some market research about the industry and their competitors in order to plan for a marketing and communications timeline throughout my placement and that I did with enthusiasm! The morning of my first day…I got a text from my (ex) supervisor, stating that the company NO longer needs me as they have outsourced their marketing. Thus, my internship was CANCELLED, which takes me back to square 1.
Figure 1. Uncle Roger sad now. GIF. 2020. Reproduced from Giphy.
How it ended
Instead of beating myself up with the disappointing news, I opened my laptop to start searching again. I applied for two companies and within 1 hour of sending the email, they both got back to me, asking to set a time for an interview. Now, I am proudly announcing my internship at Incite Solutions Group!
Since this update, I have completed 4 days of placement. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I have learned a lot from the past 2 weeks inside an office, alongside my amazing supervisor!
Figure 2. Happy full house. GIF. n.d. Reproduced from Giphy.
On the first day, I got a tour around the office and an introduction booklet, outlining the categories I will be involved in (LinkedIn posts, website design, internal communications, CRM, etc…), signed a few documents and I got to brainstorm some ideas for upcoming projects. I can’t lie when I say I’m very bad at remembering names so, that’s still a challenge for me when I meet new people. Everyone was very welcoming and the vibe was fun and all about teamwork.
FUN FACT: Incite solutions is a women-run business between 3 female CEOs!
However, the second week got a lot more interesting! On Wednesday, we celebrated ‘Wellness Wednesday’ where I got the chance to make a smoothie for everyone and got to know them a little more. At the end of the day, I was so proud of myself. I had completed and finalised a design for their internal communications landing page for the HR Manager. She and my supervisor were very impressed with my work. I am the type of person that needs to have a goal and checklist for the day and if completed, that is what’s rewarding. I really did dance like the above GIF at the end of the day. I am already excited to go back in the new year!
Nervousness Turns to Excitement
Nervousness Turns to Excitement
So the time to find an internship had finally arrived. The stress of final assessments multiplied by the stress of potentially having left my application process too late to find an internship over the summer break. I knew I did not want to have to do an internship during my last semester of Uni but I also knew my window to find one over summer was closing rapidly. I had heard rumours from classmates about how many each of them were applying for and scarily how many they were being rejected from. The stress continued to mount. My girlfriend finding one before I had, did not help with these feelings of nervousness either… Maybe it was too late. Right as I was starting to accept my fate, I received information about an internship program run by a company called ATCO (a company I had done marketing work experience with in the past). I hastily put together my application and an EXTENSIVE cover letter in hopes of being noticed and accepted. Sure enough, a week later I received an E-Mail with details about an interview I had been asked to attend. Nervousness turned to excitement.
Figure 1. WWE, What’s up GIF. 2019. Reproduced from Giphy.
That excitement was channelled into a successful interview which further led to my acceptance into the ATCO internship program. I was thrilled, I got given my start dates and was told I would be working with the same team as I did my week of work experience with before I had even started my degree. My internship would include roles working in the Marketing, Communications, and community engagement teams, it couldn’t be a better fit for my degree. As I read through my employment contract not only was I excited by how flexible my new workplace was willing to be with me I was especially excited about the fact that this was going to be a paid internship.
Figure 2. Most Expensivest, Pay Day Money GIF. 2018. Reproduced from Giphy.
So, my first day had finally arrived. A short induction in ATCO’s Jandakot office followed by a company lunch was a great introduction to the other interns in the other departments. The rest of the day was filled with meetings with the teams I would be working with up on Mill street in the city. Greeting new and familiar faces and new and being set up on my own desk. I was excited to get straight into work the next day!
Well… I was excited. As I sat down at my desk, I opened my computer to an E-Mail detailing that before commencing work I had to complete an online training course. No big deal right? How long could it possible take? Well, as my colleagues laughed upon realising that I was completing a course which all new employees must complete (evidently including them in the past) I realised it was going to be a bit of a slog. A full 8-hour shift worth of a slog.
Figure 3. Giphy, Bored the Office GIF. 2014. Reproduced from Giphy.
So my first set of work isn’t exactly what I was hoping for. However, I have been run down what my responsibilities are going to be and the projects that are coming up I will be working on and I have to say my excitement has not been wavered.