THIS IS THE END….or is it?
It feels like the past 20 days of internship have just flown by. Reflecting on my experience, I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Skye and her team.
Skye, the director of the agency, has asked me if I wanted to come back and help out during the next few months, and I’m so happy that my time at Gilligan Group doesn’t have to end yet.
I don’t know if you guys feel the same way, but I am so relieved that I could actually apply the public relations theory and knowledge I’ve gathered during my degree. I’ve also had a ball coming up with business casual outfits- I think I might have to incorporate it into my everyday style!
It was so interesting to work in an office environment , you can truly see how everything is collaborative-every task you do, whether it was big or small is working towards one goal or product. I’m so glad that every day of my internship involved me doing something different, it really gave me the opportunity to try my hand at everything.
I think prior to my internship, I was still quite unsure about what my strengths would be as someone working in PR and marketing. I’ve definitely been able to identify what I’m good at, and what I can improve on in the future. From having no idea on how the mining industry worked, I now try to pay attention when anything mining related is on the news or on my news feed.
Something I’ve also discovered is that I’d like to do a lot more work with non-profits in the future- I’m super passionate about it and I’d love for it to play a part in my career in the future.
As a someone who did ATAR Media, and is currently specializing in corporate screen production as well as public relations and marketing, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the “arty side” of my degree was viewed as an asset , particularly when using Premiere Pro to edit video content.
My internship experience didn’t just limit me to a desk and a chair, which I was really happy about. Some days involved counting, labelling and packing donations at the office, while other times involved networking with clients at an event. Gilligan Group’s 8th Birthday event was a perfect example of the type of networking events I might be attending in the future, and was a really eye-opening experience for me. I’ve learnt that working in marketing and public relations also mean building relationships with people, interacting with clients and most importantly putting myself out there. While I felt a bit intimidated in the beginning, I started to feel more comfortable as the night progressed. In fact, I got some great networking advice at the beginning of the night- “Just start at one side of the room and introduce yourself to as many people as you make your way to the other side of the room”. While this seemed a bit extreme at first, I made more of an effort to introduce myself, and I feel like this really benefitted me throughout the night.
Assuming my role as the “lighting girl” at the Gilligan Group 8th Birthday Event
While entering the workforce is scary, I’m so thankful for my internship experience. I know that I have a lot to learn, but this unit has made me so excited to get out, work hard and make a difference.
LEARNING THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Hi guys! I hope your internships are treating you well.
During my public relations units in the past, the terms “Hootsuite” and “Mail Chimp” were often thrown around, but I’ve finally learnt how to navigate these tools and implement them in real campaigns (which is super exciting!)
Ash teaching me how to use Mail Chimp [picturised]
As the Project Assistant for the Norkama Project, I have been tasked with the responsibility of creating campaigns that will grow awareness of what the initiative does and attract donors.
As I mentioned in my first blog post, the Norkama Project is a non-for-profit managed by Gilligan Group, who through partnerships with the Rotary of Elizabeth Quay, Sarama Resources and Macknsons Transport, send donations of sports equipment, medical supplies and stationery to Burkina Faso, West Africa. Our last drop off was in 2016, and we are currently prepping to send a 40 ft container filled with donations next year.
Before starting on my own campaign however, it was important for me to brainstorm my strategy- how did I want to approach this?
I decided that I wanted to update the Norkama Project webpage, create an email campaign that would be sent to Gilligan Group’s contact list, some social media posts for Linkedin and Facebook, and call up printers to source more paper and stationery.
After researching social platforms that other charities and non-profits use such as UNICEF, it was clear that Norkama need some more eye catching and engaging visual content to accompany.
I decided that I would make some graphics for potential donation items on Canva, and the rest of the images would be from Norkama’s last drop off in 2016. Many images that were taken on the last trip were extremely emotive and displayed how truly grim conditions are those living in Burkina Faso.
After drafting up some potential posts, I input this in a social media content schedule template, and sent it to my boss to be approved before I posted.
Once they were reviewed and approved, it was ready to scheduled in Hootsuite. I was asked to shadow my co-worker, Ash, to learn the basics and then schedule my own at an ideal time once I was confident. Hootsuite is incredibly easy to navigate, especially if you have your content prepared beforehand- it’s just a matter of copy and pasting, dropping images and tagging other accounts.
The next task at hand was making an EDM on Mail Chimp. I feel like it was a little bit harder to navigate, just because I was so unfamiliar with creating email campaigns. However, after spending some time exploring, and after asking lots of questions I definitely feel confident saying I’m proficient with the program. Once finished, I sent a couple of test emails to my co-workers and supervisor to be reviewed, and it was such a good feeling getting positive feedback and being reassured that I’m doing things right.
Learning how to utilise Mail Chimp and Hootsuite has been so helpful and I can’t wait to put my new skills into practice during the next few weeks, especially since it’s getting busier at the office, and I want to help out more!
IT’S TIME TO PARTY: A lesson in event management
I finally got to have a go at event management this week! It was always something I wanted to try my hand at, but never got to do in a professional capacity. I remember learning making an event management plan in second year and wanting to try my hand at it one day.
Gilligan Group’s 8th Birthday is coming up, and my supervisor, Skye (director of Gilligan Group) has been keen to make a start in preparations. She briefed me on what tasks I’d be doing for the day, and gave me a couple of venues that seemed like a right fit.
During my internship so far, I’ve realized the importance of taking notes, especially when I’m being briefed. As much as I’d like to think that I can depend on my semi-reliant memory, I’ve realised that taking notes is imperative, and I’ve started to pay more attention to bringing a notebook and a pen whenever briefed on tasks.
I had to go through these venues and work out pricing, layout, food, and drink tabs. After compiling all the information that was required, I contacted every venue individually to inquire about availability.
In fact, preparing an event is much more complex than I initially realized and it’s been interesting to observe what goes into the week planning more than a month before the actual event. Besides the venue and food, Mailchimp campaigns need to be created as invitations, with a poll incorporated within it so people can RSVP. Emails will be sent to those who do not respond as a reminder, while a confirmation email with all the logistics of the event will be sent a couple of days before the event.
It was quite new to have a responsibility such as the venue placed on me, and I soon realized that event planning is an ongoing task – all elements need to be followed up on constantly.
I am really looking forward to the event, it’ll be my first networking event and I’m really excited to meet all of Gilligan Group’s clients and finally put names to faces!
My First Week: Facing My Telephone Phobia!
Acquiring an internship has been one of my goals for all three years of my degree, and something that I would always stress about. Finally getting one was such a surreal feeling, and I am incredibly thankful this course pushes students to go out and get experience in the industry early.
Although worried and nervous about my first day (one of the side effects of being a stress-head), I was ready to throw myself into my work. I was immediately much calmer and relaxed talking to my supervisor, as she talked about basic housekeeping matters. Skye(my supervisor) gave me a bit of a debrief, explaining what my role would involve, and her expectations for the project I’m working on.
The next part of the morning involved learning about the different programs and processes that employees at the agency use regularly. Harvest was the first program I learnt about, which is very helpful when creating time sheets and keeping time when completing tasks.
Next, I learnt how to navigate Monday, a calendar which lists team tasks and projects, and the clearly states who is on what project. I am really keen to use this program more , as I feel like it will really help when I have more tasks to complete and need to keep track of it all.
I also learnt how to navigate through Dropbox, which is Gilligan Group’s primary source when it comes to photos, graphics, videos and documents. I never really understood the use of Dropbox till recently. It is super convenient, since saving it on Dropbox allows all employees access, and is especially useful when one person works on something, and another person needs to continue or finish the task off.
One of my big tasks for the day was working on updating the website page for the charity that I am assisting with.
My second day was quite different, with all employees in on that day. Because of the lack of desks, I ended up working in the board room for quite a while, but it was a great lesson adaptability. I got to attend my very first professional team meeting. While not a lot applied to me specifically, it was great to listen in and see how team meetings are structured.
I spent the rest of the day working on blog content for the Norkama Project, which is a charity/non-profit that sends medical supplies and educational supplies to kids in West Africa. My main role is trying to source donations and coming up with social media email campaigns ideas, and hopefully plan an event later in the internship.
I even got to do some administration work, and helped my boss find a coffee machine for the office, doing price comparisons and ringing up JB Hi-Fi and appliance stores. I have always been really intimidated by making phone calls, but this exercise has really forced me to become familiar with phone etiquette and handle my nerves. While I’m still a nervous wreck before making a call, I can definitely see myself getting better at it.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first week of my internship. While the feeling of responsibility is a bit new and unfamiliar, I do feel like I will be able to pick up so many news skills as the weeks go by!