#Blog 4: “Life Is Full Of Chapters, When One Ends, Another One Begins.”
Entering the final week of my internship at Agregory PR, I took a trip down memory lane and remembered my first meeting with my supervisor. I recall being a nervous wreck when I was assigned a task that I was unfamiliar with, such as creating a monthly content calendar (I had done it before, but it was just for making a few postings in a week, this task was creating 62 contents for the month). I remembered how frightened I was and how I worried about whether I would survive the next ten weeks. (I am glad that I did it!)
Despite working from home, it has been a fantastic adventure in which I have learned so much. I believed I could write a whole book about things I accomplished during my internship if I could list everything I achieved. As promised in my previous blog post, I will share some interesting and exciting tasks that I had worked on.
1. Create Holiday Contents for Clients
When I went through my list of weekly tasks, I was surprised when my supervisor assigned me to work on something different than usual – creating content graphics regarding Bird’s Nest, health-related, skin-care related, etc. This time, I was assigned to generate the Holiday content calendar for our clients, Moon-Aera, Beauti Nest, as well as for AgregoryPR.
These are some Holiday graphics that I have created:
What I have learned from this task:
I have learned that, even though it was holiday graphics, we should have checked into the client’s social networking site before deciding on a colour for their graphics. For instance, the social media posts for Moon Ae-ra use a beige colour theme, and thus it is best to avoid using bright colours while designing graphics for Moon Ae-ra. This is because they’re utilizing neutral colours instead of vibrant ones, which might make it stand against others. The feed will look neater and more ordered if it has a common theme. Furthermore, visitors might have a better perception of a brand when they view a more structured feed.
2. Write articles for AgregoryPR
I have written several articles for AgregoryPR, including “The Importance of Logo”, “Importance of Resume” and “The Crisis Communication that recently happened in Malaysia”. I remembered that my supervisor told me that the purpose of writing the articles was to share information with the public regarding the importance of the logo and resume as well as draw their attention to get them to download these resources.
What I have learned from this task:
After writing the article, I realized that my current Resume needs to be amended to a more Public Relations-oriented Resume. On top of that, I could not deny that I did learn something new while writing the articles.
For the 1st article, regarding the importance of Logo, I have written ‘A Right Logo Communicates Everything Without Saying A Word.’ I realized that logo makes the first impression, as the logo is typically the first thing people will notice from one brand. People could judge a brand by the logo, similar to how a book is judged by its cover. Thus, a logo typically creates the first impression, regardless of how fantastic your product or service is.
For the second article regarding the resume, ‘A Good Resume Opens Doors For You.’ I discovered that your CV speaks for you and creates a fleeting but memorable first impression. Together, I studied what makes a good resume. As your resume represents you, it determines whether you will be called for an interview or not! To be concise, a resume is vital as it is something that people use to ‘sell themselves and to grab a chance of getting an interview.
For the third article, ‘‘Good Crisis Communication: Prevent Panic and Build Trust!’ I realized that crisis communication is to stop the bad from growing worse! Thus, it is essential to handle crisis communication well, as it stands as an initiative that protects the organization’s reputation and maintains the public image. By saying so, when a crisis happens, a company or organization must have a plan that helps them to provide a calm, reassuring response to prevent things from getting worse!
Together, looking back on all of my previous blogs, I would want to take this occasion to share some thoughts and lessons that I hope will help you and myself to be more prepared for the future:
I. Get the energy restored
In a dynamic and hectic industry like public relations and marketing, our physical and mental well-being are becoming increasingly vital and necessitate further attention. It is critical to take a break every day and do whatever it takes to relieve stress and anxiety. Since my job requires me to always brainstorm ideas to incorporate into the content schedule, whenever I start feeling stressed out, I stop whatever I’m doing and go outside for five minutes to catch my breath. Also, because my working hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., I exercise every evening at 4.30 p.m., it takes around 45 minutes to an hour. It is essential for me as it allows me to reboot my mind and enables me to perform my task better.
II. Never Stop Learning
“Continuous Learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field”- Brian Tracy.
Life quotes from Brian Tracy that I couldn’t agree more!
Never stop learning since life is the best teacher and offers us fresh possibilities to learn every day. When we say that we need to study new things, we don’t just mean knowledge of our profession, such as PR, marketing, and accounting, but also knowledge in daily life, such as technology skills, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, etc. Being a Public Relations professional or a regular person, acquiring fundamental knowledge will undoubtedly prove to be one of the most beneficial things we can do for our future. It is because that will boost our confidence and help us immensely during those important life events like exams and interviews.
III. Always stay POSITIVE
Undoubtedly, throughout our lives, we have dealt with several unfavorable situations. However, in the commercial world, especially in public relations, there is no time to be “negative.” There is no one will get into a contract with a negative personality, and no one will have faith in a person who embraces and treats negativity as a habit and would perform well in their work.
Treat the negativity like you would treat those negative individuals. Recognize their presence and take the necessary steps to eliminate them from your life. “When you let go of all the negative things/people in your life, positive ones come.” To summarise, life is an ever-changing process. Learn how to deal with it. Accept the ups and downs of life, and you will have a good life.
To sum up, even if I am not getting a chance to experience working in an office, the skills and knowledge I gained from the internship will help me to become a successful PR professional. All-in-all, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have interned at AgregoryPR because it has expanded my understanding and passion for the public relations field, which would not have been possible without this Reflective Practice unit. Before I left, I had the last meeting with my supervisor, and I asked her if she was satisfied with my overall performance for the past ten weeks. She replied, ‘Yes, we appreciate your hard work for AgregoryPR!’ (I am so glad she said that!)
Before I joined AgregoryPR, I had only limited skills, but I can now proudly say that I have learned so much within these ten weeks! I want to thank Dr. Bridget, my unit coordinator, Dr. Adamu, my lecturer, and my supervisor, who provided me with this once-in-a-lifetime chance. (I appreciated it!) It has undoubtedly been one of the most memorable moments of my academic career.
So, that would be all from me. I appreciate every one of you reading my blogs. I sincerely hope our paths will cross again in the future, but now for this moment, I would like to say GOODBYE!
So, what’s next for me?
— Julia (Miri)
#Blog 3: ‘The Joy of Working with My Client: Beauti Nest, a Bird Nest’s Company ’
Greetings everyone! I’m now back with another blog post! After a fulfilling weekend, I am ready to take on another week of my internship. As usual, my task list is updated every week; thus, the first thing I have to do on Mondays is to check the task list. I always created a new To-Do-List to keep track of and manage my tasks for the week.
If you are reading my blog for the first time, I would like to mention that my job is to develop a content calendar for my client, Beauti Nest, a bird’s nest client based in Malaysia. As I said in my previous blog, I received a list of breakdowns that outlined the particular content that I need to include in the 62 graphics. The contents have been divided into four categories: skin-related content, Beauti Nest Brand content, bird’s nest health content, then health-related content. The most interesting part is that 42 out of 62 contents will be in Malay. (Yes, they have to be Malay!) I was apprehensive when my supervisor told me that more than half of the content would be in Malay, with the remainder in English. Despite the fact that I was born and raised in Malaysia, still, the Malay language was one of my weak points. (I could only speak simple Malay). I felt so stressed that I told my supervisor that I might not handle this task well, nevertheless, I soon realized that my supervisor could do it, despite never studied Malay before (She is not Malaysian, she is in America). I, therefore, believed that if she could accomplish it, so could I! (Challenge accept!)
So, these are the things I worked on for this task:
1. Conduct research for content ideas. (Beauti Nest, bird’s nest, skin & health)
Before undertaking research, I have to look through my client’s social media site to avoid duplication of content. I always start researching topics relating to skin and health because I am much more familiar with these topics than the bird’s nests topic. I will seek keywords; for example, if it is skin care related, I will search for “Skincare Tips” and “Skin Care Routine.” The information displayed will revolve around the skin-related topic.
While doing for bird’s nest contents, I searched for the keyword as well. For instance, ‘Interesting facts about bird’s nest’ or ‘Bird’s nest benefits’. ( I could always find lots of fascinating ideas to adopt.)
(Translate the left side English contents to the Malay Language on the right side)
After I have collected all 62 ideas, I have to split them as some will need to translate into Malay. Also, as Instagram is the primary social media tool, I must decide which content will be made into stories and which into posts.
Besides, I must admit that I really learned a lot of diverse knowledge or information from each specific content. For instance, I discovered that bird’s nests benefit people in different age ranges, including women, kids, women, and men. Together, I learned that bird’s nest is unsuitable for those who have a protein intolerance. What fascinates me the most is that bird’s nest can not only consume it in a normal way, but it can also eat it with fruits and yogurt! (Double the Happiness!)
After conducting the research and sorting the contents, I gathered my ideas and presented them to my supervisor for approval before moving on to the next phase.
2. Insert the contents into the content calendar
This is the easiest step, as ideas got approved and I just need to type them into the content calendar.
When the calendar is filled with my ideas from an empty one, I feel very satisfied!
(Content Calendar)
3. Design graphics via Canva
Design progress has always taken more time because I had to start from scratch and work my way up. I have created the content calendars for July and August for my client in June. Life, however, is not always easy. (they said, “Obstacles in life make your life more interesting!”). The client requested a “pop colours theme” for the graphics for the July parts. Without receiving any updates, so, I designed the August graphics with ‘Pop colours.’ Here comes the bad news, the client requested that those graphics from August onwards need to be in a ‘blue theme,’ which means I have to redo the design. (My heart was crying)
Additionally, I discovered that the text for Instagram story graphics should be brief yet precise rather than complicated. This is due to the 15-second running time of each story.
(Some graphics example)
4. Set captions for each post
Finally, here comes the last step! I assumed you might be wondering if the captions should be in English or Malay (I will give you 3 seconds to take a guess, 3,2,1) So, the captions have to be in Malay. (Did you guess it right?) Writing caption is vital, as it speaks for the graphic. Also, writing captions is not hard for me, as while I conduct research, I have noted down information that I could include in the captions. What comes after captions? ‘Hashtags! ‘ Hashtags is essential, as a study showed that having hashtags in the caption resulted in 18% better content performance metrics.
After completing all the steps, I have to send those graphics to my supervisor, and if she gives it a ‘green light’, which means I have finally completed this task! (Hooray!)
The most gratifying and happiest moment is when I saw my works posted on my client’s social media sites.
In my upcoming blog post, I will be sharing more about the original content and projects I worked on in the final few weeks of my internship. Stay tuned for the next entry if you’re keen to know more. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.
See you soon!
– – Julia (Miri)
#Blog 2: As a PR Intern: Keep the vision in mind, and trust the process
“I am pleased to confirm your acceptance of an internship as a Public Relations Officer with Agregory PR. We are pleased you have decided to join us!”
I can still clearly remember the burst of excitement when I received the news that I was officially accepted to intern at Agregory PR. I was like, “Woohoo, here comes the time for me to show off the Public Relations skillset that I learned during my university life!”
Also, I have yet to mention that during this ten-week internship with Agregory PR, I have been assigned to work remotely from home. At first, I felt a little sad that I could not wear my new working outfits to work, yet I felt glad that I had a chance to work with a supervisor from a different country, America. That means I could improve my English, as some of my seniors told me that they speak only the Chinese language during the internship, which Chinese is my mother language. I could experience something different as well since the cultures are different from Malaysia.
(My work from home ‘office’)
On the 7th of July 2022, a Tuesday morning, I have my first meeting with my direct supervisor through Google Meet, who was gracious enough to guide me over the work schedule and requirements from A to Z. (I appreciate that!)
Though I can’t get the experience of working on-site, I indeed did not have to worry about running out of things to do. To start, my tasks revolved around content planning and designing graphics for our client, Beauti Nest, a bird’s nest brand based in Malaysia.
I have to create the June content calendar for my client, which includes 62 different content for my client’s social media, primarily on their Instagram. I obtained a list of content breakdowns, and I need to follow it while creating content. As it was my first task, my supervisor separated the 62 contents into several pieces for me to finish in two weeks’ time.
After spending the first two weeks getting familiar with my tasks and responsibilities, I thought everything would be a breeze as the past two weeks. However, by the third week, I was given a new task, I had to create the content calendar for July within five working days. I realized that I couldn’t take this task leisurely this time.
Over the weeks, I came to understand that:
The Public Relations industry is HECTIC.
I have given a week to complete the July content schedule in the third week, which meant I had to do each step swiftly! To make things simpler for myself, I make a To-Do list. First off, since my client is a Bird’s Nest company and I don’t know much about Bird’s Nest, I need to do some online research for content ideas. I have to conduct research and make notes. Second, after creating the 62 contents, I must send them to my supervisor for approval. (Every time, I hope that the ideas will be given a green light, for me to proceed.) The third step is to design the graphics using Canva after the content ideas have been accepted.
My design skills are needed to IMPROVE.
The graphics design progress has always taken up most of my time. I’ve always thought of myself as a creative person, but as I worked on the graphics, I realized how little creativity I have. In the past, I used to design several at once, but this time, it was 62. I didn’t spend much time working out Canva because I’m already pretty comfortable with it. Without Photoshop skills, I genuinely think, Canva is great, I can do wonders! Even though I have experience in graphic design, several of my graphics still require revision. I found that ‘alignment’ is essential for making the graphics look nicer and neater. As those graphics with good alignment are significantly easier to grasp.
Being PATIENCE is the Key
Ever heard of the quote, ‘Great Things Comes Out Of Patience.’ There were times I revised my work to ensure it fits the client’s requirements. Due to several times things getting rejected, I began to wonder if I was the right person for the position. Thanks to my family and friends’ words of support, I have adopted a positive outlook and remembered why I initially decided to pursue Public Relations as my major. I soon gained the confidence I needed and started working better after deciding to be patient with myself. For you who are reading this, I want to share some words of advice. It is okay to take small pauses in between if you feel tired. You would handle your task better if your mind is relaxed and balanced. (It works for me, my ideas always obtain a green light now).
These three primary aspects are what I have learned in the first few weeks of my internship. I’m thankful that you took the time to read this. I genuinely hope you find it insightful. Please feel free to tell me about your internship experience; comment down below! I would love to hear all your thoughts.
That’s all I would like to say now. Lastly, remember to keep an eye out for my next blog entry!
Thanks for the time reading this! 🙂
#Blog 1: ‘SEEKING FOR A PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP: A BUMPY JOURNEY!’
Hello! I am Julia, from Curtin, Miri; nice to meet you all! My first blog post for Reflective Practice is here.
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate individuals who are now reading this piece on your successful application for a public relations internship. ‘Congratulations!’ I understand how challenging it has been for you to hunt for an internship despite the pandemic issue. As final-year Curtin University students, we must seek a public relations internship that will just broaden our business exposure but strengthen our public relations skills to prepare us for our future careers. However, the truth is that Miri, a town where I was born and raised, has a relatively limited number of Public Relations firms.
During my years of studies, I always think that I want to work either in a large firm; or an international firm in the future. Thus, when it’s my turn to seek an internship role, my initial thought when searching for my internship firm was, “I am going to go for a large Public Relations firm with a huge headquarters in Malaysia,” and guess what? The reality hits me strong, it took me roughly two months to find companies that offered an internship for a public relations role. After doing some preliminary background research for the companies, I went on the websites of the two firms since they caught my eye. I noticed that their job description perfectly satisfies my Public Relations requirements.
Without thinking twice, I decided to send my CV and introduction letter to the HR email in the hopes that they would reply as soon as possibly feasible (I was too nervous, I think I have checked my inbox at least three to four times every day). However, after a week, I still hadn’t received a reply and I assumed that I have been rejected. (I could not sleep well, as the emails that I have sent have not gotten any response )
Well, frankly speaking, I always think that “cross that bridge when you come to it,” I believe that being turned down by a company is the basic process of seeking employment. Thus, I have faith that at least one company would be willing to employ me as their Public Relations intern.
‘After the rain, comes the rainbow.’
Thanks to my positive belief, on the ninth day, I got responses from both companies. I remembered I received the emails when I was having breakfast with my family, and my smile immediately appear on my face! I shared the good news with them, and they were happy for me!
The companies that I had sent my resume to were IPrima Media and Agregory PR. The following week, I had both interviews. Both companies had me undergo a digital interview, and both interviews went well. Guess what? The two companies accepted me to be their PR intern during the interview, these were a tremendous step forward for me. Sometimes having choices are good, but this time, I struggled to choose which company to go to for my internship. Following the discussions with the professor, Dr. Adamu, and some of the seniors, we agreed that the work that Agregory PR offered is more suitable for a PR job. Then, I politely rejected the iPrima Media employment offer. But, (there is always a ‘BUT’ though), I did not receive the offered letter from Agregory PR; two days after the interview. I guess I just can patiently wait since I turned down the offer from iPrima Media. As always, I had a positive feeling that I would get the job since I think my interview was excellent to impress them.
After two days, the offer letter still hasn’t arrived for me, so I email the company. “You have received a Telegram message from Miss xxx.” It arrives an hour following the email. YES! AgregoryPR is willing to offer me an opportunity to work as their Public Relations intern, and it will be for ten weeks. (I can finally sleep in peace now!).
So, I suppose it is time for me to start preparing myself for my ten-weeks internship with AgregoryPR. That’s all I have to say, and good luck to anyone who reads this post. I’m hoping we have a fantastic internship trip!
Do stay tuned for my next blog entry! How was your journey to seek your internship? Comment down below, and let me know! I would love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading 🙂
– Julia Chua (Miri) –