The Ultimate Trap: Your Comfort Zone
I write this post, sitting in my room at IGO’s 100% owned mine site, Nova. I flew out to Nova this morning with my supervisor, Jill. We are here to run workshops over two days for Nova employees, presenting information about the launch of Workplace by Facebook for IGO. Working on a mine site and public speaking are two things that I definitely wouldn’t have picked myself doing. I think I have grown a lot professionally by being open to opportunities to get out of my comfort zone throughout my internship. I would recommend to everyone starting their internship to never say ‘no’ on occasions when they are hesitant – you will be surprised at what you can accomplish!
After running one workshop at IGO’s South Perth office and one today at Nova, I now feel quite relaxed and confident about speaking to a large group at the final workshop tomorrow. I find that I speak much better when I really know what I am talking about and can anticipate questions that people may ask. It is great to see Nova employees getting excited and involved in Workplace by Facebook, as a main objective of launching the platform was to break down geographical silos.
I was given the grand tour of Nova, seeing the processing plant and underground mine. Although it was clear the industry is still male dominated, everyone made me feel very comfortable and welcomed. The location itself is beautiful – especially at sunset.
After a lot of hard work, it was great to see the brochures and banners, which I had worked on for university career fairs finally arrive. Overseeing the whole process from writing wording, collecting testimonials and editing, to choosing photos, liaising with HR and graphic designers was a valuable experience. It was a very rewarding moment to see the final product turn out so well.
I was also tasked with putting together an advertorial and half page advert mock up for a section in the Kalgoorlie Miner called ‘New year, New Career.’ This was a great chance to work out my writing skills and make journalist contacts.
Throughout January I have been working on writing and editing newsletter pieces for IGO’s January Newsletter edition. The most challenging article I wrote was an address from our CEO about quarterly and half yearly financial results. This was challenging as I am no economist, so had limited understanding of the content I was writing about – with the added pressure of limited time. Thankfully, my supervisor was really pleased with what I had produced, and only made a few slight edits before sending the piece to out CEO. It was encouraging to receive positive feedback from my supervisor.
After a busy few weeks, the end of my 12 week internship is in sight. It is great to see my work starting to materialise and generate outcomes for the business.
Handling Nerves, Creating Posters and the Art of Indirect Communication
I’d like to think I have been confident throughout my internship. I naturally get slightly anxious before a meeting, particularly if it’s with someone from the business I don’t interact with on a day to day basis. In situations where I know the nerves will creep in, I try to plan what I want to […]
Knowing Where to Start is the Hardest Part
I wasn’t completely sure what to expect going into my internship. I thought maybe I’d do coffee runs, help with editing or a bit of admin work. A whole project thrown my way just slightly exceeded my expectations. Particularly a project focused on internal communications- an aspect of PR which I hadn’t realised the gravity of.
My main project over three months at IGO is to launch Workplace by Facebook to the whole business. Over the last few weeks I’ve developed a communications plan for the launch. After a lot of research, thinking, writing and reviewing, I’ve produced a plan my supervisor is really happy with. I can safely say the hardest part was knowing what was wanted and where to even begin.
Workplace is a communication platform for internal communication, that looks just like Facebook! Teams in the company can make groups to share ideas, communicate with chat, calls or live stream and keep up with what’s going on in the company via the newsfeed. I think it will be really helpful to enhance internal communication and improve corporate culture.
I was shocked by the amount of responsibility and independence I’d been given. It took me a while have faith in my own capabilities. I’d done this before at uni, but suddenly writing a communications plan in the real world seemed like a scary task.
If I’ve learnt one thing about working independently, it that lists are a savior. Ever feeling lost about what you need to do? Or what to include in a piece of work? Write a list! A large task will seem a lot less daunting if you can break it down into small, achievable components and check them off, one by one.
A big challenge when creating my communications plan was coming up with creative strategies to communicate with on-site workers.
- They’re often not tied to a desk at work, so can be hard to reach on email.
- They all have different FIFO rotations
- They wouldn’t be engaged if messages felt like they were driven from the corporate side of the business
I decided posters in common areas would be a great way to get employees talking. I also realised I would need a helping hand from a team of people on site – to champion Workplace and spread the word. My supervisor is helping me arrange a trip to site so I can work this out! I am really excited to see the site and think this will be a great opportunity in my internship.
It’s great to know that my hard work is appreciated and will actually be used in the business!
The Simplest of Ideas is Sometimes the Best
A panel interview for my very first professional role was a daunting idea. The nerves kicked in as I waited for the elevator to reach the 5th floor. I was applying for the communication vacation program at IGO. Before my interview for the 12 week program, I had done some research. They were a growing Western Australian mining and exploration company. I had a look at IGO’s social media platforms and company website. It was clear from the content that they were big on community involvement, safety and sustainability. I followed my plan to try and champion these messages through my interview answers- even referring to some of the events I’d seen IGO involved in from their socials. I thought the interview went well. All three people I met with were very friendly and could see I was excited about the opportunity.
That afternoon I was delighted by a call from recruitment… I had been chosen for the role and would be starting the following week!
A PR role in the mining industry has always appealed to me. I expect to be challenged, working with a wide variety of stakeholder groups who often, may not agree. I think the opportunity to have a longer placement serves as a great starting point in the industry.
The first day began with a tour around the beautiful office space. The view from my desk is definitely easy on the eye.
office view
IGO isn’t a huge company, so it was possible to meet many members of staff from different departments. I think this helped to give me a wholistic view of the company from the get go. I had a chat with my supervisor, Jill, about the main projects I would be working on over the program. Firstly, I would be setting up Workplace by Facebook- a new collaboration and communication tool to enhance internal communication. I was also tasked to create communication material for the upcoming university career convention, which IGO would be a part of. Finally, I would oversee setting up a communications calendar for 2019. We set up some KPI’s that would be helpful to measure my progress.
After working through a mountain of programs on the LMS, I was able to get to work. On my second day I was lucky enough to be part of a meeting with IGO’s graphic design partner, Clarity. It was interesting to see how this relationship works. It was great to contribute to the discussion, working through an altered ending for the corporate video. We decided to cut the final scene which was no longer appropriate, shortening the video rather than reshooting an ending. A key lesson to take away from the meeting was that sometimes the simplest, cheapest ideas are the best ones!
A highlight of the week was writing a media release, focusing on a recent work experience program at IGO’s main mine site, Nova. After some great feedback from my supervisors, I contacted several journalists. The story was then published the next morning in the Esperance Express. It was really rewarding seeing earned media as a direct result of my work.
https://www.esperanceexpress.com.au/story/5808856/eye-opening-mine-trip/?cs=1520.
Throughout the next week I had the opportunity to write social media posts, laisse with HR, and even attend the IGO Christmas Party. This was a great event to meet and mingle with people in a more casual setting- remembering to remain professional.
I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Jill and everyone else at IGO and hope to absorb as much knowledge as possible over the next 11 weeks!
Kate Toher