A successful start to my career – 4 Tips to be Successful in PR
Can you believe that’s it’s been 3 months since my first day as a PR Intern?? There is much to talk about from the start of my internship to where I am today. I am so proud of myself for what I have learned and because of that, I can really see myself pursuing a career in PR. Let me tell you one thing… I did not know what Public Relations was when I chose to study it. PR to me was just ‘communicating with your target audience’…I mean I wasn’t wrong but PR IS SO MUCH MORE!
Figure 1: Chau, Lenora. 2022. Profile. mp4.
Key takeaways
I think the last 2 weeks of my placement were the best because I understood what PR was and MOST IMPORTANTLY my strengths and weaknesses -LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF. That was the biggest takeaway from my placement because if you know what you are good at and what you enjoy, it will be easier to find a suitable job and for you to know how to develop your skills further.
My supervisor really valued my learning and took my opportunity there and helped guide me to what I like and suitable jobs I would enjoy. She provided my with invaluable feedback and guidance which I am so grateful for.
In the last two days, I finalised all my work for a big project I was involved in (designing career guidance posters and fliers for high school students and parents) by saving them in appropriate format for emailing and printing. The last day was all about me. My task was to improve my resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect my me and my personality. I will talk about this later on.
**Connect with me on LinkedIn- Lenora Chau.
Figure 2: PR Internship Scope. 2022. Digital Image. Author’s Photo.
Figure 3: IWD Email to staff. 2022. Digital Image. Author’s Photo.
What PR means to me now?
It’s about building a mutual understanding from the business point of view to the clients/customers/target audiences by using innovative and different strategies to effectively communicate the same message through different mediums and methods. Communications and building relationships are both internal (staff) and external (stakeholders) which require different language and strategies. PR is communication through creative writing, design, critical thinking, problem-solving, reputation and the list goes on…
Investing in yourself
I have invested in a computer for myself and my career in PR because as most of us have learned, it is highly likely that our future career will need us to WFH. My next internship starts as I’m writing this blog (back-to-back internships) where I will also be WFH. My next internship will be in wedding planning (event management) and I am so excited to learn about this industry as I have always wanted to be a part of wedding planning (one of the main reasons why I chose to major in event management). I am super excited to set up my ergonomic WFH/study desk for better productivity and it is a worthwhile investment if you see yourself pursuing a career in PR!
4 Tips to be Successful in PR
1. Self-reflection at the end of your internship
- Do a self-reflection and think about your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you think about what you are good at, what you enjoy and what skills you may need to improve on. What have you learned from your internship?
- Ask yourself what kind of place/industry do you see yourself working in/for. What do you want in a workplace? Write your own job description? Things you love doing, that make you happy. What things do you hope not to see in a job description? What do you like/dislike about working in an office? Working from home?
- I recommend completing the self-assessment: Developing Employability Student Starter Kit.
2. Look at possible graduate jobs & their requirements
- Develop extra skills (certificates) or self-learn from YouTube in intestests that are valuable to your career (photoshop, Canva, languages etc…). This will help you better prepare for jobs you are seeking and helps enhance your skills for future career.
- Look through seek and Curtin Unihub or other job sites for PR-related jobs that interest you. It should give you a clear description of the qualifications/essential skills, the type of companies and desirable skills that can make you stand out to be a potential candidate for the position.
3. Work on your resume & LinkedIn profile
- If you are a creative/ design person look at some sexy templates that will elevate your resume. Employers want to see ‘different’ and stand-out resumes. You want to reflect your personality onto your resume but be sure to keep it professional. I developed my resume on Canva with a template that represented me and my creativity.
- Career Careers provide excellent resume and cover letter examples and tips. You can download PDF booklets that guide you on how to write one depending on what field you are in (PR- business).
- Always check for grammar and spelling mistakes (especially important for PR roles).
- Always save your resume as a PDF before submitting the application (more professional and can’t be edited).
4. More internships & experiences
- Experience is very valuable because you are able use your knowledge learned from uni and apply those skills to useful and real-life tasks in the business industry. You are setting yourself for success here. I believe building up your experience in your area of interest is key to employability, success and attraction on your resume and life.
- As I mentioned above, seek and Curtin Unihub is a great place to find volunteer/ internship roles while you are studying or graduated. You can never stop learning, so start now and get ahead of other candidates in this competitive industry.
-All the best to everyone. Let’s keep in touch.
Lenora
Taking my knowledge to the next stage
WFH
It is my 7th week of placement at Incite Solutions Group. The whole office has moved to WFH (work from home) including myself. The Perks of WFH is being in my PJs and sleeping in but now that I’m not in the office, I have no access to files that are necessary for me to work (OH NO). However, I was lucky enough to go into the office and send through the internal communications files before I started my WFH. WFH comes with its downsides… I have to be extremely patient with my supervisor (Bridget) as meetings and calls are always delayed, so that means a lot of waiting around at first. Bridget is always flat out with new management tasks and critical Covid-19 communication deadlines but she always gives me guidance, feedback and new/ exciting tasks each week. I keep learning and taking my knowledge in this profession to the next stage.
Figure 1. I get it GIF by Rosanna Pansino. 11/07/2020. Digital GIF image. Reproduced from GIF.
Major tasks to complete
1. Making a poster for high school kids of veterans/ ex-veterans. I have never worked with veterans or a military-related audience before, so the use of language and community. It has been a lot of emails back and forth to get feedback and approval. It has definitely been a challenge to communicate our thoughts without being able to meet up face to face. My creativity and perspectives are constantly growing with always thinking about the ‘IF’ I considered such adjustments in the brief, how would I have presented it??
2. Planning for a RAP…like rapping? No no, a RAP is “is a strategic document with practical plans for action. It sets out how an organisation is committing to contribute to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples” (Not for Profit People 2022). There are so many things in the business industry and in the PR profession we have to consider. I didn’t even know this was needed for workplaces and the importance of it!
3. Draft up LinkedIn posts in 3hours? Today’s task was to look through the major event days the company is associated with in the next month- Diversity and Inclusion. These included close the gap day, Transgender Day of Visibility and Zero Discrimination Day. I learned so much while researching about the day, writing up the content, using links, hashtags and images that would work well together on a social media post. I really enjoy drafting content up and had to put on my thinking and creative cap on to smash them up in 3hours! Who would have thought I could complete this task on time? I was really immersed in creative writing and having a deadline to meet.
I feel very accomplished and proud of myself when I complete a task with my full potential and when I’m happy with it. I hope my career in the near future will provide me with such fulfillment at the end of the working day, so I can go home feeling happy and not stressed about work- that’s my goal, to be happy and proud of myself. We all deserve this when we work hard! There is so much more to learn. Every day I am taking my knowledge to the next stage!
Figure 2. I got this. n.d. Digital GIF image. Reproduced from GIF.
References
Not for Profit People. 2022. “Take the first step: What is a Reconciliation Action Plan and why does your NFP need one?” Not for Profit People. https://nfppeople.com.au/2020/06/take-the-first-step-what-is-a-reconciliation-action-plan-and-why-does-your-nfp-need-one/
So many things happening in the new year!
I’m officially halfway through my internship at Incite Solutions Group! Wow, it only felt like last week I that I was here expressing my wild start to this journey!
I have been lucky enough to take a few weeks off in between the first weeks of starting the job until now. My supervisor, deffinatley values family time and time to recharge because ‘we desserve it’. Yes, I’ll admit that I am in much need of some time off. I have been working 6 days a week, 2 days of placement and 4 days working at my other job, in a hospital. If that’s not enough of a hectic schedule… The recent outbreak of the Omicron strain in Perth has really sent the hospital into a chaotic scene, as we try to prepare for the worse and strict protacalls have been in place to keep everyone safe.
Figure 1. The Simpsons GIF. n.d. Reproduced from Giphy.
New year, New things
Starting off the new year with new tasks to do…but things have changed. For the past 2 weeks, I have been working with my supervisor remotely, as half of the staff have been scheduled to work from home (WFH), as we start to prepare in these uncertain times. I have still been working in the office and have morning calls with my supervisor to go through my plan for the day and further discussion into new tasks and ideas. Recently, I have been smashing out news articles for the compnaies website and blogs and posts for their LinkdIn page. However, I doubted myself looking at the list of articles I had to write up because I’m not the best at writing (well that I believed) and it will take some time for me to ‘finish’ the list along with other resarch tasks.
PR lesson I have learnt: “PR is not linear, you have to multitask to succeed, even if you aren’t asked to do so.”
My supervisor said this to me, and it has changed my work ethic now. This was because I was not working efficiently with the time and tasks I had. I have always been a person to ‘perfect’ something before moving on, but really in the real world, this can’t always happen. You have deadlines and exectations to meet. I am thankful for all the feedback I get becuase I can only learn, do better and get stronger from here!!
Figure 2. Flexing Arnold Schwarzenegger GIF, n.d. Reproduced from Giphy.
What I have learnt is that, you can not finish writing an article in your first try becuase there are so many ways one story can be told (storytelling). It’s just how you want to write it, the tone and words you use in it. In the end, I’m glad to say that I have attempted writing all of them and I await to finalise and get approval for my news items.
It turns out that I actually enjoy writing and putting my thoughts into words, what a surprise! From writing news artciles to blogs here, I have discovered a new skill that I enjoy. So, I recently started a personal food blog on Instagram which has always been on my mind! If you are like me and doubt your skills and ability to produce great content, that’s OK! Just face it and DO IT!! You will learn so much from it, like what I did from ‘forcing’ myself to write news articles. You can’t always do your best, but the best of you will come out of it once you find what you like and what you enjoy.
I think that’s somthing to celebrate? YAY
Figure 3. Celebrate Americas got Talent By NBC. n.d. Reproduced from Giphy.
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!