Final Recap- Insights, Challenges & Perks.
Hello again everyone!
Welcome to my 5th and final blog post. I want to say YAAAY on making it to the end but if you’re in a position similar to mine, your placement is still ongoing and you haven’t really made headway on the final report. Nonetheless, YAY on making it this far!
To properly recap on what has been a whirlwind of an experience so far, I thought it best to break this blog up into some of the insights, challenges and perks I’ve endured 🙂
Insights
1. Briefings, briefings and more briefings… There are SO many briefings onto jobs, and then briefings I have given onto jobs, running throughout the agency.
2. An internship is only going to be what you make of it. I was told by some colleagues that Rare see’s countless interns come in, sit in the same chair and are either too shy or too lazy to get up and ask around what they can do to help others. I found I really had to jump out of my comfort zone (which was awkward, hard and generally unpleasant), to get the most out of my placement.
3. Open plan offices are…. not ideal. I think this feeling is just heightened when you’re new to the office and are unfamiliar with everyone. Countless times, someone would be walking in my direction, or looking my way, and ask something and I would respond 🙂 – only to realise it was not me they wanted. “Well can everyone just pretend that didn’t happen please and thank you”.
Challenges
1. Working on clients you’ve never heard of before and/or have no interest in. I won’t name drop, but think of businesses in the oil and gas industry, or even the property industry I find to be a little dry. Give me something I’ve heard of before like… Nike?!
2. Responding to ALL of the emails. I am someone who in my personal life- will open friends messages and not reply for days at a time, sometimes longer. It is just in my nature to ‘see, take on board what they’ve said- and not reply’. This kind of attitude does NOT work in the workplace. Whether it be an email from a client or another staff member in the office, if you don’t respond in a timely manner i.e within the hour or two– they will either double email you, CALL you, or come to your desk, and in the worst case scenario, your manager will be notified and brought in.
3. Juggling it all. I’m certain we can all relate to this challenge. From part time jobs to other units, plus all of the other usual life obligations like seeing family + friends, it’s tough. I’ve read that some of you have been completing two internships at once though, which honestly takes the cake. To those people, I applaud with almost disbelief.
Perks – Lets leave on a good note 🙂
1. Being able to use my brain. Having come from a very repetitive receptionist role, boy was I happy to be finally working somewhere where I was no longer just directing phone calls, but I was finally using my brain! The icing on the cake was that I was able to implement what we had been learning in class all of these years- onto real life situations! Yaaay- the expensive and time consuming degree feels like it’s starting to pay off.
2. Working in an adult environment. Coming from various part time jobs in retail and admin, often clashing with managers who micro-managed and so on, I was relived to finally be in a work environment with like minded people who genuinely care, listen and want to see you succeed.
3. Seeing a job go from start to finish. This is one of those sweet moments where you might spot a billboard ad or TVC or hear a radio commercial that you’ve worked on you and just think to yourself- I did that!
Just the other day I noticed this add for No Birds in the paper & had a little proud moment:
As I’ve started a permeant role from my internship at Rare, my journey is not so much coming to an end- rather it is just beginning. I am two weeks into my offical role as “Account Coordinator” now and despite still figuring out how to manage full time work + my studies, I have been loving every minute of it. This placement has taught me a lot about jumping out of my comfort zone to really work hard for what I want in life. Thank you to everyone who has tuned into my blog journey or has just read a post along the way- I wish you all the best in your careers!
Over & Out 🙂
-Tui
Goodbye Intern, Hello Account Coordinator.
Hello, Classmates!
If you read my last blog post, of even just the subject line of this one- then you’re probably aware of the great news I have had of being offered an offical role within my placement organisation. So, naturally, I thought it only fitting that I spend this blog entry going into a bit more detail into the role I am now in.
“An Account Coordinator? What on earth is that?” you may be thinking right now.
Well, (and I say this with great pride), that is my new role title!
Essentially, an Account Coordinator works within the Account Service team, assisting with admin support across the agency and to coordinate work between the creatives and the client. To steer away from the hazy, generalised phrases and to get into the exact nuts and bolts of the role, I have broken down some of the common tasks I do, into “fun jobs” and “junior jobs”.
Fun Job #1 : Client Research.
I know this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I genuinely love researching and learning about new things. This passion was one of the main reasons why I decided to take my career down the agency path, versus working “in-house”, where your focus is pigeonholed into one specific brand. Everyday I always leave with having learnt something new about a brand or industry that I may have never known otherwise. Client Research encompasses all types of desktop research required in order to best service individual clients. Essentially, anything from competitor analysis’s to client brand history- I enjoy it all!
Fun Job #2 : Visiting/Assisting with TVC Shoots.
This is one of those rare, yet truely incredible times you get to leave the office…..
If being able to walk out, get some fresh air and a change of scenery isn’t amazing in itself, you get a behind the scenes look into how TV commercials are made. As the lover of free-to air-TV kinda girl that I am, I find these little jobs a highlight of my day when they pop up.
Junior Job #1 : Creating Quotes, Invoices and Purchase Orders.
Ahh yep, and they are just as exciting as they sound…
Basically, whenever a client comes to us with work they would like done, we (sorry I should say, I), create a quote for the work involved. Then, once we’ve done the work, and have gone through the inevitable back and forth changes and amends upon the clients request until they’re happy- I will create a PO number and then an invoice which will all be sent to the client. Please stop me now from explaining this as I am about to fall asleep.
As tedious and repetitious as these jobs are, they do need to be done so they are often, unfortunately just given to the junior. Nonetheless-
Junior Job #2 : Reception Cover.
Well, the title of this one is quite self explanatory.
Essentially, whenever the receptionist is off sick or pops out for whatever reason, it is the juniors task to cover her job. To be fair, this one isn’t all that bad, it can just be time consuming having to answer phone calls and prepare rooms for client meetings and so on. These tasks just often take away time which could be spent focusing on my usual role. However, again, this is one of those tasks that just makes the most sense to be given to the junior staff.
Despite the tedious and often just annoying ‘junior jobs’, they won’t be mine forever- eventually I will progress up the ladder and will not have to be concerned with answering general incoming calls 🙂 More importantly, the upsides of this job 100% outweigh the downsides!
I’ll sign off here everyone, thanks for reading more about my new role in Rare- I hope it provided some insight into what a Account Coordinator does and how this role is still applicable in a PR agency 🙂
Speak soon,
-Tui
Being Offered a Job!
Hello Classmates!
Typing the subject line of this blog, comes to me with such joy.. yes, you read correctly… I have been offered an offical job from my internship at Rare.
The day is finally here- after 6 years of University (I dabbled in a few different areas of study prior to finding my calling), 6 years of multiple, below average part time jobs and having a completed another internship at the beginning of this year- I have MADE IT!
So, there I was heading to Rare one early Monday morning, filled with the what were the usual pre work nerves and sighs as I was getting a little bit tired from juggling all of my various commitments. I headed into the office, sat down at my desk and put on my figurative internship hat for the day. I was busy working away, when some of the girls I was sitting with, mentioned a junior position becoming vacant in the near future. YES! I thought to myself, this was the motivation I needed to start working that little bit harder.
From completing my first internship six months prior, I believe I had already acquired an understanding of how to “get noticed” as an intern. This being all of the usual tips and tricks I’m sure you guys know. So from this point onwards it was about showing those skills at a much higher level.
Not long after this, I bumped into the Managing Director in the staff kitchen. As we sat down for chat, he mentioned the soon to be vacant position and recommended I apply for it…
I thought to myself…
However, I knew if he had encouraged this, then I had no option but to apply and go full steam ahead with my fingers and toes crossed!
Which I did, through a long and intensive interview with two women (love that) from higher management, which left me feeling a little less confident than I was prior.
As another week goes by and the following Monday comes around again, I was quietly called into my supervisors office, thinking to myself “Ahhh this is it folks. Back to my part time receptionist role I go. Just rip the bandaid off quick, Simon.”
However, much to my genuine surprise- I was informed that I had been successful and they would love to offer me a permanent role! The part time, un-paid, intern role was no longer for me as all of my hard work had payed off!
Now, as I’ve slightly calmed down from all of the inevitable excitement, and you all are up to date with my internship journey- I wanted to use the last part of this blog post to share 3 quick tips on how to best utilise these opportunities.
1. Be Inquisitive– You may feel like you’re coming off as annoying, however no one expects the intern to know much, and people will notice you more as you may even trigger an idea in their head that they didn’t have before. Plus, knowledge = power.
2. Be Enthusiastic– It can be easy to think of it all as just ‘work’, however by actually showing genuine interest and enthusiasm into what your organisation has already done or is currently working on, is a great way to get noticed.
3. Offer your time- No one has actually ever had me work on something over the weekend, come in early or stay back late helping out, however by continuing to offer my time and help, across the whole agency- has had me appreciated and noticed. Agency’s in particular, thrive when everyone works as a team so it is great to display this working trait early on.
If you’d like to find out more about where I now call a second home, click here. Rare’s website is currently being updated however some samples of their/our (??!) work is still up for you to see.
That’s all for today everyone, I hope you enjoyed my little story on being offered a permanent job and can take some of my tips with you into the final weeks of your placement 🙂
Speak soon,
-Tui
Sorry, Did You Say Advertising Agency?
Hello again, fellow interns!
If you read my previous blog entry, you may have noticed I mentioned my internship has been carried out within and Advertising Agency… Yep that is correct!
“So, how does that work then?” You’re probably thinking. Before I say anything else, I should mention that my second major is Advertising- so this placement isn’t all as “off” as it might seem. So, I wanted to use this blog as an opportunity to explain how I’m going about my internship and to discuss various examples of work I’ve been undertaking 🙂
Since my first week at Rare, I’ve been interning within their Account Service department (some agency’s refer to this area as “Business Partnerships”). This department exists in almost all corporate agency’s in the PR, Media, Marketing and Advertising sectors. It is essentially responsible for coordinating and managing work on behalf of clients and to provide admin assistance throughout your own portfolio of clients, the department as a whole, and the wider agency. So, basically – you are the middle man between the creatives and the client! So, to get back to my point- gaining experience in this department is still very useful if I decide to pursue a career in PR.
During this internship, I have been taking a “PR focus” on the work wherever possible. My supervisor has been great in the sense that he is aware this is a PR internship, so he has had me working closely with the Social Media Strategist, Siobhán.
While Siobhán has the Social Media Strategist role, she is also a Content Creator and Digital Specialist for most of Rare’s clients. A typical task I have been given while working with Siobhán, is the following (this is for Rare’s client, No Birds – the car rental company) :
1.Review No Birds current Social Media Strategy – I’d love to share this type of work with you but my lips must stay sealed 🙁
2. Review No Birds Instagram & Facebook to get a feel for the brand – Click here to see their Instagram and here to see their Facebook!
3. Review the current Quarterly Plan and research any upcoming events & new ideas – Again, I’d love to share their Social plan but I’ve signed my life away to not do that 🙁
4. Find local WA/NSW businesses that align with No Birds. For example Air BnB destinations, tourism and events. Click here to view some of the desktop research I compiled for this task!
That is a standard brief I have been given multiple times for various clients. Another task which was added on when I was compiling similar desktop research for Rare’s client, Bedshed, was to create a competitor analysis of their local competitors and their current campaigns/sales promotions. This kind of data is then presented to Bedshed on a weekly basis.
This may seem like a lot of desktop research… and to be honest with you, it is. It is one of those simple yet tedious tasks which needs to be done- so giving it to the intern seems to make the most sense!
While on the subject of Social Media- I wanted to share with you all this Media Schedule I’ve been dealing with, with our client Riverstone Homes, and the media company Carat. While we don’t contribute much to Riverstone’s social media, we do assist them with a lot of their Press and Outdoor Advertising, as you can see in the image below:
Excuse the size 6 font- that is unfortunately how most Media Schedules are created?! But you get the gist- there is a lot going on… It can seem daunting at first but once you break it down into weeks and months and plan out what you’ve got to do- it is manageable 🙂
That’s all for today everyone! I hope you enjoyed a more focused insight into how I’ve been spending my time at Rare, and can see the cross over between Advertising and PR a little clearer now 🙂
-Tui
Where Has The Time Gone?!
Hey Everyone!
I am a little bit late to the game here with this being my first blog post… a combination of starting my internship a little later than expected + just struggling to find the time amongst other final semester commitments, a part time job and of course – my internship! I also decided that wasn’t enough at one point so I decided to throw moving house into the mix as well :’) Nonetheless, I am here now and have more than enough to reflect and report on from my placement thus far!
To give you all some context info, I’ve just finished by 5th week at Rare, in West Perth. If you’re familiar with Rare then you probably know they are an Advertising agency, so I’ve been carrying out my internship within their Account Service department – taking a PR focus wherever I’m able to (which has actually been surprisingly easier than I had anticipated). To make this blog post as informative and enjoyable for you at the same time, I thought it would split it into a few yay’s 🙂 and a couple ahh’s :/.
Yay #1- Securing the Internship.
Yeeesss. How good did that feel. I know we all can relate. Finally, after a month or so of sweating, stressing, nervous phone calls to big scary professional organisations and even more daunting first and second round interviews- I had made it. I had secured my position as the lowest level, unpaid employee within the business- yet I was so happy? Seems a bit odd does it not? I’ve quickly learnt that just because you’ve slogged it at University for the past 3 years in part time jobs etc, does not entitle you to anything huge come the end of your degree 🙁
Nonetheless, this being my second internship for my undergrad, I am well aware of the tremendous boost they give you towards starting your professional career. So I was pretty stoked to have secured a second!
Yay #2- Going Above & Beyond – But Only If You Want To 🙂
Going into any internship with little industry experience, the expected nerves of “am I equipped for this?” and “Is this too far out of my skill set” inevitably come to the forefront of your mind. However, by the end of my first week at Rare, I had quickly realised that not too much was actually going to be expected of me- GREAT! I thought, all of the pressure was gone, I realised I wouldn’t have to worry about knowing X, Y and Z. However, if I did know X, Y and Z- and I was confident to share my ideas and contributions with the team- this is what could take me further here. This kind of easy going, relaxed but still encouraging and supportive culture at Rare, set my nerves at ease early on and really allowed me to come out of my shell and become eager to learn and contribute.
Yay #3 – The People.
I’m a big believer that the people of almost any organisation can either make or break it. In terms of agency’s to be specific, the range of tasks that are carried out from each different department don’t vary too much from one agency to another. What makes an agency great is simply the people and furthermore the culture within the agency. Come the end of my first day at Rare, I felt so comfortable it almost felt like a second home. In hindsight now, I believe this came from all of the staff being as welcoming, supportive and inclusive of me as they were and still are. They spoke in my interviews of the great culture at Rare and how everyone truly wants to see you succeed and help you grow, and now I can confidently agree with that. I feel all warm inside just talking about it now 🙂
Ahh #1 – There’s Too Much On My Schedule.
I’m sure we can all mostly agree on this one. As I stated earlier, juggling this internship on-top of other commitments such as your usual part time or full time job- can create for a stressful few months. However, I’ve found this to be great practice for planning ahead and overall providing for an honest insight into how busy working life can and most likely will get at some point down the track for us. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming”- some of the best advice my mum has given me regarding this. Oh and also- PLAN AHEAD.
Ahh #2 – Forgo The 9-5 Idea You Had 🙁
If entering full time work for the first time is not daunting enough with thoughts like this becoming frequent “but when will I have time to go to the gym?, or clean my house? Or get my eyebrows done?!”, imaging your manager then dropping off an urgent task with a pressing client deadline for tomorrow 8am (sorry what?). Again, I’m not sure if this is just an agency specific thing or if working crazy hours occurs in house as well. What I do know is that the usual hours are 8.30 (but you’ll need to arrive at 8am to prepare for the day) to 5.30pm (but no one ever leaves then, so you probably shouldn’t either). Most people tend to leave the office from 6pm to as late as 8-9pm on some occasions (WHAT?!).
You are entitled to an hour lunch break, but I quickly noticed that no one ever really takes it… most employees have their lunch at their desk and continue to work. Yep you heard right- agency life can be full on and time demanding, especially as a junior as you are probably their cheapest rate to keep back. However! This wont be forever, eventually you’ll move up the ladder and all of the hard work will be worth it (it better be?)
That’s all for now everyone 🙂 Thanks for reading my first update into the busy world of agency life! Speak soon 🙂
-Tui