Consultancy/Agency
Consultancy/Agency Internship
A NOT SO TYPICAL DAY IN THE OFFICE – WORKING FROM HOME
Today, I did my internship at home…for the first time.
Due to a clash of schedules, Hunter Communications and I have come to an agreement that on Wednesdays I can WFH, ensuring there is steady and constant communication between my supervisors and I throughout the day.
Although working from home was not something that I pictured doing during an internship (given that the whole idea of an internship is to get that in person, firsthand experience), I realised today, after a day of work, that it’s not all that bad, and actually gives me some experience in other areas such as communicating via email as well as conflict communication.
I thought I would give a step-by-step rundown on what I did today, for my first WFH day at Hunter:
- I happily slept in for an extra hour and a half, given that I didn’t need to catch the train. I got ready, did all my errands, made breakfast, and got down to work about half an hour before my usual start time (What a superstar!)
2. I emailed my new supervisor Lorelei letting her know that I had “clocked on” and was ready for business.
- The first task I did was pretty simple but quite time consuming and meticulous. I had to make an influencer spreadsheet with a multitude of details about each influencer. Once I had finished this, I flicked it through to Lorelai for review and asked if there were any edits that needed to be made, or any new tasks I could begin.
- Whilst waiting for Lorelei’s reply, I continued working on some event listings which I started yesterday, for 2 clients. This consisted of me checking whether articles or webpages about the event had been posted live or not, and then updating the event listings spreadsheet if so.
- After still not having received an email back from Lorelei, I decided to email Emily, the staff member I had been working on the event listings for, letting her know that I had updated some of the listings and asking if there were any other jobs that she would like me to pick up. Surely enough there were a few. This got me excited as it felt like it was just another day in the office.
- Emily got me to do some article clippings as well as a coverage report on Canva. Having never done either of these before, I was nervous, as I knew that each time I had a question, it would take a little while to get an email reply compared to if Em and I were in the same room…So I called her mobile. This enabled me to get the answers there and then!
- After doing the tasks and sending them off to Emily for approval and edits, I continued on a blog about AI that I had started yesterday as well. After a couple of hours, I sent the draft version off to Lorelei. Soon enough, Emily replied with another task. This one got me excited.
- I was asked to write a wrap up caption for one of our client’s posts. Having already done lots of social media coordination for my paid job I was ecstatic to have been given this task. After a few back-and-forth edits with Emily, I completed the job.
- When 12PM hit I shut my laptop and walked down the street to my favourite local café to grab a bite to eat. It was great having some fresh air away from technology. After about 15 minutes, I was back home and straight to the laptop, where I was happily greeted with some replies from Lorelei.
- Lorelei gave me some feedback on the influencer spreadsheet I had created and asked me to add all of my findings into THE MASTER OF ALL SPREADHSEETS… One that Hunter already had on file. Although I asked myself, ‘why didn’t they just send me this spreadsheet to begin with?’ I soldiered on!
- I sit here writing this blog, having just sent off the completed spreadsheet which took me a whopping 5 hours to complete! I am about to log off my laptop for the day and see some uni friends!
Ultimately, some key findings from my first internship WFH session include
- Always ask lots of questions
- Email responses can take a while
- Ensure you have work to go on with, the day before so that you are not stuck twiddling your thumbs at home
- There will usually be a lot of back-and-forth edits and emails
- Sometimes PR work isn’t so glamorous after all
All in all, today was extremely productive to say the least. I feel accomplished and ready to seize the rest of the week, and equally as ready to seize the final 8 days of my internship at Hunter!
OMG, I HAVE A FASHION CLIENT… IS THIS REAL LIFE OR AN EARLY 2000’S MOVIE? – Meeting my first client
“With a personality as big as her afro, and a bold Scottish accent paired with it, you will find Kaye with a spray can in hand, hand painting and designing her pieces at her Leederville studio”.
This is one of my favourite lines from a media release written by me, that is in the works for fashion client, AKA Artwear’s upcoming collection launch.
This sentence speaks for itself. When I met owner and designer, Kaye Guthrie my head was spinning. I couldn’t believe what a diverse, multi-faceted and eclectic individual she really was and how lucky I was to experience representing a fashion client like so!
Let’s take it back to the beginning though, where I was told that I would be working on the AKA Artwear account.
I was sitting down at the desk on my second day, eager to find out what industries I would be representing and working with throughout my internship. I had heard some of the staff mentioning building and finance clients… Somehow, these didn’t really tickle my fancy, but I would have been happy with any client seeing as though this is my first experience in the PR world.
When my supervisor Katie told me that I would be putting together a media kit, media release and a Tik Tok strategy for a fashion design client, my younger Devil Wears Prada watching self, felt as though I had been sent a gift from the heavens. When I was told that I would get to meet the designer at her studio, I was even more ecstatic.
When the day had come to finally meet the client of my dreams, I had my priorities in order. Step 1 was to find the perfect outfit.
All jokes aside, I put on my purple tartan dream dress and went into the office, eager for the day ahead.
On the drive to the studio with Agency Owner, Nic and Account Manager, Katie, I was told something which I will never forget:
“Although you have already started writing you media release, you will change it when you get back to the office after meeting Kaye. You can only write about her authentically, after meeting her because her presence and aura is unmatched!”
In simpler terms, this meant that when I met with Kaye, I would become inspired to write more authentically about her and her brand, compared to writing about AKA Artwear having only read about the brand online.
On arrival to the Leederville Studio, I was greeted with a larger-than-life Kaye, arms open wide going in for the hug even though this was my first time meeting the designer. Kaye had some Amy Winehouse playing in her studio and was working away on her newest collection. I was inspired by how authentic and abstract Kaye was as a woman, and as we got to chatting, a million words ran through my mind. Words which I knew I would be able to use in the media release and media kit to beef them up… To make them more authentic, compelling, and newsworthy.
At the client meeting we got some photos and videos of Kaye and watched her spray paint Nic’s blazer – Spray painting being Kaye’s speciality. It was so wonderful to see an artist at work, doing what they love and working based off of what inspires them.
On the drive back to the office, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. This rang true also, for my arrival at the office where I began filling in the gaps of the media release and media kit – Bringing them to life – Bringing AKA Artwear to life.
The key takeaway that I have from this experience so far, is that your first impression of a client is extremely significant in PR. It gave me inspiration and an urge to write from the heart about Kaye and AKA Artwear, as I had finally been able to put a face to a name and write authentically about the true essence of the client.
None of my work has been produced, pitched, or published yet as the process is still ongoing, however I am excited for what’s ahead regarding this project.
Ultimately, I am absolutely loving my internship at Hunter Communications, and I am loving all the new experiences that have come my way – Especially my dream… To be working with a fashion client!
Hunter owner Nic, with AKA Artwear owner and designer, Kaye Guthrie – Showcasing Nic’s freshly spray painted blazer… AKA Artwear style!
ONE LOOK WONDER – The art of a media release
“Journos read your media release for about 5 seconds… If they’re not intrigued within that short time frame, into the trash your media release goes”.
These were the wise and firm words from Katie, one of my internship supervisors at ‘Hunter Communications’, when I asked her about her biggest tip on writing a media release.
Hunter Communications is a boutique PR Agency located in Subiaco, representing clients such as Coles, Tourism WA, and Bright water. I have been interning there for 9 days so far, and I am absolutely loving it!
So…back to the infamous PR ‘Media Release’…I had just been introduced to a new client who owns a WA fashion brand and was told to write a media release to pitch to journalists across a number of publications, to promote her new fashion line.
My first thought was ‘Oh my gosh, A fashion brand, this is a dream client’! Soon after thought the stress started trickling in. Although I had written 1 or 2 media releases for a previous university assignment, I did not know the dos and don’ts of a real-life media release, and what journalists truly look for.
I instantly felt nervous, that I wasn’t going to produce a media release that would be up to the standards of Hunter Communications, meaning that the journalists who I would pitch to, may not have taken me or my release seriously.
To combat the nerves, the first thing I did was get a media kit together with some bio information describing the designer, as well as some background information on the brand. Once this was put together and approved it was time for me to take the leap of faith.
I flicked through my notes from a prior PR unit at Curtin where I had to do a media release, but these did not suffice. I then googled ‘How to write a good media release’ But still, was getting no inspiration and no depth. I didn’t know where to start.
This is when I turned to Katie and asked about a good starting point and structure.
Katie referred me to the ‘Inverted Pyramid model‘ explaining to put all of the important information at the top and the lesser integral bits toward the bottom – Making it easier for journalists to make sense of the release.
Katie, having been a journalist herself, knows exactly what the media are looking for as a good story pitch, and as stated in the first line of this blog, it’s all about the first paragraph.
I learnt that if you put every detail about who, what, where and when in the opening lines, aided through an active voice and as well as an eye catching, punchy title – You may have journos hooked from the beginning.
After a number of drafts and back and forth checks by my superiors, the final version of the media release has been produced. It hasn’t been pitched to media outlets yet, so I cannot show it in this blog, however I am excited to see the outcome.
Ultimately, I am eager to continue on with my internship at Hunter and I am loving all the new experiences that have come my way.
And just like that
And just like that … my beloved international PR internship has come to a closure.
What an amazing experience. Not many people are able to say they travelled overseas during their university experience and completed an internship at a global PR firm … but i am, woo!
In what feels like the blink of an eye, four weeks has passed and I have truly loved every second of it. What a unique (and nerve-raking) experience! So, in honour of the completion of my internship, let me share some my favourite experiences and my best learnings I think will be helpful to share.
My Favourite Experiences
- Immersing myself in Malaysian culture – Travelling to Malaysia within the CNY period was amazing! It allowed me to take part in new and fun cultural experiences that are not able to be had in Australia. It was great to see the significance of the celebration period within a PR context as well as how each of our clients responded to the holiday as well.
- Meeting and working with my colleagues at GO Communications – It has been very insightful to gain experience from PR professionals that have been trained and raised in another country. Over the period of four weeks, I have been able to view their work ethic, business practices and general culture/lifestyle which has been incredibly rewarding!
My Best Learnings
- You can make connections with people only briefly, yet they will last a life-time! – Whilst I was only in KL for four weeks, the individuals I have met at GO Communications are individuals I will remember for the rest of my career! They have taught many things that I will carry forward with me in my work practices. This learning can be applied here in Perth as well. Perth is small, every person you meet is a chance to network with someone who may change your career, or your perspective!
- Always put yourself forward for opportunities! – As they say, you have to be in it, to win it. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether I actually had the courage to go overseas for four weeks and put myself ‘out there’ however, I decided I would be stupid to not just submit my application to Curtin and see what happens. My motto was “If it’s meant to be, it will be” – and so it was! Here I am reflecting on the experience (of a lifetime!!) and I am so relieved I decided to take the leap! Put yourself out there with your best foot forward, you never know where it might land!
Good luck everyone!
Exiting My Comfort Zone, Entering My Growth Era
Over the last six months, it’s safe to say that my metaphorical ‘comfort zone boundaries’ have been pushed to the limit. I applied for an international PR internship experience on the off chance I might be accepted and before I knew it, I was about to board a plane to KL! While KL is only ‘across the pond’, it seemed very daunting travelling overseas and beginning a four week long, full-time commitment when I hadn’t yet met anyone at the agency face-to-face. Fortunately for me, I considered it the trip of a lifetime!!
My time spent in Malaysia both travelling and working taught me that life in places other than cosy old Perth is VERY different. The lifestyle difference and overall culture shock of moving to a massive city made me feel as though Perth was a small country town, sitting in a remote corner of the world, lacking access to other cities, late night shopping and activities. And while I do partially agree, it has made me very grateful to call Perth, home!
An aspect of my internship that I value the most, is it has reminded me to be kind. I know that sounds crazy because we’re taught that from such a young age and I do consider myself a kind person, but it reminded me that exercising kindness can shape someone else’s experience completely! Across my four-weeks at GO Communications, each person I encountered exercised kindness towards me. They treated me with patience, understanding and shared their PR knowledge and experiences with me in a way that has taught me so so much! It finally put into place what we have been learning over the last three years and reaffirmed that I am in fact studying in the correct field!
My experience at GO Communications has taught me that no one person, situation or approach will be the same but when working together, great PR work can happen!! Along with each person that you work with across your career will come a unique lesson, perspective or experience that will shape the way you view and approach aspects of life.
If you have the opportunity, I would whole-heartedly recommend working overseas! The experience in your career area and life-experience that you gain will be something that resonates and stays with you across your studies and career. You will gain perspective that there is more out there! There are more experiences to be had, knowledge to be gained and people to be appreciated.
Not quite crisis management (but my stress levels would have suggested otherwise)
Welcome back! I’m heading towards the end of my internship now and I’m really starting to get into the swing of things. I’m smashing out Instagram captions, my Canva skills have come a long way and I just am generally more confident in myself and my own ability.
This week however, something a bit more dramatic than usual occurred.
Let me set the scene: I’m at my internship Monday and Wednesday, on Monday I was working on a newsletter for a client who have a few events coming up.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve heard of EmailOctopus but I certainly hadn’t. I’m familiar with MailChimp and most clients use that for their EDM, but not this one. So, after writing out the copy and sending it to the client for approval (that’s a key piece of information to remember for later) I had to figure out how EmailOctopus worked and get the newsletter looking nice. Luckily it was actually quite simple and once I understood the layout of the builder it was easy to put everything together.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to send out the newsletter on Monday because I was waiting on the client to send through a few images that I wanted to include. They didn’t get them to me on time (which is often the case in agency) so my boss said she would follow up with it on Tuesday. I didn’t hear anything about it on Wednesday so I assumed it had been done, I probably should have asked or followed up which is a lesson learned.
Wednesday evening after I’ve finished for the day my boss texts me asking if I had sent it out, I apologised and offered to do it the next day since I wasn’t doing anything else. So, on Thursday I finish the newsletter and ask my boss if she wants me to send a test to the client first. She said that since the client already approved the copy (remember that from earlier) it’s fine to go out. There are always a few nerves sending out an email to 2500 people but the client had approved the copy so what could go wrong?
A few minutes later I get an email forwarded to me by my boss, the client had seen the newsletter and a section I had written about an award winner, the name was wrong… How this happened I have no idea, since I used their information to write this copy and they had approved it.
(GIPHY 2023)
My stress levels skyrocket as my boss calls me as she’s in the car and it is now my responsibility to fix this as quickly as possible. I hurriedly edit the newsletter and triple check literally everything. My heart is pounding, and I maybe want to cry just a little bit. I decided the best way would be to duplicate the email and add a short section at the top apologising and explaining why we have sent another one.
Within about 10 minutes I had sent out the correction email and the client was very apologetic for not picking up on the mistake initially. My boss thanked me for responding so quickly and I spend the next 30 minutes trying to get back to a normal resting heart rate.
The lesson here is to always send the test email to the client, even if they have pre-approved the copy. I am quite proud of how I handled the situation and responded quickly. These things can happen, and the important part is how you learn to respond and fix them.
I will definitely be quadruple checking my own copy going forward and I’m hoping the rest of my internship goes a bit more smoothly.
Now, where did I put my PR Techniques notes?
Hello again! I’m a little bit further along in my internship journey now and each day I work I am presented with new tasks that I’ve never had to do before in a professional setting.
This week it was a press release, I remember thinking when I was writing press releases for PR Techniques a few years ago that I would never need to do this again. I’m not sure why I had that thought in my head because they are actually very important part of public relations, and for an agency focusing on organic growth, media coverage is incredibly important.
My task was to write a press release for a restaurant hosting a champagne dinner event in collaboration with a champagne brand. This particular client decided that giving us less than two weeks notice to start promoting this was sufficient. This meant that I had a few hours to get the press release written to get it back to my boss who could then approve it and send it to the appropriate local news outlets.
After the initial panic of feeling like I had no idea what I was doing had subsided, I thought back to PR Techniques (and had a quick look back at some of my coursework) and started to piece together a press release that prioritised the important information and followed the appropriate structure. After quite a few revisions, I nervously sent the result to my boss who was happy with it, made no changes and sent it straight on! Bit of a confidence boost that’s for sure.
I was once again tasked with creating some content in Canva, I created some Instagram stories to direct people to book the dinner. I was actually very proud of these.
I also had to create copy for some Instagram posts promoting the event (I would have also liked to have made a Facebook event, but this client doesn’t have access to their Facebook page. Working in an agency certainly presents some interesting problems!). It has been my first opportunity so far to work promotion for on an event, which is something I have some experience with from my previous internship so I felt a little bit less like a fish out of water this week.
Each week I take on more and more responsibilities and I’m learning so much in such a short period of time, I’m very excited to see where this opportunity will take me.
I Am No Graphic Designer
Hello and welcome to my internship blog! I’m a few weeks into my internship now, working two days a week and honestly, I’m glad I decided to spread it out because doing this full time would have been incredibly overwhelming.
I was incredibly lucky in my search for an internship, as my boss from my previous internship was able to connect me to Sandra, who owns her own boutique social media and PR agency. Because my old boss gave me such a good recommendation, I was onboarded after a short email exchange and no interview!
This agency only has 2 full time permanent employees and have a graphic designer and a few copywriters that work externally. This means that I get to work closely with Sandra herself and the account manager, who is responsible for managing all of the agency’s clients. While the team is small the number of clients is certainly not! There is a huge volume of work being done every day and since this agency focuses a lot on social media this means there’s a lot of content creation to be done.
My first day I was thrown right in the deep end and given a long list of tasks many of which included using *insert dramatic music here* Canva. While I think Canva is a great tool for those who are not graphic designers to create beautiful content, using it not on my list of strengths. While most of the content for clients is created by a professional graphic designer, things like Instagram stories and content for the agency’s own social media are done in-house, so this was my task.
I began by looking for some resources to refresh my memory on how to use Canva and also discover some tips and tricks to try and make my life a bit easier. Canva actually has some super helpful resources that really helped me out!
My first job was to create educational posts for LinkedIn, as the agency has mostly B2B clients and Sandra has created a name for herself as being a LinkedIn expert. She gave me a list of what she wanted, and I was off writing copy and using Canva to create engaging graphics. At first, I was really struggling and second guessing everything I was doing because I didn’t think it was perfect. At the end of the day when she asked to see what I had done she had some feedback but overall was really happy with my work.
Here are a few examples of content I created for LinkedIn:
It is the strangest feeling when you see your own work published on an organisation’s social media, knowing that you created that and now a large number of professionals and business owners are seeing and engaging with that content. Its also amazing to have this opportunity to start building my own portfolio and have work to show future potential employers.
The positive feedback on my work gave me a sense of confidence that I was lacking at the start of my internship and has made me feel much more secure in my own ability. Every task that I complete successfully makes me feel more ready to graduate and take on a professional role and helps me envision my future career more clearly.
I’m excited for what the rest of this internship has in store for me!
What my role has taught me over the past three months
Well here I am, three months of my internship done and dusted. What an incredible experience it has been!
Over the past three months, I’ve had my public relations skills challenged and tested even more than when I first started my job at Clarity before my internship. As I think back on my first few weeks at Clarity, I am appreciative of the chance to work with some genuinely extraordinary clients. This is quite literally what dreams are made of.
From article writing, recruitment campaigns, reporting, creating media lists, countless research and interviews, social media posts and managing my first very own client, I am excited for what the future holds for me in the world of PR.
My top three key takeaways
I want to share three key things I’ve taken away with everyone in the hopes that someone else may find them valuable for their internships and future jobs.
Relationship building (aka networking)
You’re all probably gagging at this word right now BUT without it, there would be no jobs in this industry.
Building strong relationships with clients, journalists, and other stakeholders is critical in public relations. During your internship, you may have the opportunity to network and connect with professionals in the industry. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn from experienced practitioners and build your professional network.
Time management is crucial
Guess what guys – you can no longer leave an assignment to the night before anymore! Why? Because in this industry you need to meet deadlines well before the deadline!
We work in a fast-paced and demanding field, and it’s important to be able to manage your time effectively. You may be juggling multiple projects and deadlines. Learning how to prioritize tasks, manage your time efficiently, and meet deadlines will help you succeed in this industry.
Get creative!
I must admit that I don’t consider myself a creative person at all. But I’ve come to learn that creativity goes beyond your imagination. Creativity includes coming up with unique story angles or crafting compelling social media content.
You will have the chance to develop your creative skills and contribute innovative ideas to your team.
Even though my internship has come to an end, I’m grateful that I get to continue working with the Clarity team as a Consultant three days a week. I would take up a full-time role in an instant, but I actually still have a whole year of uni to go! Perks of doing a double degree hey!
Before I end this blog, I wanted to mention the promise I made to myself back in 2019 when little 18-year-old Ava came out of high school not knowing what she wanted to do career-wise.
I made a promise to myself that I would go into a career that I would enjoy for the rest of my life. I had family and friends around me who hated their job and dreaded going to work every day. I wanted to challenge myself and enjoy going to work every day doing what I love most.
I have now fulfilled that promise and can confidently say that I love my job and everything that comes with it! The world is my oyster, and I can’t wait to explore the endless roles the PR industry has to offer.
I look forward to bumping into you all in the future! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too.
See you on the other side!
Ava 🙂
Radio stations are a different breed
Over the past few weeks, I’ve learnt that people who work at radio stations and car salesmen have A LOT in common. You can’t escape them 😊
My boss appointed me to do some radio research for a mining client in the lithium sector who wanted to execute a recruitment campaign. I had to research the radio stations available in Perth and regional WA, contact them and ask for their price list, broadcasting map and other necessary information.
Basically, three leading companies in Australia manage the leading radio stations and they are:
ARN manage:
- KISS
- 96FM
- 6IX
SCA manage:
- MIX 94.5
- TRIPLE M
From multiple calls, endless emails, broadcasting statistic research and price analysis, the client decided to go with 92.9 and Nova. We went with these two stations as they have pretty high listener rates and we found that these stations best suited our target demographic for recruitment in mining. We also wanted the ads to be heard on a regional scale as well and found that these stations had the best reach for that.
This is where the “fun” began. You’d think that once you lock in an 8-month recruitment campaign with a radio station and cough up the money that would be the end of it. No. These radio salespeople called me at least twice a week for one month straight. I was actually leaving work one day and had one woman try and persuade me the whole ride home why a recruitment podcast on their station would be beneficial for the client.
I’ve also had one station in particular come by the office every few weeks to drop off surprise goodies. I’ve received an Aperol-making pack, Krispy Kremes, a box of cherries, a cheese platter and two tickets to a concert. You’d think they are trying to bribe me, but the campaign is already running on their station! They’re probably just being nice and I’m over analysing it.
I’ve learned so much from this experience and can say that I’ve definitely become more confident when talking to suppliers. I also know a lot more about the radio industry than I did before.
My favourite part of this whole experience was actually creating the ad. I loved coming up with the copy, choosing a voice actor and background music, and hearing it run on air. The client is also thrilled with the recruitment results the radio ad is producing!
Take a listen to the ad below!
Chat to you all soon!
Ava 🙂
How To Adjust To Cultural Norms in 30 Days
An aspect of PR that has been drilled into our heads by various lecturers and tutors over the course of our degree is that communication is key. And boy, are they right!! Travelling overseas where the culture differs significantly from Western culture and there are more than THREE (Malay, Chinese and English + the rest) main languages spoken, one thing is for certain – communication most definitely is key! Ranging from language barriers, difference in importance of punctuality and expectations in the workplace, I have sure found myself in some fascinating situations over the last four weeks. I have even found myself sat at a table at a client function as the only person not able to speak Chinese/Malay … just plain old English – fortunately my team were kind enough to translate parts of the conversation to me.
An interesting scenario I was not expecting within the GO Communications office is the use of WhatsApp Web. Yes of course people speak to each other face-to-face in the GO Comms. office but the use of WhatsApp Web is just as common as those face-to-face conversations! Gone are the days of approaching your supervisors desk, just type the message over on WhatsApp Web without lifting a foot! After four weeks of use, dare I say I am converted and looooooove WhatsApp Web, we definitely need to use it more in Australia.
Another surprising factor of the GO Comms. office are the hours in which my colleagues stay in the office! The standard work hours at the GO Comms. office are 9am – 6pm. So, naturally I imagined leaving the office, the standard mass exodus that typically happens in workplaces across Australia right? WRONG. When the clock strikes 6pm and I have used all my energy towards prioritising and time-management to complete my tasks (to a great standard) for the day between said time frame, my colleagues leave maybe 1 – 2 hours after the fact. After finally mustering up the courage after approximately two weeks, I asked my colleagues, why is it that they leave the office soooo late? The answer? 1. They believe they will get their work done, when it is done 2. They want to miss the horrendous KL traffic 3. They love their workplace and colleagues!
Speaking of traffic, it definitely poses itself as a time-barrier here in KL. In Australia, where punctuality is expected and considered to be ‘simple manners’, here in KL traffic really gets in the way of that! When asking someone what time they would like to meet, they reply “I will get there at 8+”, “+” accounting for the extra time they are expecting traffic to impose. At client events, with invitations to KOL’s and Media listing an event start time, is it not unusual for them to be still arriving at least an hour after the listed event start time! It has been very eye-opening, since we are always told in Aus. “if you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late!”.
Time altogether here is a complete different concept it would seem. Living in the ‘big smoke’ for four weeks has definitely given me further perspective on the ‘sleepiness’ and ultra-relaxed vibe of Perth. At home, typically you wake up early, go to work and come home to relax, then go to bed between 9pm – 12am (maybe I’m being generalist here but you get the point) – here you wake up late, go to work, then go to sleep between 12am – 4am, then repeat. Here, it is super normal to be playing sport, getting dinner or just hanging out with your work colleagues until at least 11pm – way past my bedtime haha! So, if you’re planning to live and work overseas, particularly in a large city – sleep now, appreciate those uncongested Perth roads and if you can, it doesn’t hurt to try and learn some of the local language!
Terah Makasi 🙏🏼
An (International) Experience Of A Lifetime!
And in just six short hours … I’ve arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!
When applying for an international experience to complete a PR internship overseas, it all seemed like a distant dream – and now I was really living it! Fortunately, my friend Ella is along for the ride as she is completing a Marketing internship at the same company.
It is all quite daunting, we are in a new country, with a new currency, with a new culture about to begin in a new workplace BUT … we are determined to make the most of the experience! After eating (and shopping) our way across KL, we settled in and prepared to begin our internships at GO Communications on Monday.
On my first day at GO Communications, a PR agency based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but with affiliate offices across Asia – there was definitely a lot to learn! After meeting my team within the organisation and having a tour of the office, it was time to attend the intern onboarding meeting. Within the meeting, each client managed by my team was explained to me in detail, and what our current PR activities for each client were. Ranging from theme-park developers, iconic fashion and high-class alcohol brands to online global travel agencies, the scope of clients managed by GO Communications is very exciting!
Like I said before, we had travelled to a country where culture differs from the typical Western/Australian culture we are used to. We had arrived in Malaysia, one week out from Chinese New Year. Now for those of you who don’t quite grasp how significant a celebration CNY is, think Christmas – if Christmas lasted for two weeks with fireworks EVERY night, dancing lions (humans wearing lion costumes, don’t worry) in the street and using chopsticks to throw a mixture of ingredients into the air with the CEO of your intern organisation. Yep.
If you’d like proof, please click the link below!
http:www.youtube.com/shorts/4F-dZHc9iwc
As it turns out, it was an amazing time to have arrived in Malaysia! Throughout our time here (so far), we have experienced first-hand iconic cultural celebrations that are just on a completely different level to those experienced in Australia, had the opportunity to work with iconic brands (think Nobu, New Balance, Moet, GoPro and more!) as well as experience life in a big new city, which is on a completely different level to humble Perth. Wish me luck!