Having no prior PR experience with the exception of related modules in school, I was undoubtedly nervous on my first day. However, this anxiety was unfounded as I was greeted with friendly faces after a round of introduction around the cozy office.
Many of my friends dread internships because they complained that it will take up our precious summer holidays. I admit that I did bear this initial grudges too as I simply wanted to binge on YouTube videos and sleep all day after a whole year of grueling academics.
After working here for 3 months and counting, I found joy in this internship albeit waking up at 7am everyday to multiple snoozes.
Firstly, there is “real” work to do. I have interned at other companies but the job scope was limited. Most of the tasks given to me were minor and basically just to pass time during those internships. Whereas over here, there was a manageable workload given to me and it really felt that I was doing something tangible to assist the team. It goes from helping to draft a press release, to creating media lists and to reaching out to the media for media invites. Of course, this workload do comes with responsibility and stress (me having no PR experience). With that said, the team was always ready to step in and assuring me that I could sound out if I have any queries or if I could not manage.
Speaking of which, the people here in #teamprcomm are all super genuine and friendly. There is not much of a hierarchy and everyone can talk freely around here. I guess what’s good about a small team is everyone can understand each other’s working style and thus, the working environment has some sort of chill vibes to it. Not chill as in lazy vibes, but everyone here has a passion in what they do and they are really just so motivated. There’s so much to learn from everyone.
Another small perk is that the pantry is always stocked with food. As I’m writing this, my eyes are sneaking over to the green tea kit kats (my favorite flavor!) and the cookies from Jenny bakery Hong Kong.
I wouldn’t call myself an incredibly creative person but I do feel excited when my work comes to completion on Photoshop or Indesign. This sense of fulfillment was achieved when I was tasked to design a proposal for a potential client. Similar to playing sports, there would be a post-design adrenaline. Granted, there would be moments of frustrations when your design looked so different from what you have imagined or when you stare at the screen until you experience bloodshot eyes. But hey, this is part and parcel of the creative process.
There is always a lot of things to do in a typical day in the office. Time seems to fly so fast, even when I’m doing the mundane yet necessary reports at the end of the month. I would honestly say that I do enjoy my stint at the agency so far. I have gotten so much hands-on experience, in fact more than from school. Hopefully, the next few months would be equally or more enriching!