Week 1: Personal Contribution at Pure Public Relations (London, UK)
Upon arriving in the U.K., I was definitely nervous about what to expect from a public relations company, specifically one which manages lifestyle, beauty, and interior design brands in an office of all women. Though I interned in London last summer as well for a mid-size tech company doing digital marketing tasks, nothing really could prepare me for the public relations industry — it’s something completely different than with what I was familiar.
My nerves were eased, however, when I was given a warm welcome by the entire Pure PR staff, including the co-CEOs, Cara and Kelly, who work at the head of each department’s respective collaborative work station. After receiving the grand tour, one of my superiors, Katie, quite literally put a pile of 100 lifestyle magazines, newspapers, and article printouts on my desk. This very image you’re picturing right now is exactly what the women at Pure PR deal with on a daily basis, because the public relations industry is fast-paced and, for lack of a better phrase, cut-throat. Katie then gave me one example of a write-up I was to emulate for the new media coverage & opportunities (found in each text piece in the stack).
In addition to running around a bit completing basic administrative tasks for the staff and our clients, I mainly focused on completing the assigned write-ups for the entire first week. I have to say, the experience of hustling and working diligently to present my best work for the company was humbling. As students at Jepson, we all know what it’s like to study hard and, in return, hopefully receive a good grade. However, an internship experience such as this shows you that in the real world, it’s so much more than just a “grading scale.” Rather, it’s about starting at the bottom and earning your way up the ladder through grit, optimism, and determination. We should put in 110% effort because as only a 21 year olds, this opportunity can open so many doors for us later down the line.
Though the tasks I completed my first week weren’t what most would deem the most “exciting,” I felt a sense of accomplishment on Friday knowing that I was able to provide the company with an entire week’s worth of new coverage opportunities for both the beauty and interior design sectors.
Before I respond to your post, just a reminder. You have to categorize your blog posts. I realize that this is a personal contribution reflection based on your title, but when you don’t categorize the post, it doesn’t populate in the blog. I have to go looking for it. Now to respond to your post…Sounds like an interesting first week on site. So, did you have to do a write-up for each of the 100+ items she put on your desk? Not really sure if this is what you were implying. All tasks at an organization are critical, and sometimes the less glamorous ones are the most important and/or the ones you learn the most by doing.
Dr. Soderlund,
Good to know, thank you! Yes, I did have to do a write up for each one! Took awhile, but got it all done, and I think I learned a lot about press releases in the process.