I was asked to write an article for the newsletter of the PR firm where I am interning this summer, and I decided to post it on my blog as well. It's about why I chose KVBPR and what I have learned so far. Here it is:
As a public relations student at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I am constantly told the importance of gaining internship experience before I graduate. Most teachers suggest you have at least two to three internships during college in order to obtain a notable amount of experience needed to succeed as a professional. My teachers have taught many important lessons I am reminded of each day at my internship, but they insist that the lessons learned at an internship are ones that can’t be taught in the classroom and are vital to one’s understanding of the field.
As a public relations student at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I am constantly told the importance of gaining internship experience before I graduate. Most teachers suggest you have at least two to three internships during college in order to obtain a notable amount of experience needed to succeed as a professional. My teachers have taught many important lessons I am reminded of each day at my internship, but they insist that the lessons learned at an internship are ones that can’t be taught in the classroom and are vital to one’s understanding of the field.
When thinking about where I wanted to intern this summer,
I knew I wanted to intern in my hometown of Nashville, preferably in a public
relations firm. Besides the bonus of
being near friends and family, I thought Nashville’s bustling communications
industry would interest me. I love the
city and am so proud of how much it has grown.
I knew I would feel fortunate and content to be in the heart of the city
while interning.
I knew I wanted to intern at a public relations firm,
because I felt that type of setting would allow me to gain experience working
with a variety of clients and maximize my skill set. The public relations field is so vast, and I
have many interests. I thought working
in a firm would give me insight into which avenues I truly enjoyed and could
pursue upon graduation.
While researching public relations firms in Nashville, I
came across KVBPR (Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations). I thoroughly examined
the firm’s website, Facebook page and blog.
Each impressed me and gave me reasons to want to intern with them. I first browsed the firm’s clients, and ones
that particularly interested me were BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission
(Metro Arts). I was fascinated while
reading the client successes and seeing the lessons I had learned in class used
in a real world setting. It felt as if
everything clicked, and I could tell this firm had a strong backbone in basic
public relations principles, while using modern approaches. The website has a picture and brief bio about
each employee, and I enjoyed reading about their diverse backgrounds, talents
and specialties. It appeared that the
firm worked hard and played hard. The
Facebook page included pictures from staff holiday and birthday parties, which
made me believe that the office had a good rapport and enjoyed getting together
to celebrate occasions. The employees
seemed to have a good sense of humor, and I believe it’s important to allow a
little bit of laughter to help you make it through the day. I could also tell the firm supported the
Nashville community, particularly the arts in Nashville, which is something
close to my heart.
With all of those wonderful realizations floating in my
head, I immediately crafted my cover letter and tailored my resume and sent
them to the intern coordinator, Melinda.
A few weeks later, Melinda and I had a Skype interview, which lasted
about 30 minutes but felt much shorter, because it was a great
conversation. Of course, some typical
interview questions were asked, but I actually felt like I was able to connect
with Melinda on a more personal level. I
was able to talk about my interests and how those desires and KVBPR’s intern
needs could align. I loved hearing that
Melinda’s background was in nonprofit business and social media, two outlets I
am deeply interested in. Melinda called
me about a week later to offer me the internship, and I could not have been
more thrilled.
I was so nervous before the first day but felt so
welcomed from the second I stepped into the office. The office itself is very open and inviting,
and I soon found the staff was the same way.
Melinda showed me to my office and introduced me to every employee, all
of whom were friendly and expressed sentiments of welcoming me and excitement
about having me on board. Melinda showed
me some office basics, and I spent the morning trying to navigate the computer,
phone and new software programs. I was so
honored to be taken to lunch that day by one of the partners and a few other employees. It was a good time to step outside of the
office and get to know them a bit from the very beginning.
I have completed nine out of my thirteen weeks at KVBPR
and have learned so many lessons, both professionally and personally.
What
I’ve learned about work: Confidently take initiative and do the
best you can. One of my biggest concerns
coming into the internship was that I complete my tasks up to par. I’m a people pleaser, Type A, perfectionist
who just wanted to be an exemplary intern.
I was worried I didn’t have enough experience to meet the high standard
of the firm and just hoped they didn’t think I was unfit. When asked to complete an assignment I wasn’t
entirely sure about, I found I just had to do my best and be ready to receive
feedback. I was so amazed that the
feedback was praising me and giving slight suggestions about what I could
improve! All criticism has been
constructive, stretched my thinking and taught me something that works a little
better than what I was originally doing.
What
I’ve learned about myself: I enjoy diversity. I have been working on accounts for clients
in a multitude of industries, including health care, senior living and
legal. I’ve been working on different
tasks for these clients, including social media posts, press releases and media
training. It’s been refreshing to allow
my brain to switch to these different tasks.
Due to my personality, I did not know I would enjoy bouncing from
project to project, but I’ve found out it really improves my work ethic to be
able to have something different to do from time to time.
What
I’ve learned about this office: The employees here really
know what they’re doing. They work
hard. They all have different
talents. They help one another. They’re willing to be there for me with
whatever I need. They ask me to complete
certain assignments, but they also ask me what I’d like to work on and what I’d
like to learn while I’m here. They want me to succeed as much as I want to
succeed.
I feel so thankful that I have spent this summer
interning at KVBPR. I truly feel I’ve
garnered the professional skills and personal wisdom needed to confidently take
my next steps into the world. I will
always look back fondly on my time here and hope to stay in contact with the
team. Thank you, KVBPR, for all you’ve
done for me so far and will continue to do!
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