“A Day in the Life” of a PR placement in the age of Covid-19

A look inside my busy agenda as an intern at a fast-paced Edinburgh PR agency

By Ruth Connaughton

WHEN my month-long internship at Holyrood PR was extended, I was delighted to continue working with the team for a while longer.

I even had the opportunity to start working flexibly – part-time from home around my hours at an after-school care club as the second phase of Covid-19 took hold.

As much as I enjoyed my daily commute from Glasgow to Edinburgh while I was working in the office, the prospect of having a slightly shorter journey to my desk each morning was very exciting.

This is what a typical day looks like for me:

09:30

By this point in the day, I have already kick-started my day with a ‘Breakfast Club’ shift at my other job. After a morning of serving toast, playing gym hall games and making sure that the children in my “bubble” (Primaries 1 – 3) are being kind and having fun, I am ready to log into the Remote Desktop on my laptop and get to work.

09:45

Throughout my internship, I’ve relished the amount of responsibility the team has trusted me with. They have been welcoming and helpful from the get-go, and my day always starts by replying to a friendly email from Kelly with a round-up of the tasks I will be working on.

I have a busy day ahead, with a range of engaging tasks that promise to keep me on my toes.

10:00

I log into Google Hangouts and join a team call where everyone runs through their tasks for the day.

Working alongside an experienced team of PR experts has given me a first-hand insight into how much hard work and attention to detail goes into finding and sharing clients’ stories.

Seeing their daily task lists on Chris’ shared screen reminded me of this. They get through a huge amount of work to a very high standard, and still always make time to answer any questions I have.

Holyrood PR fosters a positive working environment, where the team always want to help each other. Everyone is encouraged to continually learn and improve, which leads to successful, satisfied clients.

10:30 – 14:30

Working on interesting projects for impressive clients is very motivating, and this keeps me busy throughout the day.

What I think sets Holyrood PR apart from other agencies is the strong journalistic approach to generating a story. One highlight for me throughout my internship has been the opportunity to interview some fascinating people and share these stories.

For example, I enjoyed chatting on the phone to a charismatic Bield resident who, along with her best friend, made the adventurous decision to move house during lockdown.

I was also captivated by a Blackwood resident who has spent sixty happy years in her home and generously shared some of her favourite memories with me.

Also, a stand-out project for me has been helping Emma and Cameron with the Paths for All Volunteer Awards 2020. Hearing about the remarkable work that the nominees have done for their communities – from decorating fairy trail paths to leading history walking tours and mapping out accessible routes for wheelchair-users in Skye – has been truly eye-opening.

This project emphasised to me how valuable Holyrood PR is in sharing meaningful stories with the public for its clients. I’m already looking forward to reading the final releases when they go to press!

Each step of the way the team have carefully supported me and helped with feedback. It’s great knowing that any of the work I’ve done has been completed to their exacting standard.

14:30

The final task on my agenda is submitting my timesheets on Dovico – a system that was completely new to me when I started my internship but now feels like second nature – and emailing Kelly with a summary of what I have been working on that day.

Looking through this (very long) email thread from the past six weeks, I am amazed by how much I have learnt in such a short time.

My internship with Holyrood PR has provided me with a vast amount of industry knowledge and valuable new skills. I am confident that my time here will prepare me well for the next steps in my career, and I am so grateful to the entire team for making this such a fantastic experience!

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