BROADENING MY HORIZONS – FIRST FIVE DAYS IN THE LIFE OF A PR INTERN

IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO TEST YOURSELF AND DEVELOP NEW SKILLS

By Toby Trees

MY FIRST steps into the working world since graduating and relocating to Edinburgh and honestly, so far, I’m so glad that I made the decision to get on board with Holyrood PR.

I guess I was nervous. I’m a marketing graduate – PR was only really a mentioned area throughout my time studying.

Stepping into Holyrood PR feeling somewhat of a stranger in a strange land, I just wanted to get my head down, work, learn and make the most of this opportunity. With that, the initial feeling didn’t take long to dissipate.

Having done internships before this, I can safely say so far this is by and large the one that stands out above the rest. From the word go you are thrown into the mix, being given tasks to fully integrate you into the agency environment and get you settled in.

And what can I say about the people? I honestly don’t think I have met a more welcoming group of individuals who want to help as much as the people who work here.

For the first week, it’s somewhat customary for the interns to undertake the daily newspaper sweep to unearth relevant stories for clients. A good way to begin, as in its own subtle way it enables you to learn about the clients.

Throughout university, programs such as WordPress were occasionally brought up in discussion. During the first week of my internship I was finally able to put a face to the name – if you will.

Being required to upload various press releases and blogs for Holyrood and their clients via WordPress, it felt great to be getting the practical exposure to this software and being able to actively develop a new and important skill.

With that in mind, my primary responsibilities took shape in the form of writing press releases and blogs for clients. On my first day and throughout the course of the week I was tasked with writing several blogs for The Walled Gardens. Alongside those, I was challenged with conducting press releases for Blackwood.

Now seems appropriate to mention interviews… oh, the fear… all for nothing.

Once you dive into the deep end and get that first one over with, after that they all become so easy. As of yet I haven’t spoken to someone that wasn’t interesting, and there’s a pride in making that initial step to dig out the raw materials to build a story on.

To round off, so far I have seen the day-to-day workings of an agency, learnt a lot with the intention to learn a lot more and am really excited to see what the remaining three weeks have in store.

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