Bigger Notepads, Pistachios and Hairy Soup – My First Week as an Intern

Gilson Gray Intern Programme
By Michael Lawrence
Michael Intern -0257

IT MAY not be as overwhelming as an internship during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but there is still plenty to do at Award-winning PR agency Holyrood PR.

I arrived ridiculously early on my first day thanks to a welcomed diversion on the bus route thinking what have I gotten myself in to. During the summer I lived and breathed PR with long hours and no time off. Why was I doing this again?

As I entered the office I was greeted by office manager Linsay who was preparing for her last day of work before going on holiday.

In any other profession it would be expected that this be a day of going through the motions as the clock ticks along towards home time at 5pm. However it was clear at Holyrood PR that this was not the case. Indeed she spent the day organising everything from cuttings to time-sheets to ensure the smooth operation of the agency in her absence.

I was shown to my desk beside Vickie and Chris and instructed to read through a folder referred to as ‘the intern bible.’ It was clear from this binder I would be expected to work independently – there would be no hand-holding during the process of my internship.

I spent the rest of the day wishing I had brought a bigger notepad and uploading content to the website.

On day two, equipped with my larger notebook, I arrived off of the later bus still in plenty time for my 9am start. As I sat at my desk I wondered what I would be learning today.

Alongside my first attempt at issuing a media release to journalists in the hotel industry, I also learned from a colleague about a really great bathroom tile cleaning product that you can pick up from Poundland. It may sound dull, but it became apparent that this work experience would benefit me both in my professional career and personal life.

On my third day I continued with uploading content to the website and was given the opportunity to embark on my first writing project. I was to produce a blog post summarising the success of legal firm Gilson Gray in the press thanks to their new HR consultancy service ‘Engage.’ As my first piece of writing for Holyrood PR I was unsurprisingly nervous, however after reading through prior blogs I managed to get a flavour for the writing style before submitting my draft for review.

It’s very clear that the team here at Holyrood PR are really committed to their clients, often working long past home time to ensure they get the necessary tasks finished on schedule. Today was no exception, with the team indulging on a packet of pistachios, a clear office favourite, as I left to catch my bus home.

Thursday brought much of the same with the exception of a traumatic lunch hour in which, Account Exec , Vickie found a hair in her soup. An experience she coined ‘fear of the follicle.’ You can see why she is in PR!

The week flew and suddenly it was Friday. The end of the week for most and dress-down day in the office. There was a definite feeling of TGIF in the office with many of the teams’ to-do lists noticeably shorter – myself included – than at the beginning of the week. I learned how to compile journalist media lists using Agility and continued to generate ideas for blog pieces.

If I managed to squeeze all of this into week one, I am intrigued to see what the next three have in store for me.

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