It’s not all Glitz and Glam, or is it?

Intern Programme
IMG_9841Hannah Intern_


By Hannah McConnachie

RUNNING out of QMU on my very last day of university I was overwhelmed with relief! No more dissertation nonsense, no more assignments, no more hours upon hours spent in the library. It was all over.

I am officially free, an adult, in the big world, with big dreams and aspirations. After clearly watching too much Sex in The City and Absolutely Fabulous I envisioned instantly landing my dream job, living in an Edinburgh town house with a hunky husband, two adorable children and a Border Terrier. Fabulous all expense trips to New York, London, Paris and perhaps making a few cheeky TV appearances when it tickled my fancy. Wow, what an idealistic idiot.

I admit I may have gotten slightly swept away with the glitz and glamour of TV PR superhero Edina Monsoon (Jenifer Saunders), but, the reality of being an ‘adult’ in the ‘big-world’ soon burst my bubble.

The truth is, I was a media graduate along with hundreds of others with no previous professional experience, nobody wanting to hire me and only enough beans to cover the essentials: next month’s rent, a few cheeky takeaway’s and a little Topshop splurge.

I decided my first move towards achieving Edina’s lifestyle would be to try and gain an internship that would give me the knowledge required to secure a job in the industry. After speaking to several university colleagues, they recommended Holyrood PR as being the most educational and gratifying internship experience.

After inquiring about the internship programme at Holyrood PR, and interviewing for the position, I was lucky enough to be accepted for a full month by The Award Winning PR team.

As a student (and a workaholic) in the hospitality industry you get fairly used to missing mornings and waking up at noon – but that was all about to change. On the 14th September when the clock struck 7am, I was a wide rabbit eyed bag of nerves. But after making sure I looked pristine and ready to rock the PR world I entered the Holyrood doors and instantly felt at ease. Phew!

I was nervous about asking 101 questions, worried in case the work I produced was not up to the standard of Holyrood PR and apprehensive in case I was a complete failure! However, everyone at Holyrood is really friendly, polite and helpful and thankfully made me feel comfortable rather than a burden.

From that I went on to have the best first week imaginable with Tigerlily’s re-launch event. As a bit of a foody and a cocktail connoisseur, what better way to start my fabulous internship? Maybe there was going to be a bit of glitz and glam after all?!

My first week at Holyrood PR has been overwhelming. After making best buds with the interns holy grail – the intern bible. I managed to get to grips with WordPress and Adobe Photoshop, uploading press releases and writing my first media coverage piece.

I was also lucky enough to be invited to one of Holyrood’s clients annual exhibition at Dynamic Earth. Blackwood leading national Housing and Care provider, exhibited ‘the home of the future’ for individuals with disabilities.

My first week ended on a fabulous night of glitz, glam and gin at Tigerlily. However, I want to build and adapt my writing and communication skills and three more weeks at this award winning agency will give me the practice needed to feel more confident on pursuing my dream at becoming an Edina superstar.

COULD YOU BE THE NEXT HOLYROOD PR INTERN?

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