As of this Wednesday I will have been an intern here at Regan for a full month. This first month has flown by, and I feel like I am learning something new every day. Here are a few of the lessons I have learned in my first month at Regan:
PR Lesson #1: Public Relations is not a 9-5 job.
Despite the fact that I do come in at 9 and hope to leave by 5, this is not always the case. Some days there is a lot going on with a client and those eight hours are just not going to cut it. Other days, something may happen with a client after hours and you need to take care of it late at night or even on the weekends. The news doesn’t rest and neither do I!
PR Lesson #2: Learn how to prioritize.
Depending on the day, and what is going on with a client, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what projects take top priority. Every day is different, and there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to what to do first. I always ask for deadlines, and if I end up having multiple things that need to be finished at the same time, I always check to see what takes priority.
PR Lesson #3: Ask lots of questions.
In the beginning, I wouldn’t ask as many questions as I should have and would end up having to re-do some of my work. I would have saved myself time in the long run if I had asked more of my questions up front. I almost always have to ask for clarification, not because I don’t understand, but because I want to get it right the first time.
PR Lesson #4: You actually use what you learned in college.
There is no worse feeling than graduating and feeling like you spent lots of money on a degree you perhaps will never use. Luckily, there are many skills I learned in college that I have already been able to utilize in my first month here. Homework such as creating media lists and drafting photo captions have been tasks that I have been asked to complete as an intern.
PR Lesson #5: You don’t need coffee to make it through the day.
In college I gave up coffee as part of my meal program for track. Everyone always told me that I’d never be able to keep it up once I was working, but one month in and I still haven’t had a single sip of coffee. Don’t get me wrong- I do love my French vanilla iced regular, but I have yet to need one. Getting ample amounts of sleep and eating well(ish) have fueled me through my first month here at Regan.
-Christina, Intern, Team Lauren
