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By Sarah Reaves, PR Intern at Pushing the Envelope, Inc.
I am as eccentric and high-energy as they come. I have a habit of looking overwhelmed on the outside (I talk too fast, trip over things, drop things, and even turn red when I’m nervous) but on the inside I have a great sense of what’s going on. I am so eager to please that sometimes my enthusiasm hinders rather than helps. Here are a few mistakes that we all (or at least, I) make when landing our first big internship.
The first day is, to put it simply, not easy: new wake-up time, unfamiliar route the office and the inevitable anxiety that seems to sneak up on you. Here are a few mistakes I’ve made in the past that can be easily overturned.
Mistake #1: TOO Much Coffee
Overloading on the caffeine to make up for one’s lack of sleep is overcompensating at its finest. Sleeping in is one of college student’s most priceless perks but it must be let go if you want to succeed in the internship real world. Guzzling mass amount of java only left me jittery, anxious and sweaty (August + Florida + hot coffee = sweat). Rather than coming off as a composed and focused intern I seemed frazzled and overwhelmed. When it comes to that 6am wake-up call, start with ONE cup and sip slowly. The caffeine will hit you before you know it and you will avoid looking like a hot mess.
Mistake #2: Skipping Breakfast OR Not Packing Lunch
I am as guilty as they come when it comes to skipping breakfast–the mornings are hectic! Adjusting to the early mornings is hard enough but you will be kicking yourself when you’re in the middle of a meeting and your stomach growls are the main topic of conversation.
Save yourself the discomfort and plan ahead. Pack your lunch the night before so you can grab it and go. I’ve also learned to always have a granola bar or some sort of snack in my purse for an impromptu breakfast on the drive to my internship. It seems simple but preparing my food the night before has saved me time and helped keep me focused on long days at the office.
Mistake #3: Slacking on Staying up to date – The PR world is ever-revolving
Joining PR associations like the FPRA is a great way to stay in touch with the PR world. Attending conferences, receiving newsletters, etc will keep you in the loop and the networking opportunities are endless. Put yourself out there and make your name known in the PR world. You will learn a lot by reaching out to your PR peers and colleagues. Being an intern gives you the advantage to ask questions and allows you to find your place in the PR world. Every ounce of experience is helpful and organizations like the FPRA are a great way to get started.
Brush up on the latest versions of vital writing guides like the 2011 AP Stylebook. Writing is essential in PR so when you write your first news release or feature release be sure to have the latest version of the AP Stylebook an arm reach away. PR writing rules are always changing and being added (i.e. social media section in the 2011 AP Stylebook). You don’t need to memorize the book from start to finish but at lease show some type of initiative. It will benefit you in the long run and save your co-workers time when they are editing your work.
Side note: I’ve also learned that having a thesaurus nearby (I use the FREE dictionary app on my iphone) is always a plus. You want to stand out in your news releases. Avoid cliché wording at all costs. Search for new words if you can’t come up with anything off the top of your head. Expanding one’s vocabulary is never a bad thing.
I’m looking forward to seeing this internship through and learning a lot. I hope these tips help you make your internship the best experience possible too!
Big thanks to Maritza Stella Gonzalez (new Twitter friend) for including this on her blog and for OnlineSchools.org for producing it.
Sobering isn’t it? A cool info graphic, this carries some interesting weight in terms of data. For instance, the “liking” of drugs increase. Mobile use versus actually on a computer access, etc.
Think about this information carefully and ponder this:
- Where do you fit in?
- What about your business?
- Does this mean you/your business might want to do things a little differently?
- Should you even be on Facebook?
- Are you strategically reaching the active users of Facebook – i.e. aware of when they are online, what they are looking for, etc.?
- How can you/your business use this immense online activity to connect with customers?
- How about raising the bottom line or boosting public relations?
- Facebook isn’t just for “kids”.
- This proves social media is a 2 way street – just like public relations/communications should be. A conversation.
What other questions can you come up with? How you can apply this to your social media activities?
Hello loyal followers of Pushing the Envelope!
Ashley Lawrence, the newest PTE Intern
My name is Ashley Lawrence and I will be interning as part of the PTE team throughout the spring. A junior public relations major at Florida Gulf Coast University, I am incredibly excited to get experience in the field I want to be a big part of upon graduation.
Going to class and reading about public relations is one thing, but actually getting the experience is the greatest teacher of all. During my time at Pushing the Envelope, I plan on applying what I have learned about drafting and proofing press releases, social media communication for businesses and how to work with clients in real world situations.
I have one more year to go before I am an official member of the “real world” (scary!), and I know I am getting a great boost to my future career as a PR practitioner by working alongside the Grand Poobah herself (Samantha) and Annette.
Whether it is to give me advice or discuss about how great Chicago sports teams are (go Bears and Sox!), feel free to contact me at intern(at)getpushing.com, or call (239) 221-2858.
This is a guest blog by our talented intern, Jessica Pfaff (previously mentioned in this blog). Read on and enjoy.
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When I first began as an intern at Pushing the Envelope I knew I would be doing some social media work. I understood it was an important aspect for both marketing and public relations purposes, that I should learn to utilize. In my classes I’d heard that it was the new thing to do in business, a better way to advertise, blah, blah, blah. Let me tell you – hearing about it and then actually doing it changes your opinion and outlook dramatically. Social media is not just hype or the new trend in business communication; it definitely has staying power.
As my days working with the Grand Poobah (aka Samantha) increased I was given a crash course on the importance of effective networking not only for yourself, but especially for clients through the various social media sites. Being quite familiar with Facebook already (on a personal level) I was able to see, understand and learn quickly the effectiveness of building pages for our clients. The key is fans tend to become customers (or at least that’s the goal).
Twitter however, was a completely different story. I originally thought Twitter existed mainly for people to follow celebrities’ every move. Misinformed, I know! My opinion obviously changed drastically as I began to work first hand with the social site and could truly see the many benefits it can have for businesses, small and large. Twitter allows companies to spy on what their competitors are doing, find and follow people who could eventually become potential customers, share and chat with experts and enthusiasts in their field of work, and much more. The engagement and one-to-one potential is really unlike other communication tools.
Ultimately, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites allow businesses to make connections and generally be available everywhere their consumers go. The goal here is to consistently remind potential consumers of your brand so when the time comes and they need your product or service, they call you! As I’ve heard before, “if you aren’t communicating your brand, no one else is” and that could be the difference between making a sale or not. The connections and top-of-mind awareness social media offers are invaluable.
So, if your business isn’t tweeting, posting, commenting or blogging you better get with it! Social media is forging a new era in business and consumer interaction, creating opportunities to directly communicate with possible consumers in a direct and honest approach. You better jump in before you get left behind.
There’s another “pushy” PR person in Southwest Florida…or at least a new member on the Get Pushing team!
Pushing the Envelope would like to welcome, Jessica Pfaff as our newest team member and intern. Jessica is a student at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and will be with us through the summer.
She’ll be learning about public relations and social media strategies by working with a variety of our clients and in the Southwest Florida community.
Feel free to contact her at intern@getpushing.com or just call 239.221.2858!
Dan and me with the High Tech North students and Mr. Hawk
Earlier this year, I was asked to participate in High Tech North’s graphic design advisory committee. I specifically attended the breakfast and meeting at the school, learning about the incredible things the class is doing.
Under the leadership of Mr. Kevin Hawk, these students are being prepared to enter the work force, with a knowledge and understanding of graphic design and production. I was so pleased to see these young people (mostly high school students with a sprinkling of adults) engaging in the field and preparing to enter the work force.
While at the advisory meeting, the talk of a field trip came up and we offered to have them come visit our office, and tour the neighboring printing company, Presstige Printing, who happens to be in the same building. The day came today for us to give the tour and what a treat!
High Tech North Students, Mr. Hawk, Dan, Nick and I before the tour
A group of about 15 students came for the tour. We started off with the best of breakfast snacks – Dunkin Donuts Munchkins – before moving on to see the digital machines, large presses, bindery, finally heading up stairs to see the graphic design area.
Nick discussing the digital machines' capabilities
Dan talking about the presses and what graphic designers need to know about them
One of the Presstige pressmen getting a sample, hot off the press!
Dan reviewing graphic design tips, trade insights, etc.
So many questions were asked and I could see the students were really learning a lot from seeing how their work would eventually translate into printed materials, etc.
A big kudos goes to Nick Weidenmiller and Dan Venditti for being co-hosts for the tour. They provided so much information.
Dan and Nick, my fellow tour guides
Another big thanks goes to Derek Scott, my husband, who happens to run the digital printers, for taking our group photo and then printing copies for each student and Mr. Hawk before they left!
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