I’m just a small town girl that moved 2,500 miles from home to pursue a career in public relations. Yes, you read that right. A few months ago, I sent my resume and writing samples to Voxus, hoping it would see potential and take a chance on a recent college graduate from Alabama. Fast forward four months and here I am, writing my first blog post on what it’s like being an intern at Voxus PR. Excuse me while I do my happy dance.
During my time here, I have learned many things. These run the gamut from simple to more complex. Either way, once this internship ends, I will have an arsenal full of PR knowledge that will (hopefully) lead me into the world of PR pros. Here’s some of what I’ve learned so far.
Don’t overthink
One of the most difficult things to do is not overthink. When I received my first writing project, I was allotted a certain amount of time to complete it. But I exceeded that time… by a lot. I got so caught up in trying to be perfect that I got stuck on the details. By the end, I had a good blog post, but it was full of extraneous information. I had gone completely overboard. It was then that I realized in PR, writing is about getting from point A to point B as succinctly as possible. The lesson here is to just uncover the key facts and write on that. It’s actually quite simple.
Ask the right questions
Each Monday, I receive a list of projects to work on over the week. When I first started, I would simply write everything down, ask a few questions—like “when is it due?” or “how long should it be?”—and then get to work. I learned quickly though, asking questions is good, but asking the right questions is better.
Whether you ask the important questions or not can mean the difference between being successful or having to start over. That’s why you should ask specific questions like “how should it be formatted?”,” “where should I look?” or “what should I look for?” Do this to get started on the right foot.
Write everything down
We live in a world where technology reigns in communication. In business, we thrive on using emails and text messaging. But when it comes to reminders, I have found that physically writing things down is way more effective than a calendar note or an email. Pen and paper are your friends. Mental notes are great, but handwritten notes are reminders on steroids.
Make your own coffee
Having interned at several companies while in college, I learned that they all had one thing in common: I was the gofer. Part of my job was to keep the coffee flowing. I assumed the same would be expected at Voxus. Quite the opposite, actually.
During my time here, I’ve learned about writing, researching, analyzing, thinking outside of the box and more. The one thing I haven’t learned is how to use the coffee maker. For that, I’m thankful. Voxus has provided me with many opportunities for growth and development as a PR newbie. I’m beyond grateful that I cannot say the same for my coffee making skills.