Intern to the Goddesses

As the new PR intern for the goddesses at EOS, it is important for me to be able to conquer any assignment that they give me, whether it is pitching the Grand Opening of Moda Floors and Interiors to the AJC or writing a blog post on all of the different Tombow adhesives.  

With such a diverse client base, I find that my horizons are expanding and that I am reinventing myself from college graduate to a working professional with every assignment. Working at EOS is like working in the fast lane; it’s a very exciting drive with little room for error. As a new intern, I thought Lauren Novo’s blog post on “How to be a Successful PR Intern” was really insightful and I found that her tips reaffirmed a lot of the things I’ve learned here.  

1. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. I’ve learned that is important for me to acknowledge both my strengths and weaknesses so that I am able to grow as a professional. I often reflect on the internship job description and go through attributes to note what I have conquered and what is still a challenge.

2. Be proactive and provide value. Even though I work for goddesses, they do not have super powers and there are days where they simply do not have time to help me with my “questions.” Don’t get me wrong, I know asking questions is important for learning but I do know that there are those days where they are just flat out irritating. I am here to serve the goddesses, not to annoy them; so, it is my job to seize the opportunities that tag along with these chaotic days in the office and do what I can to help meet deadlines. I’ve learned that sending an e-mail instead of popping in their office, starting an assignment early or even organizing office files is a better way for me to use my time–whatever I can do, to make myself useful.

3. Don’t ask what you can figure out yourself. To me, this is the MOST important of all of the tips. My research and campaigns professor at UGA instilled the importance of figuring something out for myself. Going to your boss with questions that you could easily find the answers to yourself is a waste of your time and their time.  As a college graduate, I am fully capable of looking up how to pitch a feature story or how to create a media list and asking these “how to questions” is completely unnecessary. I’ve learned that it is always better to try something before admitting defeat.

4. Carry a note pad everywhere you go.  The goddesses gave me my first official note pad and it is crucial that I carry it everywhere; status meetings, client meetings and even when I’m called into my boss’s office. You never know when a great idea will pop into your mind or what kind of assignment you will have next. It’s important for me to stay on top of my assignments and my note pad has become my best friend.  

5. Set up performance evaluations. It is important for me to be proactive and ask for feedback from my boss, because it is important for me to know obstacles I need to overcome. I can’t lie a performance evaluation is almost as uncomfortable as the Spanish presentations I had to give when I was in school, but is actually more rewarding than most would think.

So, my advice to all you other PR interns out there is to keep working hard, read everything you can and check out resources like PRSA and AMA. Intern life is a great adventure; just remember to put on your seat belt when you get in the PR fast lane.