Having just finished my second year at university I knew that I needed to use my time at home wisely. Aware that the end of Uni was fast approaching, I still was no clearer on what career path to follow. Having picked a PR module for my third year I was intrigued to see what the industry was about. I decided to turn to local PR company Genesis PR to offer me the insight I was after.
The first morning of my week’s work experience, needless to say, I was filled with nerves. Having never done any PR work before, battling my way through peak hour traffic left a lot of time for stewing over thoughts. What was it going to be like? What was I going to be expected to do? What were they going to think of me? If I could tell myself then what I know now I wouldn’t needed to have worried.
I was welcomed into the office by an array of smiley faces. After being given a tour of the office and introduced to the team I was shown where I would be sat all week. I had a briefing with director of Genesis Penny and Tim, one of the account managers, where we discussed what my week would consist of and the roles I would be taking on.
The first item on my agenda was a couple of business calls. I was able to sit in and listen to the discussion about different marketing strategies that best fit the client and plans for social media posts – this gave me a real flavour of the sort of ideas that need to be taken into consideration, especially when appealing to a certain target audience.
Over the duration of my week I was given the opportunity to practice my writing skills. I was entrusted to do a first draft of some briefs that would later be sent out to clients and some press releases which would be crucial in bringing attention to important events or achievements that would help to raise the profile of a brand or business. Under the guidance of Tim, who was particularly helpful and able to give me useful pointers, I successfully drafted up a release about Genesis which was published on their website.
As well as practicing my writing skills I was also able to work on some graphics and video editing. This was a tasked I relished as I was able to apply some of the skills I had learnt while at Uni. I was able to put together a small video for a client showcasing their recent work and achievements. For the online graphic designing I was given complete freedom to work on the project and design content in a way which I felt reflected the company best.
From heading into Monday with no experience or knowledge about PR I feel I am leaving with a much bigger understanding about what goes into supporting businesses build their reputation and expand their clientele. My week at Genesis has allowed for me to explore several different areas of PR and understand what the future may hold for the industry. I have enjoyed my week here thoroughly and would encourage anyone with an interest in PR to take a similar route and get in contact for work experience opportunities.
Once again, I want to say a big thank you to Penny and the team here at Genesis PR for making my time so enjoyable.
