VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS
Gatsby Benchmarks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
VIRTUAL WORK EXPERIENCE
5 TIPS
for getting the most out of a virtual internship
Following a week at a PR agency , university student Angus Kincaid shares his advice for young people of all ages on gaining and benefiting from work experience .
Alongside my anthropology and archaeology degree at the University of Durham , I wanted to gain as much experience in the real world of work as possible . I ’ m going into my third year in a few weeks , so it was vital for me to complete plenty of work experience in summer 2020 , and see what potential careers are out there for me to pursue .
I ’ m interested primarily in people , and more specifically the relationships between people and their surroundings , which is why the world of PR is so interesting to me .
I live in Shropshire where Nathan Rous PR has its main office , and I ’ ve heard the name a lot over the years . They have done fantastic work with businesses here in the UK as well as overseas , and some relatives and family friends of mine also use the firm for their own PR campaigns .
I emailed the managing director , Nathan Rous , directly earlier this year and he offered me a two-week work experience placement in July , but unfortunately that fell through due to the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown . However , Nathan was true to his word and we managed to organise another date later on for when the office was back open .
But then just as my week was about to start , the prime minister encouraged all office workers to once again work from home if they could , and so my virtual work experience began .
What is PR ?
Public relations ( PR ) is the business of managing reputation , as part of an organisation ’ s marketing strategy . A career in PR involves communicating a client ’ s brand and messaging , via all forms of content and media , to develop a positive public image and influence opinion and behaviour . Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required , alongside creativity and initiative .
Connecting with colleagues
Virtual interning has definitely been different to the office-based interning I ’ ve done in the past . As an extrovert , I find it paramount to get to know at least some members of the team on a personal level in order to really connect with a group . However , with Google Hangouts and email as the main medium of exchange this week , it has been very different and required me to really put my hat into the ring in order to get heard and get the most out of this week ’ s work .
And I definitely got a lot out of it ! I ’ ve written blogs , drafted press releases , researched news for clients and even attended a board meeting for a local community farm where I was given space to float some of my ideas to the virtual room , some of which were liked and taken up .
It ’ s a really difficult time for students at the moment but work experience and internships are so important when it comes to standing out in job applications and interviews . Here are my top tips for securing a virtual internship this year :
1
Just ask .
My mother has always said
“ the squeaky wheel gets the oil ” which I have definitely found to be the case . When I found out that my initial plan to work for Nathan Rous PR had been cancelled , I was debating whether to pester them later on in the summer ; it turns out that doing so was one of the best things I did with my lockdown .
2
Get nosey .
If you are ever confused about anything , ask , ask and ask again until you know . Doing work experience without understanding how the company works is nothing more than a name on your CV .
3
Don
’ t hold back on sharing .
Getting your own ideas and opinions heard makes you individual and helps you stand out . As well as getting noticed , sharing your own ideas proves to the company which has given you its time that you understand what is going on and are trying to contribute actively .
4
Don
’ t bite off more than you can chew .
As good as it is to look keen and competent , don ’ t take on more than you can manage or make promises you cannot stick to . Keep the people who are giving you work up to date with what you are doing so they know how much you can handle .
5
Be open to being corrected .
Part of the reason for interning is that you want to get to know how a company or sector works . I spent a good proportion of one day ’ s work doing something that was not at all what I had been asked to do . When I was called out on it and told that what I ’ d done wasn ’ t right , I found that apologising and moving on straight away was the best way through it .