Finding new PR pros is never an easy job, but somehow our recruitment team continues to amaze me. We’re a demanding bunch, the quality of work and the rigorous pace we demand of our staff is often a shock to the system for those new to our offices. Still, they must keep their pick axes sharp over in HR, because we routinely find those diamonds in the rough. Recently this ability was on show with the recruitment of some marvelous summer interns. Here in the Providence office, we’ve been joined by Kate Hardcastle, on her summer hiatus from Marist College (coincidentally the alma mater of our Principal and CEO Scott Signore). Duly impressed by her work ethic and desire to learn more about a potential career in PR, we asked Kate to write a blog post about her first few weeks on the job and offer some advice to any others that might follow in her footsteps. So, in her own words, here’s Kate…
THE POWER TO QUESTION
My first day arriving as an intern in the Providence office I was nervous, apprehensive, and eager. Not only was it my first look into a potential career in PR, but it was also the first time the Providence office had had an intern. I was the guinea pig.
Within minutes of me arriving I was given various tasks on different projects. Scared that I would be a burden, I tried the best that I could to be self-sufficient and not ask questions, while at the same time effectively completing each task. I felt this was the best way to prove myself and show that I could do anything that was assigned to me.
Sooner or later I realized I was punishing myself by doing this. By not asking questions nor seeking more information on things I did not know, I was not only limiting my own learning opportunities but also slowing my workflow. A PR agency is an environment of constant deadlines, and other people were relying on my results, regardless of my level of experience.
As an intern you are not expected to walk into an office and immediately know everything. There is no harm in asking a question or two along the way; if anything, this shows interest and keenness. It is important to have the confidence to admit that you don’t know something, rather than pushing it aside and never learning it at all. Questions show an openness and willingness to learn and are essentially invaluable.
Who? What? When? Where? Why?
“The power to question is the basis of all human progress” ~ Indira Gandhi