As I neared the end of my final year at Cardiff University, I decided I really needed to start thinking about what I planned to do after I completed my degree. Having studied Media and Communications, PR had always been a field that stood out to me and sparked my interest.
As everyone knows, PR is a competitive field, and work experience is vital for success. With this, I set out to gain some experience for myself. Hoping to get a feel for the industry, I begun the daunting process of researching and applying for opportunities.
It was then that I found Petersens PR. Petersens have partnered with Cardiff University for years, providing students such as myself with award-winning work experience insights. After an initial application I was beyond thrilled to be offered an opportunity with Petersens.
My experience with them started as a one day a week insight during my final term at university. During this time, PR was totally new to me and I spent the first few weeks soaking up as much information as I could. I was given a variety of tasks, from planning social media content, researching media contacts, drafting press releases and recording client coverage.
This provided to be invaluable experience into how the world of PR works, helping to develop my skills and knowledge.
I was lucky enough to be offered to stay on with the Petersens team and continue my experience, through a 10-week full-time paid internship. My internship began the day after handing in my dissertation, and I was thrilled to be finishing university and going straight into work. It helped give me a sense of purpose and direction that many of my peers did not have going into graduate life.
During my internship, my knowledge has continued to grow, and I developed my skills extensively. Being in the office full-time meant that I now stayed in the loop when it came to taking care of clients and the day-to-day duties that this involved. This enabled me to take on a far more involved role which I have loved.
I have had a brilliant experience so far during my time at Petersens, having thoroughly enjoyed working as part of a small but friendly team and learning all about PR from an award-winning agency. For anybody thinking of undertaking an unpaid work experience opportunity, I can’t recommend it enough. Not only does it develop your skills and provide valuable industry experience but can also lead to even greater opportunities such as in my case being offered a full internship.
I am very grateful to the team at Petersen’s for giving me the opportunity and allowing me to learn so much from them, and I look forward to what the future holds.
By Emily Mitchell
