My first week in Dublin was amazing. I had the opportunity to play gaelic games with my program, meet people from other universities, and take the time to adjust to the city. It was nice to be there without having to start work immediately. I was bale to go to the grocery store and make sure I was planning my meals for the week as well as take the chance to go to different neighborhoods using the bus. I am becoming more confident in traveling around Dublin using the different modes of transportation.
I start my internship this Wednesday and am meeting with my supervisors in city centre. I am working the public relations industry which is really exciting and new for me. I have taken classes in public relations writing in addition to other media courses but have never had the opportunity to apply those skills in real life. I think this will be the best way to determine if a path in public relations is right for me as I am also considering going into law. Even if this internship doesn’t work for me and I find public relations isn’t the right fit, I will still gain valuable experience in working in a professional environment that I have never had before. This is my first internship and I have only really worked in restaurants before this, so I think it is important to gain the skills necessary to work in a corporate and professional environment.
It is important in public relations to have good communication skills. The first skill that I think is necessary to work in a public relations environment is having good writing skills. Public relations involves navigating press releases, pitches, and speeches. It also involves having the right language skills to create these pieces for other corporations or people. Through my public relations writing classes I have worked on mock projects like these so I think I have some good skills but can also improve them working here. In addition, I think I can improve upon my verbal skills. This involves being a clear and persuasive speaker, which is important in helping clients with interviews and meetings. Lastly I think it is important to have good verbal skills, which helps you build good client relationships.
Building off of communication, I think it is also necessary to good crisis communication skills. Often times brands and corporations find themselves in positions of conflict, and it good stay calm and help them navigate through this. In the public relations environment I will work in, I hope that I can learn these skills from my supervisors as I do not think I will be directly involved in any conflict situations.
I think it is also important to have good strategic thinking skills. In a public relations work environment, each wya of thinking is specific to the brand or company you are working with. Not each line of thinking or navigating situations is straight froward and each situation involves a different approach. I think this will help me build upon my creativity, critical thinking, problem- solving, and open- mindedness skills.
I think that in Dublin gaining success in public relations involves understanding the strong cultural ties this country has to their history. Having a god understanding of this country’s national identity and ties to religion and politics as well as global perceptions of Ireland is critical.
I think it is also important to have good soft skills working in public relations in Ireland. While the company I work for has global ties, the media and communications world is relatively small in Ireland, and having good relationships carries a lot of weight. Maintaining a good work ethic, handing in good assignments, and being timely are important to maintain these strong relationships.
Also, being knowledgable of the local issues is also important. It is known that people in the workplace in Ireland like to discuss local politics, current issues, and keep up with what is going on. So I think keeping up to date with local news is important to being taken seriously in the workplace.
Overall, i’ am excited to start my first week work in Dublin and hope to learn valuable lessons. I am looking forward to meeting my supervisors and seeing what they will be offering to me work wise. I also look forward to seeing more landmarks in in Ireland, going on adventures, finding new restaurants, and enjoying my summer. These next two months will teach me a lot and I know I will be a different person coming out of this.