Top 10 lessons I've learned so far as an Intern

Before I came to Eisbrenner, I had an idea of what public relations was like. Now that I'm here and in the mix of things, I can already sum up some of the valuable lessons that I couldn't have learned anywhere else:

10. Unorganization is bad for business..

It sounds like a no brainer. But I'm not talking blatant unorganization. I consider myself a pretty organized girl--so much that I say without shame, I should probably have stock in Office Max. I thought I had gotten the organization thing down before I got here...But one misplaced file folder can cause an avalanche of afternoon headache. Spending time working on a project is better than searching for the project. You'd think that having your own workspace would be easy, but it's definitely an adjustment. Keep up with files, and keep plenty of folders, paperclips and post-it notes on hand. I never fear looking like the crazy lady with post it notes all over the office, because at this internship, looking crazy is permissible--sometimes downright commonplace (it really is a fun internship), but not being on top of things is detrimental to success.

9. The workplace is full of personality.

This one is easy, wherever you intern, there will be plenty of people. With people come personalities, and all kinds. It is your mission, to find out how to work best with each of them. It will not be an overnight success. Most likely, it will be a process of trail and error. Don't take things too personally. Look at workplace interaction as one big lesson.

8. Know how to play phone tag.

Remember playing Dodgeball in grade school?? It didn't matter if you were the all star or the nerd who always got hit, you had to play. For me, dodgeball was about sucking it up and getting the job done. In PR, phone tag is the name of the game. Before coming to intern here, I was used to being treated like telephone royalty: If I called someone and left a message, they would call me back at their earliest convenience. What happens if someone's earliest convenience doesn't fit into your schedule? What if they *gasp* forget about your phone call? You suck it up, and get back in the game. You call back, you try again. And hopefully this time, you don't get pounded in the face with the proverbial dodgeball.

7. Hang your hang-ups at the door.

We all have bad days. The kind of bad days that make you swear that no one else's life is as bad as yours right now. This is going to sound harsh and unsympathetic, but it really is just good business sense. Life happens, and it will go on despite your six piece "woe-is-me" symphony you left your house with . I do understand that there are some occasions in which leaving things at home is just hard to do. In those cases, you do the best that you can, and make sure to find a way to de-stress when you have time.

6. You will hate Excel.

You will hate Excel or some other Microsoft Windows program at some point in your internship. For me, the green devil, also known as excel. I love media lists, but working with them in excel is painful. You may laugh now, but wait until a project is nearing completion and you can't figure out how you made column J disappear. Excel always has the last laugh.

5. Everything you learn while interning isn't always work related.

By definition, you can assume being out of your comfort zone is uncomfortable. Interning forces you to grow, as a budding pr professional and as a young adult. I'm beginning to learn just how much I can do on my own. It's pretty exciting to watch projects from beginning to end, and know that you had a part in it. It's a pretty cool feeling.

4. Be verbal.

Whatever you do, don't stay to yourself. Being an intern can put you in a pretty intimidating position, and its ok to be intimidated. However, don't let that feeling paralyze you. The only way to feel better is to keep moving: Ask questions insight. Speak up. Soon it will feel like home.

Check in on Thursday for my top three lessons!

Hanging in the balance

This time last week, I was downtown amid Superbowl XL. I wasn't the only one-- the entire firm took a trip down to see Detroit in rare, spectacular form. Last thursday, Tom sent out an e-mail saying he thought it would be a good idea to celebrate Eisbrenner's great start to the new year and check it all out. We headed out of here mid-morning, and took the shuttle from the zoo downtown.
We had lunch at Tom's Oyster Bar on Jefferson, all 21 of us, and then made our way through new Detroit. There were the ESPN and NFL experience shows at the RenCen, football players, limos and metro cars and preperation for all of the parties not to mention exhibits.
While reading this, you might take it at face value, and that's fine. However our friday fieldtrip spoke volumes about how important it is to work hard and not forget to enjoy life. Even while at work. How cool is that?
There continues to be this back and forth on what it did or didn't do for the city of Detroit, people held their breath in anticipation of what the rest of the world has to say about the city, but the only thing I can really gauge is what it did for me. Isn't that what matters anyway?

Class is NOT over

Before beginning this internship, I thought that my days of school in the literal sense would be over--and essentially, they will. There will be no more driving down to Wayne State desperately trying to find a parking spot in time for class. No more late night studying with classmates. Long gone will be the days of imaginary clients or editing old news stories. Ok, by now, I'm sure you've got my point: school in the traditional sense will cease to be a major part of my life.

Here at Eisbrenner, I'm beginning to understand how school is never really over, it just changes form. The backdrop for my education will no longer be a classroom filled with desk and computers. It will be a public relations firm and PRSA professional development seminars. I will learn my lessons from future clients, campaigns, future failures and even more successes. The fact that Eisbrenner 'insists excellence' keeps everyone on their toes.

Speaking of Professional Development (PD) , every Thursday we have a PD here on different topics. Last week, Julie Armstrong, a copy editor from the Free Press came in to speak to the firm about the importance of copy editing as well as ways to improve public relations writing. It's really great to have someone from another industry come in and share their perspective. Often, such perspectives are opportunities for learning.

Although Thursdays are designated for those sessions, by now I'm sure you know it isn't the only time to learn. Some of my most meaningful lessons have come to me while sitting at this desk, hammering away at a task I thought I had nailed in school. It could be editing a bio or press release, expanding a media list or tracking down the right publication. Whatever the case, it's official that class is definitely NOT over.