This past June, I completed my very first internship. When I started, I was nervous. I had no prior experience, and I was worried that my limited knowledge would not be enough for success with the company. I decided that no matter what, all I had to do was show up to every meeting as the best version of myself possible and be receptive to acquiring new insights during every meeting.
It is intimidating to begin any internship – especially your first. In an industry as fast-paced as public relations, the most important thing to do is to keep a positive attitude and an open mind about everything that comes your way. It would have been easy for me to succumb to the pressure of performing well for the firm I was interning at. I could have slacked off and made excuses for myself, taking the easy way out of gaining experience. Instead, I was not afraid to ask questions and volunteer to help with projects and tasks, even if I did not know what to do. I was always willing to learn any skill I could from the account managers and other interns at the firm. Sometimes, it is more beneficial to be open to new experiences and growth than to pretend you always know what to do.
When I started the internship, I was the Copywriting Intern. By the end, I was moved into more of a leadership role, guiding other interns in navigating internal projects and honing various skills I had acquired. Simply by maintaining a positive attitude and an open mind, I gained priceless experience and knowledge of the field. I went from not knowing what I was doing to teaching others what to do by showing up to every meeting willing to learn.
Payton Daugherty is a junior studying journalism strategic communications and can be found on Twitter @paytondaug and LinkedIn here.