#FAILING to #WINNING

And other Office Lessons from a Knot PR Intern ...

By: MXS
December 23, 2011

Everyone is nervous on their first day of work. Having never worked a job in PR before, overcoming the transition into an office environment was not an easy task. I soon learned that I was not alone in this journey, with lovely guides to help me on my way (TVR, ABF,MER).

As time passed, I began to find my way around the office, felt more and more comfortable, and the questions which I had came up less and less.

The most difficult task for me during my first couple of weeks at Knot PR was overcoming the fear of doing things myself ; ie. taking initiative in the workplace and actioning tasks without fear of making mistakes. It took me two weeks to get used to the concept, and I still find myself shying away from new tasks because I don’t want to mess up!

In honour of messing up to stepping up, I have highlighted three maxims to live by when starting a new job. (Fret not for you must #FAIL in order to #WIN)

Sidenote: Some great advice from Al Casey, the former head of American Airlines is found in this article,
“14 Do’s & Don’ts Upon Taking a New Job.” Reading is #WINNING!

Make Mistakes

Your goal here at Knot PR: to learn as much as possible at an internship. Your mission should you choose to accept: make mistakes!

Whether it is getting to know the proper tools in Photoshop or learning how to make a to-do in Batchbook, you will make mistakes and it is important not to let these set-backs deter you from experiencing more during your time here at Knot PR. Once you mess up something by yourself, you will never do it again. Trust me when I say this, I have created the wrong times in Google Calendar, I have answered the phone incorrectly, I have even forgotten to bring up the daily papers. Eventually you will get the hang of these tasks!

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde

Be Creative

I recently received positive feedback for adding extra information to a draft report (beyond my original assignment) #WIN. Though I performed tasks carefully and thoroughly from the get-go, I shyed away from critical thinking, sticking to the directions given to me without adding my personal touch, ideas and creativity. I am not encouraging you to innovate on your first day, change standardized fonts or over – exert your ‘personal’ flair, but if you have an idea or suggestion–tell your team.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs

Whether it be finding a proper system to take out the garbage at the new office, thinking of a unique client pitch, or suggesting a better way to sort the daily newspapers–you are here to add your input and be a part of a team.

Which leads me to my final maxim, an possible case where one may have to #FAIL to #WIN–

Have No Fear

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard

Do not cower at your desk and stare at your screen blankly, with thoughts such as “Gmail labels? Tagging pictures not on Facebook? IFTTT?“

Ask questions and do not be afraid to ask them. Everyone may seem crazy busy all the time, (Welcome to PR), but it is important that you:

Ask if you don’t understand
Understand how to do something correctly the first time

This also goes to say that for simple office tasks such as using the phone, do not ask if you can use the phone if it is not being used, get it and use it! If there is no more ink in the printer, gameplan (and be sure to check for printer paper while you’re at it!), so you can go get some! If you make a mistake, figure out how you are going to fix it. People are much more inclined to help you problemsolve if you present them with an idea of how you have thought to resolve an issue first.

Here at the midway point of my internship, I am hoping you (future interns) don’t wait until too long to make the mistakes necessary to move forward here at Knot PR. Remember mistakes are OK as long as you make new ones!

Tags: intern, Knot PR, My first week