Since I had not worked in PR or marketing before, I was a little hesitant when I first started my work experience at C8 just over 2 months ago.
My previous job involved working within the healthcare sector, so I was concerned that my lack of experience and knowledge in technology and marketing would be a hindrance. Nevertheless, the knowledge that I acquired in a short space of time motivated me and piqued my interest early on, making it easy to enjoy my time at C8. Most notably, I now understand what PR involves, its processes and purposes, which is something I couldn’t say with confidence 2 months ago. I learned what differentiates C8 as an agency and the different methods of public relations, from email pitching, to wire services, to building an online presence.
At first, I was a little reserved, but the team were incredibly warm and responsive to me, quickly making me feel very much at ease and truly part of the business.
As mentioned, I had no real experience before starting my work experience, and therefore had very little idea of what to expect each day other than what the team asked me to accomplish. What was great was a weekly planner with daily tasks and information about the clients I was working for. Not only did this help me to prioritise my time, but I discovered that the profession is very varied. With wide-ranging clientele, each with their own strategies and programme, every task was different. But the task I became most accustomed to was newsjacking. Every morning, I tracked at least five pieces of news appropriate to each client. Aside from newsjacking, I liked the diversity of writing assignments that I could work on, from creating pitches for press releases and articles or writing up podcast transcripts and drafting synopses.
At first, I found contacting journalists daunting. However, I quickly settled in and found myself enjoy selling into the media, seeing my pitches blossom into coverage. My time at C8 has been a valuable learning experience for me and has significantly increased my confidence. Working in PR has made clear to me the value of the media for any business, as well as the impact of news events and how you can respond to such events with commentary for clients. Additionally, this has been a significant eye opener for me in terms of current affairs, maintaining an interest in the news and how various technologies can have an impact on the businesses and industries around us.
The C8 team made my whole experience even more enjoyable and interesting, my opinion was just as valuable as any other member of the team and for this I am grateful. I knew I could go to any of them if I ever felt overwhelmed or unsure of what to do. Overall, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such remarkable people. The importance of collaboration and communication in C8’s culture allowed me to develop my team values. As there are many administration and public relations (PR) job roles within the National Health Service (NHS), which is what I would ideally like pursue, I believe that C8 has provided me with new skills that I can now apply to the healthcare sector. Additionally, the insight and knowledge I have gained while working at C8 will greatly aid me in following my desired career path.
Thank you to everyone at C8 for making my summer work experience so enjoyable.