Skills 4 Work or Skills 4 Life?

by Liane Clarke, Intern at Northern Lights PR

The final week of the Internship and as we prepare for our final presentations to Northern Rail, Hallmark, Bradford School of Management and Northern Lights, each of us is reflecting upon the internship and our experiences. From the beginning we have encountered a schedule filled with workshops and presentations and even though many of us have had to struggle to get out of bed,  (We all Love sleep!) each day brought a new challenge.

All of the workshops presented us with new contacts and skills which not only related to the world of PR but also real life. It was also interesting to listen to many of the individual stories from the workshop leaders e.g. Justin McKeown, Jane Hustwit and Saeeda Ahmed.  The skills gained from the internship however, stretched far beyond those which could be gained from the workshops. For example we had to learn how to:

• Manage time
• Manage work and family commitments
• Work as a team

All of which I am more than sure will help in the world of work. From the workshops the skills which I feel may be most valuable to an individual going into the world of work are:

• Networking
• Personal Branding

From my understanding networking can be useful in almost any area of work, yet it can also apply to real life. Often people approach networking to gain new contacts or clients yet the lines of communication between that client must stay open. This can also be applied to any relationship as you can express an interest in a person at first and then gradually forget about them. A word of advice: You should try to never forget about these people as they may often help you when you least expect it.

Secondly, Andy Green taught us about the importance of personal branding. Many of the exercises given were there to help us create a better picture of ourselves and set our own personal goals. The more specific a goal is the more likely you are to achieve it!

Overall, the internship was worthwhile even though it was short, it is often true that the best things come in small packages, and it is surprising how much you can achieve in three weeks and how many new skills can be learnt. With that said…What skill do you think is most valuable in the workplace?