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How do you know when you're doing well at work?
I just finished an internship at a PR firm over winter break and while the work was a great learning experience, I worry how well my work met professional standards. Should I ask for more feedback next time or is there other ways to improve? #PR #Feedback
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Glenn’s Answer
When it comes to performance reviews, it is important that managers set clear expectations in the first few days of hiring. These expectations should set the tone of your work performance. If you suspect that your performance isn't being reviewed adequately, request a review. You should start documenting what you have done day-to-day (think metrics, impact, etc) and provide these to your manager. They should be able to tell you if you're not meeting expectations, meeting expectations, or exceeding expectations. You should always strive to exceed expectations.
Anne Nicolai
Writing, Editing, Public Relations, Karaoke Hosting
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Anne’s Answer
Wynton, I am new to CareerVillage and your comment is from 2018, so I would like an update, but I'll answer for others who may have the same question.
Your work is definitely "pro circuit" if:
• It gets results. Editors follow up on your press releases and stay on the phone when you call because you're helping them to do their jobs, not irritating them.
• Senior members of the PR team start asking you to help with their projects, even if it's just proofreading. They've seen that you're good at this and they trust you to contribute something of value.
• It wins awards. Most PR agencies routinely submit projects to professional organizations like PRSA for award consideration. If yours is chosen for submission, even if it doesn't win, you've made the grade!
• You're following expert guidelines or examples that you know to be top-notch.
Sometimes an internship is just a glorified clerical position and you're not given as much responsibility as you'd like, so it's of little use on your resume, but you can always ask to take on higher-level work (as long as you've excelled at making copies or whatever), and you can ask for written feedback on attributes of menial labor, such as promptness, courtesy, ability to anticipate your supervisor's needs, positive attitude under stress, etc. One of my internships (a loooooong time ago!) was in the legislative office of a U.S. Senator in Washington, D.C., and mostly I was handling mail, so I had a lot of time to read all the newspapers from that Senator's state. One day a Legislative Associate was out sick and I grabbed a constituent letter out of their in-box (would be harder now with email, but it was sitting there on paper) and drafted a response, knowing the Senator's views and a lot about the local concerns (it was a water issue, as I recall). I showed that to the Press Secretary and he said, "Hey, you can write!" The Senator actually ended up approving the letter and it was sent out with his signature. From there I was pressed into service writing more constituent correspondence and even a few statements for the Senator to present in the chamber and which ended up being printed in the Congressional Record as part of the proceedings! Within a 10-week summer internship, I had created opportunities for myself to work at a higher level and to excel.
As for soliciting feedback, I would advise doing so in writing, including asking for someone to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. You can add testimonials to your resume and to your LinkedIn profile but it's best if the employer or client is willing to post them. Always get as many reference letters as you can when you're about to conclude an internship (or even now, as you're within 2 years and your supervisor and other PR team members will have sufficient memory of your work there).
Hope that helps!
Your work is definitely "pro circuit" if:
• It gets results. Editors follow up on your press releases and stay on the phone when you call because you're helping them to do their jobs, not irritating them.
• Senior members of the PR team start asking you to help with their projects, even if it's just proofreading. They've seen that you're good at this and they trust you to contribute something of value.
• It wins awards. Most PR agencies routinely submit projects to professional organizations like PRSA for award consideration. If yours is chosen for submission, even if it doesn't win, you've made the grade!
• You're following expert guidelines or examples that you know to be top-notch.
Sometimes an internship is just a glorified clerical position and you're not given as much responsibility as you'd like, so it's of little use on your resume, but you can always ask to take on higher-level work (as long as you've excelled at making copies or whatever), and you can ask for written feedback on attributes of menial labor, such as promptness, courtesy, ability to anticipate your supervisor's needs, positive attitude under stress, etc. One of my internships (a loooooong time ago!) was in the legislative office of a U.S. Senator in Washington, D.C., and mostly I was handling mail, so I had a lot of time to read all the newspapers from that Senator's state. One day a Legislative Associate was out sick and I grabbed a constituent letter out of their in-box (would be harder now with email, but it was sitting there on paper) and drafted a response, knowing the Senator's views and a lot about the local concerns (it was a water issue, as I recall). I showed that to the Press Secretary and he said, "Hey, you can write!" The Senator actually ended up approving the letter and it was sent out with his signature. From there I was pressed into service writing more constituent correspondence and even a few statements for the Senator to present in the chamber and which ended up being printed in the Congressional Record as part of the proceedings! Within a 10-week summer internship, I had created opportunities for myself to work at a higher level and to excel.
As for soliciting feedback, I would advise doing so in writing, including asking for someone to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. You can add testimonials to your resume and to your LinkedIn profile but it's best if the employer or client is willing to post them. Always get as many reference letters as you can when you're about to conclude an internship (or even now, as you're within 2 years and your supervisor and other PR team members will have sufficient memory of your work there).
Hope that helps!