To say that my time as Hoffman has been valuable is an extreme understatement. When I wrote my first blog, I had no clue what this last one would look like.
Now that I am here writing it, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the people at Hoffman for providing me a place to grow as a PR professional and as a person.
While it is hard to pinpoint one aspect of Hoffman as my favorite, the culture stood out to me from day one. Everyone was so welcoming from the get-go, and that was a huge key to meshing with my account teams and feeling confident about the work I was putting out.
Of the many things I learned during my internship, the speed of the PR industry has to be the most important. From juggling deliverables and deadlines to client requests shuffling around at the last minute, the ever-changing world of PR keeps you quick on your feet. Learning how to adapt to varying challenges and obstacles was an invaluable skill that I plan on carrying with me for the rest of my career.
I was initially surprised to learn about all of the important projects and assignments I would be tasked with.
My teams were always there to remind me that nothing I completed was grunt work and that every task was essential to the flow and success of the account. Of all the briefing sheets, media lists, pitches, bylines, and research I worked on, my favorite was a pitch for LNG Electric.
I got to be a part of the PR process from start to finish. I sent the pitch, secured a briefing with a journalist, created the briefing sheet, helped staff the briefing, and reported the coverage a couple of days later (here it is). This was the first time at Hoffman where I remember thinking to myself, “I can do this. I can be successful in PR.” The feeling of excitement and joy that I had when that first piece of coverage came through is something I will never forget.
I was an anxious mess when I first started at Hoffman, thinking every task was a pass-or-fail test and not a learning experience. My manager, Matt Medlin, gave me advice during a 1:1 that seemed funny at the time but gave me a new perspective.
He told me, “It’s PR, not ER.”
Though seemingly a cheesy pun, this advice gave me a new outlook on the internship and was always (and still is) a great reminder not to take everything so seriously and remember this is all about learning and growth.
Even though I have just begun my career in PR, one piece of advice I would give to someone looking to start their career is to always remain eager to learn. Especially in the tech industry, things are constantly growing and changing. The hunger to continually learn new skills and soak in information from your co-workers will help you no matter where you go.
