Communication Is Key

I’m a communications intern at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law Center for Public Health Law Research. At the beginning of my internship, I was nervous about starting this new position because I was unsure of what working in an organization would be like and how to work in teams in a professional setting. Yet, I could keep up and figure it out as I went on. While interning here, I’ve learned a lot about my job in the communications department and how to work in teams and keep up with everyday tasks.

I learned that the best way of working in teams within an organization is always to communicate. Communicate if you think you cannot make a deadline; communicate if you have a question; always communicate when unsure how to proceed with a task. Initially, I was too scared to communicate, especially when unsure of a task. Still, the people I worked with were always willing to help. Communicating made my day at work a lot easier and easier for everyone I was working with because they would understand where I was at with a project.

I also learned a lot about keeping my tasks organized; initially, I would feel overwhelmed because I was unsure what to tackle first, but I would ask a higher-up what task they would want me to prioritize throughout the week. From there, I would tackle the list of items from most important to least important. To stay organized while working in an organization, I learned it’s essential to know your deadlines, keep track of your work, and know what tasks are most important to least important. Knowing what tasks I needed to prioritize first helped me stay organized because I knew the assignments I needed to start on throughout the week without feeling stuck and unsure.

Learning to meet deadlines is essential, especially within an organization where we are on a timeline for media content to be rolled out during a specific day and time. If I could not meet a deadline, I would let a higher-up know, and from there, we would figure out something. However, I also realized that I must meet my deadlines. There were times when I would stay overtime to finish up important tasks because I knew that it was crucial for a specific date that was coming out.

While working this internship, I also learned much about my job, especially in the communications department. I worked on creating content for our social media, video editing, creating newsletters, website content, data mining, and graphic design. At the beginning of my internship, I was still determining what I would work on because the communications department can be broad, and there is so much I could work on within that department. While working on various tasks, I enjoyed how everything I worked on differed. I enjoyed how I did not just stick to one specific niche within communications, but I was able to work on various tasks, which helped build my portfolio along the way.