We continue to be impressed by the accomplishments of our former interns. Our blog series, “Where Are They Now?,” highlights their career trajectories – showcasing what they have accomplished since their time with us, their biggest takeaways from their experiences here and their advice for those just starting out.
This week we hear from Megan Hanks, a graduate of Lehigh University who interned with us in 2011.
I am currently working in Philadelphia, near Independence Mall, at the American College of Physicians. ACP is a member organization for internal medicine doctors, and I am working in the public relations and web communications department as Public Relations Coordinator.
One of my favorite things about the Buchanan PR internship was the opportunity to observe and be involved in every part of the process – from getting new business and learning the intricacies of each client to pitching media, creating clipbooks and participating in client calls. What better way to learn about an industry than to have such knowledgeable industry experts take the time to make sure I understood the importance of each step? Looking back on my internship experience, I don’t think I could have found a better “real world” introduction to the public relations industry than at Buchanan!
The most valuable thing I learned during my internship was that there are so many different ways to accomplish the same task, and that you must tailor each step depending on the client and media with whom who you are interacting. I found it so helpful to be able to sit with different members of the agency while they phone-pitched reporters, or have more than one set of eyes read a release before distribution to learn various ways to improve my skills and techniques.
My advice to someone looking to break into the industry is to ask questions and be persistent! As cliché as it sounds, it’s true. I probably asked the same question a dozen times to make sure that I was practicing the best strategies, but in the end I think I modified the skills I learned and adapted them to fit my own public relations style.