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Week One: 21 - 24 Sep

Six new graduates have joined us at Unicorn House this week as part of the Brunswick Internship Programme. Each Friday they’ll be giving you a run down on what they have been doing that week here on the blog. For this first blog, each of the six Interns talks us through the process they went through to get on the programme in the first place.

This is the first blog entry from the 2009 Brunswick Six,
click here to return to the blog index

By Brunswick Interns

Charlotte Robertson

Having got my degree I assumed that the hardest part was over and getting a job would be the easier bit. But the reality is, as a 2009 graduate, I’m in the midst of an economic crisis and face some of the toughest employment prospects in decades.

I heard about the Brunswick Internship Programme through a UEL email. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in PR but that I lacked the knowledge and experience to convince employers, and to compete with other more experienced job seekers. It was the opportunity I had been waiting for – a crash course in PR and the chance to gain valuable industry experience with a leading financial PR company.

I attended the information session about the programme that was held at the UEL Docklands campus in May. Chris Cooke from Unicorn Jobs and a previous Intern, Avani Patel, who now works in PR, spoke about the programme. Avani told us about the “intense and scary assessment day” which we would all have to go through to secure one of the six places.

Next there was a formal information session at Credit Suisse in Canary Wharf. The attire was business dress, which meant investing in a power suit. We heard presentations from a number of successful industry people, including Heather McGregor, director and principal shareholder of Taylor Bennett, one of the companies behind the internship. I found myself listening very intently as she spoke of the significance of our potential role, as future PR people, in telling a company’s story. I also got a chance to meet some of the assessors and real life Brunswick employees. Fully informed, I was now able to fill out the internship application form.

Then came the assessment day that Avani had spoken about. It was held at the Stephen Lawrence centre in Lewisham. I, along with the other shortlisted hopefuls, went through an intense day of tasks, tests, presentations and interviews, broken up by tea breaks and a delightful lunch. I felt I had given the day my best shot, however the assessors, who were surprisingly friendly, were giving nothing away. I spent the long journey home feeling sad at the prospect that it could be all over for me.

But then that evening I got a call congratulating me on my success. I was so excited about the weeks to come and had just a few days to prepare (ie shop!).

On my first day I was up and out earlier than I had been for a while. I saw a London I never knew existed, the tubes were packed, and not just with people, but silent people wearing suits and reading papers you actually have to pay for. And what was more strange, they looked just like me.

I felt both excited and apprehensive. I knew very little about the other candidates or what to expect. But I was soon put at ease after a friendly introductory session at Unicorn House. At lunch, Ashka Thacker from Unicorn Jobs’ took us to Spitalfields Market, where we were all very indecisive/polite about where we should go to eat. Back at Unicorn, Chris then ran an afternoon session about PR basics, breaking it down in a way we could understand.

It’s now day four. I woke up this morning excited to go to work. It’s a feeling I expect may fade, though I have learnt so much in such a short space of time and I’m definitely looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Claude Peters

My only previous exposure to the PR world was Toby Ziegler, the chief of communications played by Richard Schiff in the Channel 4/NBC political drama ‘The West Wing’, and that supposed PR guru Max Clifford. With this in mind I, like a few other students (by a few, I mean approximately 200 people!) crammed ourselves into a small classroom at the University of East London back in May to get a better understanding of what it is that people within PR do.

At the start I could not help but feel that as a Performance Arts and Community Development student (now graduate) I was out of my depth surrounded, as I was, by business and media students. My opinion soon changed when Chris Cooke (from Unicorn Jobs and Unlimited Media) began to tell everyone in the room of the many different types of PR, ranging from finance to the arts, and of how PR roles were often very creative. This session was introducing the Brunswick Internship Programme.

This struck a chord with me and I intended to apply for the programme. However, I procrastinated slightly, mainly because of an overwhelming and irrational fear that I would probably not be selected. While putting off applying I received a surprise phone call from Laura Barkaway from the UEL employability team letting me know there was still time to apply. This motivated me to research PR further, resulting in my decision that this was definitely something I was interested in and something I should apply for. Which is why, right at the last minute, I submitted my application form.

The next stage was the assessment day, a very unique experience involving indepth interviews, speed networking, teamwork and presentations. I had researched my presentation and, due to my performing arts background, memorised it, so I was not nervous but excited.

However, an attack of nerves did come, but at an unexpected moment… lunch. Seeing our assessors from Brunswick, Taylor Bennett and Unicorn Jobs at the lunch tables gave me flash backs of the ‘cool popular kids’ at school and myself firmly sitting with the ‘others’. However, representatives from all of the companies came over to us and began discussing our ideas that we had previously mentioned, as well as talking to us about the industry, which I found very accommodating

As I sit here writing this blog, I am reminded of how privileged I am to be given the opportunity to learn about an industry that many would like to work in, with experts that people seldom get to learn from.

I have already learnt a variety of things. About the different types of PR (eg consumer, political and financial). I now know PR people have to decide whether to work in house or for an agency. And I even have an understanding of how newspapers work, and why it’s important to read a wide selection of material. And this is only day three! For now I shall close this, my debut as a blogger, by saying a big thank you to everyone who has given me this opportunity and I look forward to the coming weeks

Jenard Dyer

I’m having a wonderful time during this first week at the Unicorn Jobs office. I am finally here, and I am very excited about the ten week adventure ahead. We’ve already been taught a lot about the public relations industry, and there is much more to come.

These first few days have made me reflect on the journey my colleagues and I went through to get here. I was first made aware of this opportunity through a UEL email, forwarded to me by a friend. At first I didn’t think it was for me because I had a totally incorrect impression of the PR industry (mainly from what I had seen on TV). However, after a little research I discovered what PR was really about and that it had ties with the course that I had recently finished studying, and that it actually had a lot to do with the career I wanted to pursue. So applying was a “no-brainer” for me.

I remember on the assessment day I was so nervous because I had never attended anything like that before. I remember walking into the Stephen Lawrence Centre and repeating the words “if it doesn’t kill you it only makes you stronger”. It turned out that the day itself was a great experience, and I really enjoyed most of the activities that we were being assessed on. I found that the assessors were very approachable and that helped ease all of our nerves. This kind of set the tone of what we should expect from the people that we would be meeting during the internship.

The first day I came into the office I was again nervous, but that feeling melted away when I met the other five Interns and was pleasantly surprised to see that two of the candidates were from the same assessment day as myself. We were introduced to the team at Unicorn Jobs – Sarah Stimson, Ashka Thacker and Chris Cooke. They all gave us a warm welcome and made us feel at home by familiarising us with the processes of the office and getting us our very own Unicorn Jobs email addresses. We also went through the basics of the PR industry with Chris, where he explained to us what public relations was all about and how it all worked. He then gave us each a newspaper to research.

On day two, Sarah surprised us with a ‘pop quiz’ on what we learnt the day before, our knowledge of each other, and the information about the office. We also presented our research on the newspapers that we had been given, and Chris gave us a talk on the main national newspapers, their history, political leanings and structure. We were then given another task: to identify which parts of a newspaper article were straight ‘information’, and which parts were ‘opinion’ or ‘analysis’.

On day three, Sarah gave us a talk about working in teams. She gave us hints on listening better and conflicts in resolutions. We also watched videos on different ways people present, and received tips on presenting and getting our message across more successfully.

So far I am very much enjoying the environment at Unicorn Jobs, and the skills and knowledge we are gaining. This is just the first few days… I can’t wait for the rest.

Junior Ayanbeku

Graduating in a recession offers a reasonably bleak prospect of securing a job. On leaving university I tried hard to secure an internship with ITV, making it to the semi-finals but not progressing. But ITV did see a determination on my part, and that inspired me to continue trying to achieve at the highest level, even though I had been unsuccessful on that programme.

While looking for other options I noticed I had a message on the answering machine from Laura Barkaway from the UEL employability team. I called her back on Tuesday morning at 11am, as university had been closed for the Bank Holiday weekend, and she told me about the internship programme, before adding that the application deadline was midday that day!

She advised me to “get a move on”, which was good advice. Within an hour I had completed my form and submitted it by email. A few days later I received confirmation that I had made it through to the next round. This gave me a strong sense of deja vu after my ITV application, but I was happy nonetheless and looked forward to the assessment centre.

On getting to the Stephen Lawrence Centre 30 minutes early, I took time to compose myself and prepare for the day ahead. The environment seemed quite strict and formal, so I assumed the assessors would be the same. Nerves began to kick in, but were ultimately dashed when our first session was concluded, probably due to the friendly atmosphere between the candidates and assessors.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and a day that consisted of interviews, speed networking and debates seemed to be over sooner than I expected. I thanked everyone for the reception we as candidates had received and returned home, awaiting a confirmation on whether I had won a place or not.

The next day I received a phone call from Laura, saying I had been accepted and that she was really happy for me. I was thrilled, and felt quite privileged considering the hundreds of graduates that also applied, and content that my hard work had finally paid of.

Monday 21st September, a day I will always remember, as this was our first day at work. We were told about how the office was run on a daily basis and what to expect in the coming weeks. An introduction into PR was the first step taken to insure we had a good headstart. As the days progressed we analysed different newspapers, a company’s stakeholders, presentation styles and techniques, and the differences between PR and advertising. We also received feedback concerning our strong and weak points which we could improve on in future.

Considering this is our first week, I am totally aware that we are still settling in, and next week the real work begins. It is definitely something I am looking forward to. I have made some great friends, our working atmosphere is exceptional, and I am quite content that this will be an internship to remember.

Param Lard

I just realised that I first heard about the Brunswick PR Internship opportunity from a friend at university, which just goes to show the power of word of mouth. She knew I would be interested because I was forever going on about how I wanted to go into the media, or work in marketing and advertising, and therefore a PR internship would be suitable for me (though I now realise that advertising, marketing and PR are really three different things!).

I went along to the presentation evening organised by the companies behind the internship – Unicorn Jobs, Taylor Bennett and Brunswick – and realised just how much of a great opportunity this would be. I truly believed, and still believe, I can go far in the PR industry, if only because during the Brunswick presentation at that event they described the characteristics of a good PR person, and it really sounded like they were describing me!

I worked on finishing my degree and carried on with my part time job, keeping the internship in mind. I knew the UEL careers team very well, because I had used their services regularly. They emailed me reminding me the deadline was fast approaching for the internship, so I wrote out my application and sent it off hoping for the best. I received a phone call soon after stating I had made it through to the assessment centre. I was very proud of myself for having made it through to this stage, I said to myself that I will go all the way!

At the briefing for the assessment centre I realised I was up against 30 other candidates and that preparation was key to my success. I spent the next week preparing and reading up on the internship and the Brunswick group. During this time my interest in the internship and the companies involved grew, meaning I wanted the opportunity more than ever and was not going to let it slip out of my hands.

Judgement day arrived, and I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep the night before. PR was the only thing on my mind. After the group assessment my nerves calmed, it went well and I believed in myself more. Throughout the day I learnt so much more about PR, Brunswick, Taylor Bennett and Unicorn Jobs. At the end of the day, absolutely exhausted, I headed back home and didn’t even want to think of the outcome. My presentation was my weak point, however my group assessment went very well, so I really did not know whether I would get it. Tuesday evening I found out. I was picked and was overjoyed.

I arrived at the Unicorn Jobs offices on day one and was pleasantly surprised, they weren’t as up tight as I thought they would be! In fact they were very laid back and welcoming. Monday we met each other and were introduced to what the programme will involve and what is expected of us. Already we have learnt the basics about PR, and lots about newspapers, in fact I never realised there was so much to newspapers! I am really enjoying my time at Unicorn Jobs, and loving all the knowledge and new ideas I am picking up. And most importantly, I am looking forward to the opera!

Tina Tama

I was drawn to the email straight away. It read “opportunity for ethnic minorities to get a PR internship”. I said to myself “I can do that”, and so I did.

There were a few hurdles to jump before I could get where I am today. First of all I decided to go to the information session at UEL to learn more about the internship. After listening to Avani Patel, who had done the internship herself the previous year, I was quite intrigued and a little motivated. However, seeing the amount of people that turned up also knocked my confidence. I felt that, being realistic, my chances were slim.

I went on holiday for four weeks, and almost forgot about the Brunswick internship. The day after I came back, I received a phone call from Laura at UEL reminding me to apply. I’d been a little confused as to what I should do with my life at that point, so took Laura’s call as fate and applied for the programme.

I put my all into the application, because a part of me really wanted it, even though another part of me felt I was not good enough, because I didn’t have any relevant knowledge of the PR industry. A couple of days later I received another phone call saying that I had been successful and was through to the next stage, an assessment centre the following week. I was happy but felt like I had only climbed half the mountain.

I went to the briefing session for the assessment centre so I could get as many tips as possible for my interview. From then till the moment I arrived at the assessment day I was on edge, but once there a confidence came over me which allowed me to perform all the given tasks to the best of my ability. I was extremely proud of myself when I left, yet still very surprised when I got the phone call telling me I had been successful. I was ecstatic and emotional because I was aware of how lucky I was, while also believing I was deserving of the chance.

Our first day was extremely nerve racking, so I arrived very early. I could tell I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. We were briefly taken through what the ten weeks would involve by Sarah and Ashka at Unicorn Jobs, and were then assigned our first task: we were told to go and research what PR is. As a tip we were told to start with the Unicorn Jobs website, where there is a guide to the industry. I used this and wrote extensive notes on the different types of PR. In the afternoon Chris at Unicorn Jobs basically reiterated everything we had learned and researched that morning, so we could have a better understanding of the different parts of the PR industry and its foundation and purpose.

By Tuesday morning we knew we were going to have to work hard. We were each given a newspaper and told to research its background. We were also told to start reworking the presentations we had given at the assessment centre because we would need to re-present them on Friday. Then, in the afternoon, Chris gave us even more information about our papers and led a good session on the newspaper industry and it’s role in PR.

Wednesday morning was business as usual. We had many tasks to get on with, but still managed to find time to have a session on group work with Sarah. We are already very busy!

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This is the first blog entry from the 2009 Brunswick Six,
click here to return to the blog index