The end is near for my internship. Only two days left now... I had assumed that things would start winding down and I wouldn't be given as much work or projects since my time here is almost up. In reality, I couldn't have been more wrong. During my final week, I have been extremely busy working on additional prezis for the Corporate Communication team, which they will use for a client pitch later this week. I also met with our Partner and Chief Business Officer to finalize and approve the Greater China Market prezi while simultaneously talking about transferring our company's credentials into the new format as well. [I am still hoping to get a freelance position with them to continue helping while I finish up my last year in grad school.]
In addition to my multiple prezi projects, I also hosted a media tour at Disneyland during the beginning of the week. The press group consisted of a total of 8 people - producers, journalists, and a host, all from the Philippines. The purpose of the trip was to gain exposure, awareness and drive visitation to Grizzly Gulch by producing a special on the newest Disney themed area. Unfortunately, with the typhoon on Monday, the planned schedule had to be scrapped and all activites moved to Tuesday and Wednesday since I needed to get home before I was stranded on Lantau Island (My first typhoon experience and it was a 10; worst typhoon in 13 years -- Nice send off for my last week, I must say!). Fortunately, I was able to make it back to Disneyland on Wednesday to assist a colleague. I was still lucky enough to experience the magical land in HK, as well as see what goes into conducting media tours. It was definitely different then how I expected, i.e. our contact from the Philippines didn't want to participate in the activities we had planned, etc. However, Disney is a great client and, of course, a fun place to visit, especially for my last week (I had no idea it was identical to Anaheim, just on a smaller scale).
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This entire summer has been one big learning experience. Even though the first few weeks were slow and my work load was extremely light, it has certainly turned around and I feel like a real member of this team. I absolutely love everyone that I've had the pleasure of working with these past 8 weeks and I honestly couldn't have asked for nicer, more helpful colleagues. Even though I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with my boss, I will definitely remain in contact with her to possibly serve as a mentor throughout my career. I also met the founder of our company and didn't realize she started this PR firm 30 years ago. Pretty embarrassing, but she thought it was funny and told me to stay in touch. Great networking at least!
Overall, I am happy with my internship and Hong Kong experience. I will definitely be taking some of the skills I have learned and honed while here back to the states and hopefully into future careers as well. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a job offer from this company back in California. Now wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake :-)
Before I say goodbye to my last Hong Kong internship blog posting for this summer, I would like to share a few things I have learned while working in HK:
- PR is PR, no matter where you live/work
- I am the Prezi master - Whodda thunk?
- Media alerts - What are they, how they differ from press releases, and how to write one
- Meetings/brainstorming sessions - I thoroughly enjoy brainstorming as it forces me to think outside the box, use the other side of my brain, and allows me to come back to my original project refreshed and eager to proceed
- Product launches - These are stressful, but fun! The client needs to always be right on the day of the event so just make them happy, take notes, and address successes/failures to improve upon for next time at the follow-up meeting
- Market research and current trends - Helpful for the client and for a PR firm to be up-to-date on all of the trends so as to keep their products and marketing fresh to attract consumers
- Social media presentations - As you can tell from my previous posts, I have learned more about Chinese social media than I ever thought possible. However, it has definitely proven helpful and interesting!
- The work culture is extremely different, but normal to them - The normal working hours in Hong Kong are 10am - 9pm. I have to admit, I prefer our westernized schedules instead...
- Work hard, play hard - Hong Kongers work long hours, but they sure do know how to have a good time (even on a work night)!
- Save face - I have never seen anyone in my office ever lose their cool even when I know they are frustrated with a client or colleague. They always stay in control of their emotions, which I find very impressive. Americans should take some lessons from the Chinese on this matter.
- Very professional - They all dress professional, act professional, and are professional.
- Same as the states, not many men in PR - We have only a handful of males in our office and only two local men are in upper management. The other VPs and executives are foreigners (either from the U.S. or England).
- Language barrier is difficult - I have a great deal of respect for Asians working in the states now (and those I have class with). Talking to someone who doesn't speak your native language, and trying to understand what they are saying can be frustrating at times and extremely difficult. Miscommunications are inevitable, but patience is a virtue.
- Contacting vendors and media for clients - This can be very troublesome as well due to the language; no one wants to talk to a foreigner. I had to pass on tasks to local co-workers and wasn't given a great deal of assignments because I can't speak or write in Chinese.
- Media monitoring - A daily tedious and monotonous task, but someone's gotta do it. Paying dues...
- The list goes on and on...
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I thought it only appropriate to end where I began 8 weeks ago. Today I came into work with a new company bulletin and another interesting article that I found noteworthy. Two months ago the highlighted article I shared focused on the importance of communication and leaders in China. This issue's featured article addresses the issue of change. I'm conscious that the article is examining changes in businesses, leaders, and the market. But for me, these past 8 weeks have been about a more personal change. A maturity, an independence, and a confidence that I naively assumed I already possessed by living in New York and Australia. However, living and working in Hong Kong, in Asia, in a foreign country on the other side of the world where they don't speak my language or eat my food or understand why I look the way I do, has been the biggest culture shock and one I have since had to overcome, accept, and grow to enjoy. It is this change that I know will make me a stronger person and a better, harder worker for my future company, where ever that may be. Who knows? I may even find myself back here in Hong Kong after graduation. The road is unpaved and I am ready for anything...
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