My Placement Year at Jargon PR
Put yourself in my shoes as I take you through my industry experience at Jargon PR.
During my first and second year at University I debated the idea of doing an industry placement. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to delay my final year incase I became out of touch with education, but now I can say it was the best decision I ever made.
I started working at Jargon PR as a Junior Account Executive in June 2019. Jargon PR is an award winning PR agency, working with technology and corporate businesses around the world. It was my first experience working in PR and I didn't know what to expect. I remember before my interview watching countless videos about PR on YouTube, but it wasn't enough to prepare me for what was in store.
The first obstacle I had to overcome was my extensive commute throughout the week. Being from the New Forest and my placement being located in Yately, it could take up to 3 hours or more each journey. At one point during the year, after numerous car issues, I contemplated giving up. However, I concluded that the feeling of persevering and accomplishing the year would be more rewarding than giving up half way through. And I was right!
To begin with, I was lucky enough to be paired with the previous intern, Hannah, for her last couple of weeks. During this time she taught me everything I needed to know and gave me a detailed handover so I could begin working with clients.
My daily activities included taking care of social accounts and recording engagement levels, writing articles, press releases, award entries and many more. Of course, the longer I was there and the more experienced I became, the more responsibility I was given. Towards the end of the year I even began running my own account, oneclick, with little supervision from my line manager. Having this repressibility, significantly increased my confidence and made me feel like a valued member of the team.
Over the year, I wrote a number of award entries for different clients that either won or made the short-list in top tier award ceremonies. Because of this, I participated in the Jargon PR podcast, which is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Sound Cloud. During my episode, I discussed what it takes to write an award winning entry, taking listeners through the process and what we could offer to potential future clients.
Working at Jargon PR has taught me skills that I will keep with me forever, from simple skills such as sending a professional email to communicating with C-level executives. I have had some great opportunities along the way, which has given me a great head start in the industry. I have also been able to refine my knowledge of technology and business, which is something I had never explored before starting my placement. Over all I would say, if you’re thinking of doing a placement, go for it!