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Entry 8: Overall reflections on the internship and my studies!

In summary this internship experience with Holly and Play Like a Girl was extremely fruitful and eye-opening. I learnt so many lessons and gained important real life experience to take forward with me within the industry. Most importantly I personally feel having an internship directly with a female entrepreneur I gained not only vital lessons but motivation to pursue a career in sports media.

Reflecting back on my time at Play Like a girl Holly at the start I was this shy girl and the more responsibility Holly gave me each week I felt more comfortable and confident with my skills and my work. This internship and working with a start up business I felt like the moment I started my induction with Holly I could express my opinions and ideas straight and I felt a sense of belonging.

Before starting my internship the skills that I was confident and experienced with using Canva, well versed in instagram and other social media, Solid understanding of journalistic writing and Basic video editing skills.

The benefit of an internship for students “is to add new skills to their resume, helping kick-start your career in your field of choice once you’ve graduated” (GradConnection, 2022)

This is so right!

After completing my internship I’ve gained lifetime skills such as how to use Trello in order to work together with Holly. Trello was our tool of communication and where Holly will give me feedback and approve my work. Also a tool we used to schedule our social media content. A second skill I learned is what ActiveCampiagn is and how to create Play Like A girl application EDM to send to our sponsors. The third skill  I’m experienced in is how to use my social media knowledge in a practical situation for a business. Lastly, overall increase and understanding of key elements and attributes required of a model employee.

Reflecting back on my studies I grew so much as a person and this course has helped me improve and enhance my graphic skills, editing skills and journalistic writing skills. Without the skills I learned during my studies I wouldn’t be the person I am today and I don't think I would have the skills to complete my internship to my full abilities. This course has definitely helped my future aspirations and when I take the step to pursue a career in sports media I will have skills, knowledge and real life experience to take forward with me within the industry. Internships are important Renganathan et .al (2012) agrees “through internship placements, students have the opportunity to develop these much needed skills” (p.182).

Overall, I can confidently say I grew as a person, learned so many lessons and gained important real life experience to take forward with me. I’m so grateful for the opportunity Play Like a girl and Holmesglen has given me throughout this whole internship.

References:

Renganathan, S., Karim, Z. A. B. A., & Li, C. S. (2012). Students’ perception of industrial internship programme. Education+ Training. Vol. 54 Issue: 2/3, pp.180-191, https:// doi.org/10.1108/00400911211210288

Tyrrell, A. (2022, November 17). Why An Internship Is Important for Career Growth. GradConnection. https://au.gradconnection.com/blog/students/post/internship-important-for-career-growth/

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Entry 7: Reflection on your supervisor evaluations and how these align with your future career professional development requirements

Schwartz (2017) states “Internships are a prime opportunity to develop your skills as a young professional and are also one of the best ways to find out what your true skills and strengths are.”

Overall I’m happy with the feedback Holly has given me. In evaluation 1 and 2  Holly has highlighted my strengths are that I’m a faster learner, have excellent design skills, and happy to put in the extra time to ensure tasks are completed on time. This feedback will help in my future career professional development because it shows I have the ability to transition into an organisation seamlessly and don’t require a lot of assistance.

In evaluation 1 Holly has recommended focusing on sharp attention to detail particularly in the context of copy writing and research. Regarding this feedback my first 40 hours of my internship I  didn't pay that much attention to my grammar errors. This was the case because a couple of weeks into my internship experience, I had a spelling error in one of our women in sport posts. I spelled an athlete's name wrong, and then I realised how important attention to detail is.

Over my internship experience I improved significantly and made sure I triple checked for grammar and spelling errors every time I post on Play like a girl social media platform to make sure everything is perfect and there are no mistakes. Towards the end of internship Holly gave me full responsibility and trusted me to post anything I’m very thankful for.

In evaluation 2 Holly has recommended focusing on developing my communication skills and doing that I will be a fantastic employee. This feedback will help my future career professional development because for my next job I will make sure I have a calendar with all my notes and meeting times doing this will improve my communication skills. During my internship a challenge I faced was communication on a day to day basis as it was the first time I had to keep in constant communication with a boss as well as communicating through gmail day to day. Having this experience communicating via gmail will help me a lot because I’ve done it before and have experienced it now.

Also in evaluation 2 Holly suggested using a task management tool to keep tasks and notes in one place. This was the case because during my internship my notes were all in different softwares and this feedback will help me be more professional in my future career.

In conclusion, I was ecstatic to hear that I was an asset to Holly business Play Like a Girl and I exceeded Holly’s expectations during my time at Play Like a Girl internship.

Laguador et al. (2020) states “internship is an important learning activity to practise what the students learned from theories” (p.3098) I strongly agree without this experience I wouldn’t be ready for the real world.

References:

Laguador, J. M., Chavez-Prinsipe, N. H., & De Castro, E. L. (2020). Employability skill development needs of engineering students and employers' feedback on their internship performance. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(7), 3097-3108.

Schwartz, D. (2017, June 22). Three Tips for Asking and Receiving Feedback in an Internship. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-tips-asking-receiving-feedback-internship-dan-schwartz/

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Entry 6: Career aspirations including goal setting

As a result of this internship experience my future career objectives are to keep building my portfolio on LinkedIn and continue networking and developing relationships in the sports industry. This internship experience has made me more excited and motivated to one day be part of a professional sporting club social media team. As a die hard Carlton supporter my ultimate dream is to be part of the Carlton Football Club social media team.

When speaking to Ella from Holmesglen Skills & Job Centre we review my resume and cover letter to make sure it meets the standards when I start applying for jobs after my studies. According to Freedman (2022), “Your cover letter is the key for making you stand out.” Overall, Ella found my resume and cover letter was excellent. I just had to change minor edits such as the front, add more detail to my career objective and add my internship. I personally felt speaking to her was very helpful as she was telling me the best ways to apply for jobs.

                                  (Cover Letter + Resume)

To make sure I achieve my dream job which is being part of Carlton Football Club social media team. Ella suggested I should follow everyone that is part of the Carlton Football Club social media team on LinkedIn and share my internship work showcasing my skills on LinkedIn. Dutta (2010) states “today’s leaders must embrace social media” (p.2). One of the valuable lessons I learnt during my time at Play Like a Girl is how important networking is. My time with Holly has taught me how important networking is especially in the sporting industry because it's an industry of who you know and networking leads to job or business opportunities.

I personally will 100% take that advice onboard.

My goals in 2023 is:

- I aim to be consistent and post more of my work on LinkedIn.

- I aim to keep building my portfolio on LinkedIn and continue networking and developing relationships in the sports industry.

- I aim to put what I’ve learnt at Holmesglen and Play Like a Girl into practice.

- I aim to attend more networking events to help me build connections.

-I aim to be part of a professional sporting club social media team.

Internships are important on a resume because your resume is a record of your accomplishments, talents and experience. In conclusion, an internship is a proven way to build up your resume.

References:

Dutta, S. (2010). What's your personal social media strategy?. Harvard business review, 88(11), 127-30.

Freedman, K. (2022, December 6). Creating a winning cover letter. Gradaustralia. https://gradaustralia.com.au/applying/creating-a-winning-cover-letter

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Entry 5: Achievements and milestones

One of the most important things you can gain from an internship is newfound knowledge (Student Brands, 2013).

My first key achievement during my internship experience is creating Play Like A Girl first media kit. I really enjoyed creating the Play Like a girl media kit because I was able to show off my creativity and Holly trusted me with full creative responsibility.

My second key achievement is gaining 50 new followers on Play like a girl Instagram every month. Before I began my internship the Play Like a Girl Instagram had 420 followers and now it’s on 720. During my two months at Play like a girl I succeeded in expectations and personally I surprised myself.

My third achievement is creating Play Like a Girl 2023 guest speakers announcement post on Canva and writing their bios. During my time at Play like a girl this was one the important tasks I had to complete. The task was time consuming as there were 7 individual design graphics I had to create as well as researching and completing each biography. It was a great chance for me to use my growing skills in Canva to make sure I produced the best work I could.

My fourth achievement is creating Play Like A Course applications and EDM. When doing these tasks, I was so proud of myself because it was the first time doing this. I personally found it very enjoyable doing the design component and something I want to continue doing in the future.

My personal achievement is to complete around 50 social media posts over the course of my internship experience. I was so happy and proud of myself I achieved this goal as at the start I didn't think I would complete it. Holly and I had so many content ideas we came up together it was just visually bringing it together. I would create like 5 to 6 new posts a week.

A personal achievement during my internship experience is the ability to manage my time effectively and efficiently. For example managing and scheduling Play Like a Girl social media accounts we always plan at least two weeks in advance.

Overall, doing an internship and reflecting on what I have achieved over my time at Play Like a Girl has given me a lot of self confidence and self belief for pursuing a career in the sports media industry.

Iskin & Abay (2022) states “internship is a practice that allows students to practise the theoretical knowledge they have received in the clinic, to adapt to the profession and to develop a professional identity” (p.490).

References:

Iskin, M., & Abay, B. (2022). The Achievements Gained by Nursing Students from Internship Practices: A Descriptive Study. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 15(1), 489-498.

Student Brands. (2013). 10 important things you learn from an internship. https://studentbrands.co.za/career-guidance/10-important-things-learn-internship/

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Entry 4: Challenges you faced

At the beginning of internship some of the challenges I faced was balancing my full time work with my internship. Looking back I started my internship late compared to my fellow classmates and I felt like because of that I had to do more hours during the week to make sure I completed my 228 hours on time. I found it difficult at the time because I was doing roughly 25 hours a week at Play Like a Girl also working 4-5 days full time. For example, to make sure I completed 228 hours I switched to night shift and I will be working during the night and I will finish work at 6am and start my internship at 9am. So I found myself really sleepy at the beginning of my internship especially during 7.5 hour days and trying to get my body adjusted to my new lifestyle. Overall, having to balance my full time work with my internship I felt like this made sure I used my time effectively and efficiently to make sure I met deadlines.

Also research states a remote internship saves you time and money on commuting while also giving you more freedom and flexibility (Akkannavar, 2018).

A second challenge I faced was communication on a day to day basis. As it was the first time I had to keep in constant communication with a boss as well as communicating through gmail day to day. I found this was challenging because it was a new experience so it took me a couple weeks to get used to. There were three times where I forgot to send an email to Holly about a recap of what I did today via email straight away after I clock off instead I’ll send it a couple hours later. This was one of the lessons I learnt during my time at Play Like a Girl as it's important to check your emails every hour during the day and communication is a vital part of being a successful employee.

A third minor challenge I faced was transportation. Most of my internship was completed working from home however once a week I will meet up with Holly in person and work at the office. I felt like every time I used public transport there was a train delay and because of that I had to use Uber a lot and spend $45 dollars every time I saw her in person. That was just one negative about my whole internship experience.

Gashaw (2019) states “students on internship experience the world of work in all its variety and mundanity; boredom and pressure; injustice and helpfulness; comradeship and ill-articulated demands” (p.15).

References:

Akkannavar, T. (2018). How can Students Maintain a Perfect Work-Life Balance during Internships? Higher Education Review. https://education-consultancy.thehighereducationreview.com/news/how-can-students-maintain-a-perfect-worklife-balance-during-internships-nid-2445.html

Gashaw, Z. (2019). Challenges facing internship programme for engineering students as a learning experience: a case study of Debre Berhan University in Ethiopia. IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSRJMCE), 16(1), 12-28.

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Entry 3: Becoming an effective team member and contributor:

In my studies, work and volunteering I have the ability to work well in a team to achieve a shared goal or outcome in an effective way. I know that being cooperative, open-minded, and focused are important aspects of being a successful team member, and I pride myself in having those qualities. During my time it was just Holly and I working together and throughout the internship I felt like we worked well together every week.

To make sure I was an effective team member and contributor I made sure I was helpful, an active listener, and made decisions together. For example whenever Holly had a busy day I would take on more responsibility and workload so she doesn’t feel stressed out. Throughout my time at Play Like a Girl I was always an listen to Holly’s ideas and feedback and took them on board. When it came to brainstorming ideas Holly and I always made decisions together and she will always courage me for my honest opinion on something to do with the business. For example, when I edited interviews and sent her three clip options we both will agree on which one is the most engaging. It was just not her decision, it was both.

Levine et al. (2006) states “internship is a period of intense physical and emotional stress” (p.564).

I couldn’t agree more because it's something you’ve never experienced before.

Overall, Holly was an amazing mentor. I can confidently say I wouldn’t have grown and learned as much as I have these past two months without her constant feedback, support, guidance and mentorship. To help me build my confidence I would ask Holly for constant feedback on my work and Trello was our tool of communication and where Holly would give me feedback. Every time I read her positive comments on Trello approving my work I gained confidence so that was really helpful.

Holly training me how to use new softwares such as ActiveCampaign and Trello was very helpful as it made me more confident and I knew what I was doing and was more efficient with my time creating Play Like a Girl course applications EDM.

The fact that Holly relied on me and gave me responsibility each week boosted my confidence because I felt a sense of belonging and she appreciated my work and how much effort I put in my work. I personally felt like I improved every week and the more Holly challenged me the better I performed. Edwards (2016) states “When you feel trusted you also feel valued for your contribution.” I couldn’t agree more!

References:

Edwards, J. (2020, February 7). Top tip #4 for surviving internship. On the wards. https://onthewards.org/top-10-tips-for-surviving-internship-tip-4/

Levine, R. B., Haidet, P., Kern, D. E., Beasley, B. W., Bensinger, L., Brady, D. W., ... & Wright, S. M. (2006). Personal growth during internship: a qualitative analysis of interns’ responses to key questions. Journal of general internal medicine, 21, 564-569.

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Entry 2: Finding my feet

My first day of my internship I met up with Holly in person at Creative Cubes South Melbourne. I remember being very excited and eager to begin my internship experience.

My Play Like a Girl induction with Holly was getting to know her as a person and what Play Like a Girl goals. Also talking about what projects I'll be doing and what is expected from me as an intern. My internship position at Play Like a girl is digital content assistant.

This role consisted of several task such as:

- Plan, create and schedule social media content for Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

- Create the first Play Like A Girl Media Kit

- Engage with our followers and social media communities by responding to comments, messages etc

- Writing sports blogs

- Editing guest speakers interviews

- Editing videos on Play Like a Girl Youtube Video

-Created Play Like A Girl Course Applications and EDM

My first 40 hours has been so far good. The first task I’ve completed in my internship is a post about the Australian Opals World Cup Campaign. I really enjoyed writing about what's happening in women's sports as it doesn’t really get that much media coverage compared to men's games. So far I’ve been writing posts about what's happening in women's sports.

Also I completed editing a 90 second clip of  Bec Miller interview for our socials. 

Holly gave me full responsibility for this project as her only requirement was to choose 90 second clip of engaging content for our social media channels. I really enjoyed this editing guest speaker interviews as everyday I was doing something new and I got the chance to advance my editing skills. Also it was the first time I add subtitles as it was something I’ve never done before.

So far I’ve been posting on Play Like a Girl socials three times a week. Monday being a business post, Wednesday being a woman in sport post whilst Friday focused on a guest speaker interview post.

Up to this point I’ve submitted everything on time and I personally feel like I’m contributing a lot to the business, improving on my skills and gaining so much confidence through this internship experience. Internships will help you to build confidence through practice which will also help in your personal growth (Undercover Recruiter, 2013). So far this internship experience has made me want to pursue a career in sports media.

Ko (2008) believes “Through internships students have more chances to explore future careers, to gain deeper knowledge of details, and to start thinking about their future careers based on their internship experiences” (p.3).

References:

Fleischmann, C. (2013). 7 Reasons You Should Take an Internship. Undercover Recruiter. https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/7-reasons-take-internship/

Ko. (2008). Training, Satisfaction with Internship Programs, and Confidence about Future Careers among Hospitality Students: A Case Study of Universities in Taiwan. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 7(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220802033245

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Entry 1: My preparedness prior to commencing your internship and how you assimilated into the organisation’s culture

I personally feel like during my three years studying at Holmesglen it has prepared me well. Throughout my studies, I have developed a diverse skill set in sports media including journalism, digital media, marketing and communications. Further to this, I have also developed my Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva skills in Video Journalism and Digital Media Production. In my mind I was ready to put all of my skills and knowledge into practice and take my social media expertise into Play Like a Girl.

Outside of my studies, I have volunteered at my local sporting club Roxburgh Park Football Club (RPFC). With RPFC I developed and produced their content for their digital platforms and social media channels. I also completed administrative tasks to support the club’s volunteers, including rosters and updating their databases. I personally felt like volunteering outside of my studies will prepare me well for my Play like a Girl internship in the upcoming weeks. The volunteering experience gave me understanding what is expected from an intern.

My paid employment has been in logistics and warehousing. I understand working in a fast-paced environment, multitasking and meeting deadlines. Working in and leading teams, I model a strong work ethic, leadership qualities and have the ability to work effectively with different personalities to meet company KPIs. I personally feel like I can take those qualities into Play Like a girl and hopefully improve the organisation culture.

McKenzie & Mellis (2018) “The course improved my confidence at the beginning of internship”(p.642).

Prior to commencing my internship at Play Like a Girl I familiarised myself with the company. For example learning about what Play Like a Girl does on their website. Also looking at Play Like a Girl social media platforms and seeing what content they create and the language they use throughout their post. I made sure to ask Holly a lot of questions during my interview so I know what projects I’ll be doing during my time at Play like a Girl. For example knowing what softwares I’m using to create content and communicate with Holly.

Prior to commencing my internship at Play Like a Girl I made sure to set myself personal goals to keep me accountable during my time at Play Like a Girl. My first goal is to gain 50 new followers on Play like a girl social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. My second goal is to complete around 50 social media posts over the course of my internship experience.

Overall, prior to commencing my internship I felt I was well prepared. Good preparation will help run everything smoothly, and reduce some of the anxiety that I might feel (My Way Employability, 2020). My attitude before commencing my internship was to make sure I enjoy my internship experience and focus on doing my absolute best.

References:

McKenzie, & Mellis, C. (2018). The impact on internship of a tailored intern preparation package. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 9, 639–648. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S164321

My Way Employability. (2020). Preparing for work experience and internships. https://www.mywayemployability.com.au/resource/preparing-work-experience-and-internships