Diary of an Intern: Never knowingly undersold.

Last week I had the joy of doing a weeks work experience with the John Lewis press office. This came about after not long finishing uni in May and sending out lots of emails to get some much needed work experience for my CV. The only spot they had was in October in which I accepted despite hoping to be employed by then (ha we can all dream) Since May I have done a few other placements but I was still adamant I wanted to stay committed to this week with John Lewis due it being a company with such a renowned reputation on the high street. I am so glad I did. Here is why....

Photo from http://www.global-blue.com/brands/john-lewis/

First impressions count. 

From day one everything was easy with John Lewis. Even as early as May I was given a complete break down - what I would get paid, where I would go, what to wear and what time I would be there. I didn't even need to part with my cash with going for an interview. Ok, so it was more 'work experience' than an internship which requires less responsibilities and expectations from you as an individual but everything seemed so straight forward and more informative than anything I had done before. Being paid completely for travel too was a revelation. Only living about an hour out of London on a fast train doesn't seem too bad but when my ticket is just under £50 a time it really means a lot when company's appreciate you are a student and help you out. I even got £10 a day for food which was so amazing. ( I am not that fat but you know, if I got hungry...) The whole organisation was a complete breath of fresh air compared to many other places I have been. Even then I sensed something great  was brewing.

A week before or so I emailed my contact to confirm everything was still going ahead, again, a lovely email confirming times, address'. Could it really be this easy?

What's next - what to wear? This is always a tricky one. In fashion PR companies have a real casual approach to uniform which my contact explained yet asked if I was to be at their Oxford Street store to wear black trousers. Knowing John Lewis as a very respected and smart brand I didn't wanna push the boundaries too much on my first day, after all, first impressions count. For this reason I would always suggest dressing much smarter on your first day until you have sussed the scene out. Pretty sure I went with a simple black skirt, lace blouse with a casual/smart black blazer and my studded ballerinas. Nothing  screaming AW 12 catwalk but I think appropriate (especially considering 6 am wake up calls).

When greeted I was welcomed by Vikki who was to be, you could say, my mentor. She is the Press Assistant at the Victoria offices and I was so happy to be looked after someone so lovely, warm and welcoming. Throughout my whole experience Vikki was there and made the whole experience what it was. Welcoming me to the team, showing me the offices, explaining procedures, general chit chat; It really helps knowing you have someone to go to who is always happy to help. The worst thing as an intern/work experience is feeling like a nuisance. I always try to use my initiative as much as I can but sometimes, you just have to ask and feeling comfortable is important! Having someone who is generally interested in you is an added bonus. I have had some experiences where things that I consider basic manners or chit chat such as 'how was your weekend?' is ignored. Vikki really was lovely at this; asking about my course, what I want to do now graduated and offering advice whenever I needed it. I do have to say, all the team were so friendly and really made me feel at home. Even the guys in the canteen offered help to me which really blew me away -  I am used to being ignored!. All John Lewis staff are partners in the business and I really believe this shows as there is a real 'team work' feel to the staff. So far? So good!

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoole/5076428866/

"Now this, I thought, THIS is what work experience/ internships should be about."

To do list.

My first day included a meeting. YES! A MEETING! Having never been invited to a staff meeting before this was exciting and quite frankly felt like a royal invitation (me? to a meeting?). Being able to see and hear the whole department - home, fashion, internal communications etc (25 people in total) talk about their duties, to do lists for the weeks really gave me an insight in how everything comes together and the work that goes in. I took notes and typed these up later which were distributed to the team for reference, a job that Vikki normally does. Now this, I thought, THIS is what work experience/ internships should be about.

My other office duties included organising the sample cupboard (my expertise), updating the best of press board in the staff canteen ( which was like heaven on earth - YUM!), updating contact lists, filing the daily newspapers and writing up AVE highlight reports (this is how much coverage would have been in advertising). I also got the chance to create  a small press release and a media alert based on a theme to be sent out to journalists. This is a visual piece with a brief description to capture journalists attention and provoke ideas in hope to get some coverage. I did mine on Movember and the press release on board games for Christmas which will look great on my CV. I then helped prepare a few goodie bags for a Trend Update press event and welcomed Journalists when they arrived by taking their coats. This was a great opportunity to show my social skills and communicate with industry professionals - my five minutes of fame you could say. I managed to watch the presentation too which was presented by two Home Buyers that explained the main trends for S/S. The room was decorated beautifully with wooden table tops, big glass ornaments and flowers. This was so interesting and another great insight into the world of PR at John Lewis.

"My five minutes of fame I guess you could say"

For two days of my work experience I was at the Oxford Street store with the press team there. This was where all the product calls took place by a girl called Lauren and some external PR girls from a company called Rain communications who work on the fashion side with John Lewis. Lauren was again lovely showing me around the floors, the canteen and coming to the canteen with me. Can I point out, I have no quams with walking and sitting in canteens by myself, I am used to it and it doesn't phase me and.I think this is why it made the whole gesture so much more endearing. These two days included a lot of going up and down the escalators returning products tot he shop floor. I will admit, this was a bit daunting and believe it or not - exhausting! I don't know how Lauren copes by herself. Sample management is kind of becoming my forte through work experience yet it is always interesting to see how different companies carry out the procedure.

Photo from http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2012-10/17/john-lewis-grooming-man-sanctuary-london

When it came to my last day I really was gutted to be leaving and wish I could have stayed longer. The office already had a long term intern there so this was unfortunately not an option for me. I did have conversation about returning later this year or early next year for another week though as I really want to continue a relationship with the team and company. ( Yes, ok, I want a job! Is that a crime?)

After being 'the Intern' for some time now, things really have started to blur, drag and get a bit samesy but this experience really helped put the fire back in my belly and the spring in my step. Short and sweet but so worth it. John Lewis seems like a fantastic company to work for, a place that really appreciates their employees and staff that really care about making it the best it can be. I would highly recommend getting in touch with the company if you are looking for some experience in high street. I cannot speak for other departments but my experience was so positive. I knew where I stood and there was a mutual respect where I wasn't taking advantage of. I was there 930 - 5 and not a minute over unless I insisted.

As a thank you I got the team this cookie.  I wanted to give something memorable as for me, the experience was just that.

Any regrets? Just one... I wish I had took more photos but hey, we live and learn. ( And didn't wanna break any company rules!) Over and out,

Katie xxx

Internship: Styling for Stuff magazine

IT'S OUT!!!

Hello everyone! I am so excited to share this post with you! This is the October issue I helped out stylist Charlotte Adsett with during some work experience. Charlotte contacted me through the girls at Boudoir PR passing on my details to her. I helped Charlotte out for a few days in the big city and managed to assist her  on this shoot for Stuff magazine on my final day. I have never done any sort of styling work before so was really exciting to get to know a different part of the fashion industry. If you don't know Charlotte she does a lot of celebrity styling with the likes of Pixie Lott and Kelly Brook and can also be found at Stylist Pick as an A list stylist. 

After meeting over a scrummy lunch at Leon's down Baker Street I went about taking back returns before heading to a Press evening at Little Mistress. It was a great chance for me to meet everyone from Eden Can Can who held the event, get to know the brand (which I admit, I had never heard of before), meet other stylists and munch on some scrummy canapes and sip champagne! For those who don't know Little Mistress, the brand is known for it's glamourous occassion wear. The brand is for day or night wear, but is ideal for the party scene. I would compare the brand to Lipsy due to its prom style dresses and sparkly detail. Little Mistress have worked with the likes of the The Only Way is Essex girls; Billie and Sam Faires from TOWIE  who have their own collection with the brand called 'Little Mistress by Minnies'.

My final day (the whole point of this post) was assisting this shoot for Stuff magazine. My duties included prepping the clothes Charlotte had called in: hanging, steaming and packing it all away and the end of the shoot. It was set in a location house which someone actually lives in but rents it out for photo shoots or  likewise. I was told Stuff are trying to take a more fashion forward approach to their shoots, this one was based around the theme of block colour. It was great to see it all come together and to learn the impact lighting makes due to this being the focal point of the shoot. The photographer was David Venni, HMU, Emma White Turle, Art Director Alex Fanning and the clothes were from a variety of brands including Lipsy, American Apparel, Marc Jacobs and more. The model was Bruna from Nevs who was incredibly gorgeous! Definitely made me feel frumpy.

We were treated to a yummy lunch and everyone was very friendly. I wasn't a huge contributor to this shoot but it was a fantastic opportunity to learn a lot about how it all comes together. I was so excited when I saw this issue in the shops and to be able to go I WAS THERE. I DID THAT! I IRONED THOSE CLOTHES!  Ha ha you may be laughing at me but it does mean so much seeing something you helped with in national press in national shops!



























What do you think of the shoot? Has anyone had any internship luck recently? Any features or work to share? We all have to celebrate our achievements and stick together!

Katie xxx

Thank you gifts

Hello, sorry for the 10 day delay in posting. How are we all? I have recently been offered a new contract at work so I have been busy trying to balance this with CV writing and job applications. Anyone else still struggling with the career ladder? I'd love some reassurance during this time. My days seem to be full of writing CVs, thinking about CVs or writing a to do list of CV writing...oh and dreaming about CVs!! All with the over consumption of chocolate to comfort my unemployement fears. This irrational behaviour meant a break was definitely in order....back to blogging! :)

This post is one I meant to do a while ago after finishing my internship at B public relations. I've been doing some serious blog catching up so apologies for it not coming sooner.

I was extremely flattered to be given a bag of goodies when I left Boudoir (now B public relations) and was so excited to be able to experiment with a few brands I havn’t ever brought into.

Firstly these 5 pots of Ciate nail varnishes were a big love. I have seen the brand featured on quite a few blogs recently so have been interested in investing in some shades – I am so thankful I got them for free! A double bonus was when I spotted I had been given a croc embossed effect set in gold and purple. I have been wanting to try the crack effect out since last winter, I just had not got round to updating my nail varnish set. This look will be perfect for this Christmas and the party nights ahead. The purple is really wintery and warm with the gold adding a bit of glamour. This single pots are also ideal colours for me. The plain berry colour ‘guest list’ 042 is a mega heart as I adore deep palette paints to edge up an outfit. The grey ‘cream soda’ will be great in pushing me to experiment with my shades and the brighter ‘cabaret pink’ 046 adds a wicked paint to make the three a dynamic trio. I am not really a baby pink or pastel nail varnish girl, I like to keep my nails dark and grungy so these are PERFECT! 

Also included in my goodie bag were some Nourish products; a cleanser, toner and a face mousteriser. First of all I have to say, I have never used a cleanser or toner before in this sort of a trio. I normally either just moisturize, sometimes use a black head face scrub or a moisturizing make up remover for my daily beauty routine – well, when I can be bothered. Because of this I don't feel I can really review the Toner as I don't have much to compare it to and don't know anything about toners in general. To me they seem a bit of random product with not much purpose. I would love some advice and tips on this so I can really understand their purpose. 

The cleanser was a thin gel rather than the cream I expected ( I don't know why I expected this just assumptions!). I didn't need much to cover my face and to be honest, I used little due to being concious of the zingy scent. The orange and mandarin is really powerful in this product and having sensitive skin which has suffered from rashes with orange based products in the past, I am always weary. It really feels like you have squeezed oranges onto your face which is a bit odd. This will be either a love or hate for many. My favourite was the moisturizer. Having dry skin  I have a lot more experience in this area. Again the scent of this product is quiet strong but held more of a musky scent than the other two products. Not much is needed and it is a bit heavier with a creamy sort of base rather than some gel ones I have used. I felt a bit of tinglyness if I am honest, now that might be my paranoia but other than that my skin feels really soft and I would use it again. Has anyone else used any Nourish products? I am going to continue using this trio for a while to see if this improves my skin at all so if anything else changes, I will let you know.

I was then given a wonderful card full of messages from the girls. It was so lovely to read all the comments and to hear my time at the office was appreciated and worth while to them. I am going to miss the girls and can’t thank them enough for my lovely gifts!

Has anyone else been lucky enough to be given any goodies from any work placements? Work experience may be tiring when all you want to do is succeed but honestly, it is worth it. You just got to push through the storm to see the rainbow. :). Internships are becoming  my forte at the moment (another sleep, eat breath syndrome) so I would be really interested to hear on anyone elses experiences - leave me a comment and we can natter!

Katie xx

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have

I am taking a little break from my spending splurges. This is still a 'new items' based post but luckily this time, I didn't have to spend anything. (ok, apart from my train tickets - does that count as spending?) I finished my Motel Rocks internship last Thursday. As mentioned, I was only there for 5 days as this is all they could offer me until late December. I got the contact through my time at Boudoir as Natasha moved from Boudoir to MotelRocks.com just two months ago when the brand decided to take PR in house. This meant the office was really small as their main team is based in Bristol.

My duties mainly included sample send outs and celebrity gifting which meant immaculate gift wrapping service. I also booked couriers and dealt with brands to help out with goodie bags. On my last day I got to look into venues, caterers and activities for an upcoming blog event. I loved this bit and I think I  have learnt I would like to focus on event planning.

I was so lucky to receive a thank you gift from Natasha and the team for my time there. Here are some of the goodies! I think the turquoise dress would have been perfect for holiday - maybe this is a reason to book another? And the purple is such a gorgeous colour that I will definitely wear it on a night out on the town. What do you think? Thank you Natasha and thank you Motel!

Has anyone else done any internships? I always love to hear about them!

Much love, Katie xx