How to make the best first impression and win in your traineeship

The idea behind traineeships is great: they offer young, motivated individuals the chance to gain hands-on experience and relevant training within their chosen industry. They not only build the core skills for success, they also establish valuable business connections and personal endorsements that can last a lifetime. Everyone you meet during a traineeship, apprenticeship or industry placement will form an opinion of working with you and those opinions last. So it’s a wise strategy to make them good.

At MANDATE, we offer a six-month fully paid PR trainee scheme which leads to a fulltime position, with an attractive salary, benefits and bonuses. Candidates who join us on this scheme work for four days per week and have one day dedicated to external training and skills development. This approach means that a candidate will develop all of the foundation skills and core competencies needed to win as a generalist PR, content and communications consultant. After the training period we encourage people to specialise in the area of PR that they enjoy and excel in the most; editorial, media relations, social media, content creation, creative services etc.

We only take on trainees when there is a guaranteed position at the end of it – as I firmly believe people will put in way more effort if they view the opportunity as a longer-term commitment, going way beyond the initial training period. More than two decades working in the PR and brand marketing sector has taught me that there are a few simple things you can do to impress from the start. I think these are great tips for anyone starting on a new career journey.

Show granular attention-to-detail

Diligence and attention is crucial in everything you do - or you will inevitably set yourself up for failure. It is vital that you pay particular attention to the detail. Remember that you are making a first impression in a company you want to work with for the long haul and sloppiness is easily interpreted as a lack of commitment and care. Write things down, ask questions and make sure you are switched on, engaged and learn the detail.

True commitment shows

Needless to say, a goal-oriented attitude is essential to succeed in the business world. However, the same holds true for the process of choosing an employer whether you join as a trainee, on a Uni placement or go straight into a fulltime position. Always question your reasons for committing to an employer… is it because you truly believe this is where you want your future career to be? Or is it out of fear that nothing else will come along? If your mentality is aligned to the second scenario then you will find your role unrewarding and hard going. Personal drive and passion are two key ingredients for winning in business. It’s important to be honest with yourself from the off. Treading water is not valuable work experience.

Do what you love

Steve Jobs once said: “The only way to do great work is to do what you love.”  I wholeheartedly second this. In my career, I have seen many different personalities come and go in many settings. The best colleagues were always the ones with the most passion and energy for their job. PR isn’t brain science, and we are not saving lives. It’s PR not ER! But it does require tenacity and the ability to think laterally. Choosing a company to work for that you are excited about will make it easier for you to excel and shine. You will also reap greater returns in your longer-term career – bigger salary rises, faster promotions, more recognition and reward.

Believe to achieve

Flexibility, honesty and the ability to adjust are all key qualities in the modern workplace – whether that is in an office or working remotely from home as part of a virtual team. At times things do go wrong. We are all human and mistakes happen. Address them honestly, openly and quickly. Rather than revel in despair, keep your eyes on the end goal. What do you want to take away from this scenario? A former client of mine once said: “Stu, I pay you to put the "SUC CESS" postcode into the PR Satnav”. It’s cheesy yes, but so very true. If you do not consider failure to be an option, it does not need to become one. If you let doubt and woe into your work life - then you are saying to yourself that is an acceptable outcome. Aim high, dream big and visualise success. 

Grit reaps rewards

Work is like life – you get out what you put in. Never see yourself as just a ‘job title’ turning up to clock in and clock out. Put the effort in, put the time in and put the energy in. Your employer has taken you on because they see the potential in you and they are investing in supporting you to fulfil that potential. Ask yourself: Am I doing the very best work I can? Am I proud of my work? Am I delivering excellence? If the answer is no, the next question needs to be: What do I need to change to improve? Remember your employer wants you to win and succeed – because when you do – the team does – and when that happens the business succeeds too. So, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and don’t forget to use it moving forward. Learning how to constructively receive criticism is a valuable quality that you will profit from for a lifetime.

One of my favorite quotes about effort and input is:  Don’t be upset, by the results you didn’t get, from the work you didn’t do.