We couldn’t let Jaclyn Martyn depart to continue her studies in medical sciences this fall without hearing her reflections on her short-but-productive internship at K&P. Jaclyn shared a few insights that should surely resonate with our upcoming cohorts of interns who are seeking a career in PR.
What are the most relevant skills you gained during your time at K&P?
Definitely the ability to quickly adapt to new challenges and to manage my time efficiently. K&P operates in a fast-paced, evolving industry which means you must be prepared for anything and everything that comes your way!
What did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed working with a variety of different clients in completely diverse fields and industries. It is interesting to learn about companies specializing in food, cybersecurity, home renovations, real estate and more. However, one of my favourite activities at K&P was media pitching because it was the perfect way to learn more about a client I may or may not have worked with before. I was somewhat nervous sending out my first few emails and even more nervous making my first few follow-up calls – but over time I grew to love pitching!
What was the most challenging or rewarding?
The most challenging but rewarding experience at K&P was creating a briefing book I helped put together within my first two weeks as an intern! One of our clients was transitioning to a new role at a different company and my main role was to gather all the information I could on the new firm to create a “starter guide” for our client. I became almost like an expert on the company as I learned everything about them from their case studies to innovative solutions to media opportunities. I researched it all. I also searched through press releases and article mentions of the firm which was quite difficult as I was not yet completely familiar with our search engine tools: Cision and Meltwater. However, this task became one of my favourite learning experiences as it forced me to fully immerse myself into the online platforms and navigate my way around the websites. After I had completed my assigned tasks, the book was handed over to our graphic designer who did an amazing job making all the important facts and design elements come together in a beautiful way. This was the most rewarding part about the briefing book as I watched its development from start to finish.
What advice do you have for future interns at K&P?
The K&P team is your biggest and best resource! K&P has a remarkable team filled with the brightest minds who also happen to have the warmest hearts. The best advice I can give to future interns is to not be afraid to ask questions or seek help. When I first started my internship, I felt very apprehensive as I had no clue what to expect. However, this team went above and beyond to help me feel right at home. My internship went by extremely quickly, so I recommend to make the most of it and to always ask others if they need help!
You will never imagine the countless opportunities and diverse accounts you could be working on just by sending a simple Slack message. Additionally, one last piece of advice I would give is that during my first few weeks I was able to shadow a few people on tasks such as media monitoring. This greatly benefited me as I had limited experience in this area prior to my internship and shadowing someone really helped me understand the task expectations. Finally, you are surrounded by some of the most caring, creative, and supportive people at K&P so do not hesitate to reach out to them because they will allow you to truly learn and grow! Every member of this team is passionate about their work and by the end of your internship I hope you feel the same too.
Thank you, Jaclyn! We definitely try to surround ourselves with the brightest minds and warmest hearts, and you were certainly one of them!
We will truly miss Jaclyn’s sweetness and grace and wish her the best in her future endeavours. And if that medical sciences thing doesn’t work out – you know where to find us! 😉