Q. During your remarks at the Hoosier PRSA meeting, you mentioned expectations of Millennials and how some managers and GenY employees have difficulty bridging the generational gap. I was just offered an agency internship and would like to know more about how to manage my expectations and those of my supervisors.
A. You’re already on your way to success if you landed the internship. Internships are extremely competitive. So, your supervisors saw something in you that meets their expectations for the position. Therefore, just do what you did to land the job–be yourself and don’t attempt to over-impress with what you think you know. Identify agency leaders you respect and model yourself after them. That usually requires you to do a lot of listening. Rather than trying to impress by becoming too talkative, focus on producing error-free work in less time than expected. You’ll get noticed quickly.
For employers, Matt Shaw, Director of Communications for the Council of Public Relations firms, suggests agencies can bridge the generational divide by adopting an employer-employee “compact”. Despite the cultural divide that generates lots of discussion, the future of the PR profession depends on successful assimilation of tech-savvy Millennials. Matt provides great insights and tips for both sides of the generational divide.
Very helpful entry. Being a part of Gen Y, I am about to intern within the PR department at an integrated marketing agency. Again, here, I feel a basic rule of PR applies: listen. Listen to who you’re working with, understand and get to know the field. “Listen” is probably one of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve ever had.