Congratulations on being hired as a full-time employee! Just this time last year, I was interning at a large PR agency in St. Louis, MO and now I am serving as an AE at an agency in Des Moines, Iowa.
My roles have drastically changed after becoming a full-time employee and through my experience, I suggest knowing the following to ensure a smooth transition as you move on up:
1. You now have more responsibility.
You may be responsible for mentoring the next group of interns, or you may just have the responsibility of reviewing a media list before a supervisor sees it. Either way, the company hired you and now they trust to be an extremely valuable employee.
2. You are now a leader.
I remember admiring and looking up to the AAEs when I was an intern, so remember to be a strong leader in your new role. The interns will value your advice and management will look at you to be a stand-out leader in your teams.
3. You are not done learning.
Don’t think for a second you are done learning now that you are hired on after completing an internship. Take your supervisor to coffee and offer to help with extra projects. I also suggest young professionals continue to attend PRSA events, join a PRSA committee, take an online webinar and seek to meet new people in the industry. The learning has just begun!
The expectations are definitely higher since they’re paying you the big bucks, but know that you have the education and internship experience to do a great job.
Gabby Bladdick is a December 2010 graduate of Valparaiso University where she majored in public relations and minored in business. She was active in PRSSA and is currently a member of PRSA. Gabby currently is an account executive at Hanser & Associates in Des Moines, Iowa.