Intern Diaries: Why Is Mentoring Important in Enhancing Professionalism?

The road to success is paved with twists and turns, and without the proper support and guidance of a good mentor, one may never realise his capacity for greatness within the industry. Indeed, most successful leaders today owe their success to mentors who have helped them get to where they are: Steve Jobs gave Mark Zuckerberg sound advice during the early days of Facebook, Bill Gates had Warren Buffet to thank, and even Gordon Ramsay had the opportunity to be trained by a few chef mentors, including Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux.

In a fast-evolving industry such as PR, the importance of having a great mentor cannot be underestimated. Especially for newbies in the PR field, effective mentorship can equip one with the right skillset—and fast-track the journey towards becoming a PR rockstar.

We asked our youngest team members to share why they think mentorship is important in enhancing professionalism in PR.

Empowering me to be my best ever-improving self

As a young adult and budding professional, I feel very strongly about the topic of mentorship and hold very dearly to heart the people I accept as my mentors. Mentorship is a unique sector-agnostic relationship, especially so in my most recent exploration of the PR industry where I have received more critical guiding questions, than be simply handed direct guidance itself. In the pursuit of professionalism, mentors offer efficiency if we are ready to receive and to give value at the same time, and I am grateful for being placed into challenging tasks for myself to grow stronger and achieve practical skills, such as in time management, process flow, communication and strategic planning. Moving forward, proactiveness is key to making a mentor-mentee relationship blossom, as rapport grows between myself and my mentor Darren. In the way professionalism has been framed by him to me, I know there is yet more I do not know. It is this sort of interesting open-ended conversations we have that keeps me going, and finding out what works for myself, and us as a PRecious tag team. The skills of accuracy, of pitching, of planning, in PR are honed through drilling, practice and constant vetting, and I enjoy the dynamics of mentorship in empowering me to be my best ever-improving self.

Contributed by Lim Cheng Sing, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Understanding the bigger context and implications of tasks

Despite being new to the PR industry, I’ve always had interest in the field. I am still unfamiliar with certain protocols and processes, however, I consider myself fortunate to have a very patient mentor who is efficient in guiding me towards the right skills and competencies I would need to harness further. This prepares me for my career progression. PR is a truly dynamic profession, requiring good writing skills, verbal communications, and most especially proper time management. Without having a proper mentor, one can easily get lost and confused, not fully understanding the bigger context and implications of the tasks s/he is being asked to accomplish. My mentor is not just someone there to guide me, she’s also a friend when needed. The importance of building a good rapport and relationship makes working together even better. Understanding the ropes of PR and alongside having someone there when things get heavy is the best of both worlds.

Contributed by Nur Nadhirah Binte Salemi, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Smooth transition into PR life

As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. This is where the value of mentoring comes in, widening our perspective and allowing us to see things more clearly in terms of the overall picture. We get to question what we don’t know, learn more, and grow in the process. As an intern, it is very easy to just work day-by-day, task by task, without knowing why we do the work we do. A great mentor allows us to better understand the real reasons behind our work, which may not be obvious at first glance. Being new to the PR industry, I credit a lot of what I know now to my mentor, who has been very patient in explaining the PR lifecycle and jargon. Needless to say, this has definitely made my transition into PR life a lot smoother. One thing I didn’t expect to learn from my mentor is the art of email writing – being able to sound firm yet friendly when building connections with external stakeholders. All of these have contributed to my growth as an intern and the ability to undertake greater tasks; this, in turn, has enhanced my professionalism and credibility in the field. I’m really grateful to have a mentor who is patient, encouraging and an overall superwoman.

Contributed by Tania Seah, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Giving me the confidence to expand my horizons

Interns who are fairly new to the industry might not know much about the world of PR and communications. This is where having the right mentor can groom interns towards becoming more competent and prepared in different aspects of PR, including media monitoring, account servicing, content development, and media relations. Mentors can help share their experience and expertise with interns, especially when it comes to thinking ahead and anticipating requirements better. As newbies in the industry, professionalism is an important asset we need to imbibe in our everyday lives, and managers help us achieve this goal. There is always room for improvement, and managers are integral in helping us move forward in the right direction. At PRecious, I should say I’m extremely lucky to have a supportive and encouraging mentor, who patiently coaches me on the different proficiencies and skills I need to harness further, while giving me the confidence to try new things and expand my horizons.

Contributed by Aishwarya Valliappan, Junior Client Executive, PRecious Communications

Keen on embarking in a career in PR? Contact us around our 6 months internship programme at PRecious Communications to gain exposure at one of Singapore’s leading PR firms. We welcome graduates and students from universities, polytechnics or junior colleges from all backgrounds who are passionate about communicating in an impactful way.