By Nicole Fernandes, 3rd year PR student
Calling all PR students who have ever thought, ‘Wow, some people just have all the luck?’
Stop wondering and grab all the opportunities to practice PR while you are still a student. All you need is the hunger and drive to go for it and you too could be as successful.
Elisabet Smit, Head of Student Counselling at CPUT, conducted a research to find out what respective CPUT employers look for in entry level graduates.
“Employers don’t necessarily look for the person with the top marks but one who has developed their skills learnt in class,” says Smit.
The top competencies found consisted of the trade knowledge, team building, time management, leadership abilities, effective communication abilities and the ability to manage conflict. As a student at CPUT, work on being able to demonstrate these competencies through every day life experiences. Think of how you could explain your contribution to projects and if you took a leadership position, say so. Consider how you present yourself in person and over the phone. Good verbal skills are important as most PR students would know so practice your public speaking by speaking up in class at every opportunity.
For soon-to-be graduates who want to be enter industry, get 'out there' by contacting companies that you are interested in or organisations you are passionate about and find out if you could help. Non-profit organisations often run community projects on a limited budget and could use the extra hands and your PR skills.
“Student leadership and involvement is encouraged as a way to broaden skills. At Student Counselling, we run student workshops that help students improve their skills.” says Smit. These workshops focus on increasing self awareness, help you learn how to network, prepare job applications and practice your personal presentation skills in mock interviews. Other topics that will be addressed are time management, oral presentation, how to receive and give feedback in a positive way and how to manage stress.
It is all there for you, you just got to grab those opportunities and take full advantage of it.
For more information, contact Student Counselling on 021 460 3237 or find them on the 2nd level, room 2.7 of the Administration building, Cape Town Campus.
