Jillian: Taking it a Step Higher

One thing has remained manifest since the beginning of my internship – success takes initiative. Being willing to do the work given to you and doing it with a smile is a great way to show your capabilities as an intern, but taking it a step higher and being proactive with assignments is the way to earn respect and recognition. Offering to take on assignments prior to allocation and executing them with all of your effort has played an integral role in my success throughout the duration of this internship.
In helping to complete one of the largest RFIs I have ever seen since my time as an intern, I was pleased when I came across a question regarding our biostatistical experience. I remembered that a couple months ago, I had written a case study highlighting our biostatistical experience for a complex trial recently conducted. I went back and forth with the idea of using this case study as a means of answering the biostatistical question. I wasn’t sure if my supervisor would like the idea, or if it was good enough to include in such a significant RFI. After this self-inflicted debate, I decided to utilize the case study I was proud of and present it to my supervisor and colleague during a meeting. To my delight, they were extremely pleased and excited to use the case study in answering the question. Furthermore, they suggested removing it as an attachment icon as I had it, and importing it as a word document so as to make it “up front” and more presentable to the client. The initiative and slight risk I decided to take was well worth it!

The case study I wrote has now been used twice in order to market our services. Initiative was used to write the case study itself, and now I am initiating the utilization of the case study in appropriate situations. Going further, I believe effort, willingness, and initiative all contributed to the extension of my internship into next semester, something I am truly looking forward to continuing!

Jillian: "Let's Get Together"

Meetings, speakers, agendas, PowerPoint presentations. In a corporate environment, one might become all too familiar with these things. However, as this past week has taught me, there is an invaluable element affiliated with these business gatherings.

A large organization can be somewhat of a well-oiled machine, with various departments doing their routine tasks on a daily basis. The many departments may work well together, but a single department also needs to be an efficient team, producing quality work on the same page. In order to ensure this sense of higher organization, business meetings seem ideal. The 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule can become so familiar and so routine, that the work may become easier for an individual, and yet it can result in a point of stagnation for the department as a whole. Getting together for meetings, presentations, and speakers can alleviate potential problems such as this while motivating employees, reminding them of important elements, and discussing future procedures that will provide the organization with innovative approaches, efficient teamwork, and in turn, a higher success rate.

Jillian: An Inevitable Thing Called "Change"

As seniors, we are faced with the daunting task of planning our lives within a matter of a couple months (or at least it feels like it). It is now November, which marks the beginning of the six-month countdown until graduation. In planning the next chapter of our lives, we must take into consideration a future career we wish to pursue, grad school and things like. At this stage in life, every action we take as seniors will perhaps affect the path we take leading to the rest of our lives. A scary thought? Absolutely!

One might feel the need to strategically coordinate their next moves in order to achieve all he or she envisions; however, we must also take into consideration that, indeed, things change. And if there is one thing I have learned from my internship, it is just that – anything can change in one moment. Furthermore, in the industry of corporate communications, it happens quite frequently. From departmental structure, to employment positions and responsibilities, to standard procedures, many changes may take place that potentially affect our “9 to 5” lives. “So how does this pertain to my life right now?” you might ask. While this notion of change applies directly to the working world, as seniors, we must also keep this valuable lesson in mind on an everyday basis, being students and nearly-graduates on the prowl.

My eyes have been opened to the multi-faceted world of communications on so many levels. My internship introduced me to the fascinating world of scientific writing – the ins, the outs, the ups, the downs, and everything in between. Initially, I was surprised to discover that things change frequently in this industry. Just as I became familiar with the daily routine, the corporate structure changed within the department I was working. While it took some time to get used to the changes, I became comfortable once again with my daily routine and responsibilities. Well, a departmental change occurred shortly thereafter, and I am still in the process of familiarizing myself with the new conditions. I have come to the realization that in a corporate environment, things constantly change and modifications take place – but with the intention of growth. It’s inevitable. And we can either obsess over the fact that “hey, things aren’t going exactly how I envisioned,” or we can roll with the punches and master new challenges that face us, because it will happen. New ideas, new structures, new procedures, new responsibilities, and new experiences will come our way. As seniors preparing for the rest of our lives, we need to embrace this notion yet continue to strive for what we set out to accomplish. As we stand in front of forks in the road, deciding which way to go with desperation, just know that the new journey we are about to embark on will contain change and alterations but will eventually result in growth.

Reply to Shane's post about importance of Convergence + Lots of Lessons learned by Laura, Melissa, & Christine

We did NOT pay Shane to talk about how important convergence is. He has been working on the Eagles Web site for two years now and he can tell us firsthand how writing + several media skills is what will make each of you more valuable and stand out from the crowd of applicants.

Lots of you -- Laura, Melissa, Christine -- are talking about major lessons learned this week, some real challenges and bumps in the road that some of you have hit this week. But I can't tell you how much confidence I have in you that you will grow from the tough weeks, disappointments, and even mistakes you make. You have these feelings this week because you set high expectations for yourselves. You people posting here have always set challenges for yourselves each year and lived up to them and then exceeded them.

Shane - The Routine + how important Convergence is for us Com majors

Working with an organization like the Philadelphia Eagles for the time that I have, over a year now, everything becomes a routine.

The life of a professional football player is all about specific times to work out, practice, eat, relax, train, get therapy, everything. As part of the media that cover the team, the rest of the PhiladelphiaEagles.com crew and myself are recquired to adhere to this routine.

Everyday is exactly the same.

Practice is held at the same time everyday of every week. The press conferences are held at the same times and we are allowed in the locker room following them for the same amount of time.

Now, this isn't exactly a bad thing, because you are always sure of what's going on, but it can become a bit trite and worn out.

As for myself, today's duties are more exciting than usual. Recently, i've been doing my own weekly pop culture quiz for the players, and when I go into the locker room, my goal is to ask these questions to the players and record their responses.

It's the third week i've been doing it, and I must say, it's so much easier to talk to a player about things like, "the last CD they purchased" or "their favorite fast food" because this is what makes them human. Being a football is just what they are best at. These questions warrant answers about who they are as people. Not to mention the fact that when there are 30+ other media members in the locker room at the same time that I am, and i'm the only one asking something different, it's definitely refreshing to them (the players), and they are obvoiusly more willing to speak with me.

I noticed that my title on this blog is "Philadelphia Eagles website writer." I find that funny because writing is about 20% of what I actually do here with the Eagles. On a daily basis, I generally write maybe one story, on game day, two or three. Most of what I do is related to the site itself and keeping it up-to-date, and content filled. I update archives, photo galleries, keywords, feature sections (my pop culture quiz for example), and a whole host of other things.

Being the NFL's best website isn't just about writing, at least not anymore. Sure, we have four writers on hand to deliver the straight news, but with the way the web is going and the fact that convergence is at the forefront of news media, we go way beyond that. There is usually more audio/video clips on the site than there is articles.

In my year here with the Eagles, that is one of the main things that I have learned: That if you want to be successful, which we definitely have been, you have to be good at more than one thing. Having more than one ability or trade is definitely a major asset to have. And following the routine that I have since last September has forced me to broaden my understanding of the media and all it's facets, which is something I am extremely pleased with.

Christine: Math for Journalists

The reason why I decided to intern for the Business Journal is because my portfolio was suffering from a lack of breaking/hard news clips. I have three weekly assignments at my internship: compile "on the move" (1400 words about who got hired/promoted/etc at Philadelphia's biggest firms), compile my "good works" column (about 650 words about companies/nonprofits doing acts of kindness like fundraisers, donating money & volunteering) and the "on the move" column (about 250 words on a new and interesting hire in the Philadelphia region)

Although these three tasks aren't that bad - - I could be making photocopies and fetching coffee if I decided to intern at a huge NYC publication like I originally wanted too - - they still don't always deliver the clips I want to add to my portfolio.

And since I'm graduating in December, I'm like a hungry shark floundering through newsrooms looking for my next opportunity to eat. I feast on clips - - especially ones that can impress a recruiter or potential employer.

So when an editor stopped by my cubicle on Monday morning to ask about my workload and if I'd like to work on a breaking news story I didn't even hesitate to accept. He started to give me background about the story; a forum was about to release its survey on women on boards in the Philadelphia region.

But it was when he started to mention the percentages is when I started to panic. He handed me a press release with the major findings from the survey and told me he would forward more background information to me. Before leaving, he told me I had until 11 a.m. Wednesday to finish the story, and he added that I should double check to make sure all percentages were correct.

I immediately thought to myself, "Math!? I thought as journalist I wouldn't have to run into my numeral arch nemeses until at least next tax season."

I was definitely wrong. This story needed to be accurate; it needed me to not only fact check the numbers - - but to analyze them as well. While beginning my task I learned it is much easier for me (apparently suffering from number phobia) to actually write the numbers down on paper then to rely on my computer.

It's much easier to accidentally type the wrong information (especially numbers and confusing percentages) than it is to write it down with pen and paper.

So during the interviews I made sure to double check all numbers before I even began to ask the interviewees what their conclusions were from the data.

By the way, all the interviews I conducted for the interview happened in between classes on Tuesday. It was the only time that my interviewees and I could agree to talk given the time constraints. It was definitely a hassle, but I guess that goes to show that if you want good clips you're going to have to work for them.

Jillian - Organization + Initiative = Success

Vital elements of any successful department are organization and proficiency – something I learned my first day in Scientific Communications. Being able to find files and information quickly is crucial to creating effective RFIs and within the client’s deadlines. While I will continue to learn useful methods for maintaining this level of organization, I underwent a meticulous lesson on how to find important information on what is called the Project Database – a listing of all studies we have conducted. Joanne, my supervisor, and I sat down to discuss all facets of the Project Database and how to find detailed information on individual studies that would be beneficial in writing creative text for RFIs. Marketing every RFI differently is extremely important when pin-pointing particular aspects of clinical studies important to different clients. The information Joanne provided this week will be valuable when determining what information would be advantageous to use in the sales text of future RFIs. On Tuesday, September 12, I received a special thanks from two employees regarding how organized I have been keeping the documents and folders on the computer drive.

I have been working on a Case Study, one of many marketing materials ICON utilizes, regarding a significant trial we conducted. I focused on the excellent service provided by the Biostats/Programming department and included information I obtained through interviews. While this Case Study has not yet been published, it is going to be used in a business opportunity where the client is interested in our Biostats/Programming services. I informed the Account Executive in charge of the RFI and informed her about the Case Study I recently created. She immediately requested a copy of the Case Study and it will hopefully be used in a presentation selling our services to the client.