Writing Professionals: Careers for Young Writers: Part Two: An Interview with Nicholas Edrington (PR and Communications)

Can I just say that Nick was an absolute pleasure to work with at Think HQ. I was so lucky to have such a supportive community at Think HQ when I interned there this past trimester at Deakin.

Nick was the light and energy in the office, someone I looked up to for his optimism and commitment to his job. Being only just older than myself but strides and strides ahead of me in his career, I knew I wanted to talk to him about his career: past, present and future.

I asked Nick some questions and he was nice enough to give me some great answers and wisdom.

• What are you doing for a job at the moment? (Job title and responsibilities)

I’m a Senior Account Executive at Think HQ, a full-service communications agency in South Melbourne. My responsibilities include the development of social media strategies, content creation and publishing. I also am responsible for social media advertising, community management, copywriting, stakeholder engagement and media relations.

• What did you want to do for a career when you were in high school?

I think I went through all the motions that most people do – doctor, lawyer, business person (whatever that means). At the close of high school and my first year at uni, I thought I wanted to be an Accountant – what a farce!

• What did you study after high school?

I entered the Bachelor of Business (Accounting)/Bachelor of Arts at Monash and after a year and a half dropped the Bachelor of Business as I found my love for Accounting wasn’t that great, and I had failed both first year economics and statistics. So that didn’t bode well. I continued Arts majoring in Journalism, and somewhere between there and several years later discovered Public Relations – I actually think it was Ab Fab that did it. It took my 7 years to eventually graduate, as I changed degrees, went part-time and deferred. I’m a big believer that life doesn’t run to plan, and in truth, I’m grateful I spent so long lost in my degree, as the majority of my learning happened outside Monash – paying bills, (flirting with being broke several times), navigating relationships and travelling.

• What do you really like and dislike about your job?

I really like my colleagues. We have all had jobs where we didn’t get along with everyone, or where we felt we spent much of our time and energy tip-toeing around managers or peers. Think HQ is fantastic in that everyone is very genuine, friendly and approachable. There is a really great level of trust in everyone to do their work, and this allows for initiative and innovative thinking. I also find that everyone is experienced and passionate about their profession, which means I can turn to peers and managers for advice and opinions, satisfied that their feedback is considered and valuable.

What do I dislike? I suppose I dislike pitching to media the most, this has always been my weak point, but is one of the reasons I chose to work at Think HQ. The agency is now award winning for its media relations work, and I know that this is the right place to challenge myself to overcome this anxiety and build my experience and skill.

• What else could you see yourself doing for a career?

I’m really interested in broader organisational strategy and governance. I would love to go back to university and pick up business again as I find I’m really interested in understanding the bigger picture of what makes organisations tick, and how they fit into the economy. Later in life I would be interested in taking my communications experience and applying this in business or organisational governance.

• Any tips for university students?

Throw yourself into uni. When I began uni in 2010 I thought I was in Year 13 of school – commute to uni, attend lectures and tutes, then go home and study. It wasn’t until I was graduating in 2017 and looked back on my time that I realised that the real learning happened outside the classroom. Juggling several jobs while studying, stressing about money problems while in Hong Kong, navigating the breakdown of a long-term relationship,, or interning in India – these are just some things that come to mind. It doesn’t matter what you are doing, so long as you are taking risks, embarking on adventures and making opportunity for quiet reflection to learn from these things.

• Is there anything you would have done differently over your career so far?

I could name a number of things, but I don’t know if I should have done things differently so far. In the ideal world I would have graduated in 2012 and would today have 5 years of agency experience under my belt. However, I don’t think I’d have the same appreciation of my job if I didn’t spend 6 years working in sales, and if I hadn’t tried so many subjects at uni and changed course a few times, I don’t think I would have discovered PR – nor would I have appreciated that careers aren’t a linear path.

 

I want to thank Nick for being so accommodating and answering all of my questions and for giving me to much great advice. I hope that he and everyone at Think HQ continue to succeed and I’m truly honoured I got to be a part of that team for the time I did.

 

You can find Nick on LinkedIn here.

And you can learn more about Think HQ here.

The Five Lessons I Learnt Interning at PR and Communications Agency, Think HQ

Over this past semester, in my final year of study, I was lucky enough to intern for three months, two days a week, at Think HQ, a PR and Communications agency in South Melbourne.

Coming from a Professional and Creative Writing background, going into a PR and Communications agency, it initially felt daunting to be trusted to take on writing assignments that I’d never tackled before. Luckily, I was welcomed into a great company that gave me guidance where needed and allowed my creative ideas elsewhere.

I learnt a lot from my time at Think HQ and here are five of the best points I took from my time interning:

 

1. The Values of Clients at Think HQ

Think HQ are proud to only work with clients whose values match their own. This means only working with clients who want to make a positive difference in everything they do. For me, this has meant that in my time at Think HQ I have had the chance to learn about the great things so many companies and not-for-profits are doing for Australia.

 

2. The Wide Range of Things to Do and Learn as an Intern

Entering into an internship can be intimidating. Coming from university where everything feels very comfortable and safe, you get a trial run to enter the real world and see what real life work experience in your industry is like. Fortunately, as an intern I was given so much real work to do (no collecting coffees, or dropping off mail) I was given plenty of things to write, as well as learning a whole range of new skills.

 

3. The Workplace Culture

One of the best things to see at Think HQ is the way the office interacts. The office has a wonderful community feeling and that if anyone needs help with their workload, everyone jumps in to assist. The sense of teamwork is admirable here, and it feels as though everyone is happy to be at the office. As a writer, I’ve noticed we can be an introverted bunch, and I’ve often felt myself to be this way. The office felt nothing but comfortable to me since the first day I showed up and for that I’m very grateful that everyone could be so welcoming when everyone feels so tight knit.

 

4. Learning to Find a Balance

To be entirely honest, balancing time between studies, work and the internship has been tough, trying to make sure that I have my priorities split equally between everything. This means that all my assignments, paying for my bills and rent, and also getting up for my internship, refreshed and ready for a full day of writing and creating. It can be a stretch at times but it’s also been entirely beneficial and rewarding.

 

5. Real Life Experience is Invaluable

I haven’t had any doubts about the time I have worked at Think HQ. I feel as though I’ve come out the other side of this internship with a whole new set of skills and experiences that other university students that chose not to seek out an internship might be missing. It is a decision that makes all the hard work seem entirely worth it.

 

I cannot encourage taking on an internship enough. Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones who found a place that really knew how to treat their interns. I don’t have any doubts about the time I have worked here at Think HQ. I’ve come out the other side of this internship with a whole new set of skills and experiences that will be invaluable to me as I begin to search for a job that will kickstart my career.

 

You can find out more about Think HQ on their website. Also, take a look at their blog where I made a post or two.

 

I’d love to hear about your experiences interning or even if you are wishing to intern.

 

— pippa.macey

Writing Professionals: Careers for Young Writers: Part One: An Interview with Stefanie Reilly (PR and Marketing)

While the search for jobs is getting increasingly difficult, we as writers, will always be needed. Writing skills are always a coveted skill to have. There are many areas that a writer can dapple, but having a job that means you will always have money coming in is definitely a plus.

We need to be flexible with what we want to do for work. Writing is a part of a lot of jobs but trying to find one where you get to thrive as a writer and be creative is more of the goal.

Thinking of careers goals and options as I finish up my Professional and Creative Writing course, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to Stefanie Reilly and ask her lots of questions about getting to where she is now.

 

What are you doing for a job at the moment?

Stefanie Reilly is the PR and Content Manager at The Prahran Market, as well as Freelance Writer/Copywriter and Casual Tutor at Deakin University.

 

What did you want to do in high school?

Stefanie wanted to do Journalism at RMIT, but changed her mind when she realised it wasn’t really ‘hard news’ she really liked writing about.

 

What did you study after high school?

Stefanie ended up doing PR at her Mum’s recommendation. As her course changed over her gap year, Stefanie did a PR Major in Journalism at Deakin University. Later on, Stefanie went on to do her Masters.

 

What do you really like/dislike about your job?

Like: The options to write about different content.

Dislike: Social Media. Not the biggest fan.

 

What else could you see yourself doing for a career?

Stefanie considered copywriting. After a bad PR job in Fashion, Stefanie considered teaching. Her family are all teachers but she didn’t chose to change her career. Ironically, she is now teaching PR casually at Deakin.

 

Any tips for university students?

• Get a big folio of work.
• Don’t take writing work your not interested in the content.
• Get your name out there.
• Be flexible .
• Always include edits in the cost when you are quoting for freelance writing.

 

Is there anything you would have done differently?

At one point, Stefanie turned down a great job because of its low salary. It would have been a better suit for her at the time. However, she is very happy with where she is now and wouldn’t change anything.

 

A huge thank you to Stefanie for being a lovely interviewee and taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer a university students questions.

To connect with Stefanie, you can find her on LinkedIn here.