Internship Stories: Mel O’Connor

One of the ways that Deakin students can gain industry insights and experience is through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs. There are a range of internship opportunities advertised at any given time and students always come away with valuable knowledge and increased networks to draw upon throughout their study and after graduation.

Below, Bachelor of Arts (Professional and Creative Writing) student Mel O’Connor shares her insights from a recent internship with the 2018 Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival. As Mel has shared here, undertaking an internship can lead to great opportunities!

When I began my internship at the Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival, based out of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, my goal was to gain the industry workplace experience my resume had been lacking. I also aspired to expand my professional network and meet experts in the writing and publishing industry. As an emerging writer in an industry where commissioning and word-of-mouth are key ways to make a name for yourself, networking is essential to my professional practice, and convergence points for writers such as literary festivals are particularly notable.

Many of my roles hinged on data entry and organisation, as well as copywriting. I impressed a lot of people with my writing ability, and many of my session descriptions were featured without alteration in the session highlights brochure circulated en masse in the Geelong library network.

The Festival director reviewed the work I’d completed in my write-ups and offered me extra writing exposure as a book reviewer for the Bellarine and Surf Coast Echo—a free local newspaper in the Geelong region. I have now been writing these reviews for the past year and a half. They run under my by-line, circulating my name and brand across the region.

Throughout my internship, I strove to make myself as useful as possible around the office. If I’d cleared my jobs for the day, I practiced the habit of asking others if they could use any extra help. This habit paid off for me in a major way: a week after my last day, I received a phone call offering me a contracted role in administration.

Since then, I have been working for the Geelong Regional Library Corporation in paid positions. First, I was Events and Programs Administration Officer, then later Word for Word Festival Administration Officer. Not only did my internship experience help me fill the gaps in my resume with hands-on administrative duty in an office environment—it led me to my first ever job!

 Thanks to Mel for so generously sharing her insights here.

For students who are keen to find out more about internship opportunities in the Faculty of Arts and Education, you can contact the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team – contact details available here. They are always happy to help!

 

*Featured Image (Cover) by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash