Life of an intern: Mahesh Pillai

The first week of my internship is already complete, and what a week it’s been. I honestly did not expect it to be this educational and such a great eye opener to the media industry.

Before I started, many people told me that an internship usually involves shadowing a member of a team and trying to understand the business from their point of view. However, my first week at Cision turned out to be the total opposite of what I was expecting.

The modern Cision office also has its benefits, for example, the view looking out onto Canary Wharf really is something phenomenal, and really does make the busy commute worth it.

For most of my first week, I was placed with events and marketing, and I’m really pleased I got to spend the week with these guys as they were very supportive and made me feel part of the team. The most enjoyable time was helping them to come up with new ideas to bring their events to life.

I learnt about different technologies and how they can help create memorable experiences and working alongside the team has stretched me creatively and helped me put my theoretical knowledge into practice.

The rest of the week has been jam-packed full of activities and also meeting members from lots of different departments across the organisation. It’s really helped me gain an understanding of how each person impacts the business. This busy schedule has made my first week fly by. I am genuinely surprised at how much I’ve done and how the team have made a real effort to try and tailor my internship to my career goals.

My highlights:
· Gaining an overall understanding of Cision
· Working with the events and marketing team
· Understanding the business goals and principles
· Meeting different departments
· Enjoying the positive atmosphere at Cision

I have really enjoyed my first week at Cision and am excited to see what my final week holds…

Mahesh is an Advertising and PR student at the University of West London and joined us for a two-week internship as part of our University Programme (UPP).