Reflecting Back on My First Marketing Job

The end of summer is almost here and there are only 12 short days left until I leave for D.C. Things have slowed down a little bit at work, leaving time to reflect back on my career at the New Hampshire Lakes Association.

Last year, the president of the New Hampshire Lakes Association hired me as an unpaid Public Relations and Communications intern. I was excited about the opportunity to work at a non-profit organization and to build my public relations portfolio beyond corporate and government sectors. I immersed myself in my work and consistently created new branding opportunities for the association. After two months, the president promoted me to a paid position as the Public Relations and Communications Assistant.

The new title came with new responsibility. I maintained social networking sites, drafted press releases, compiled media kits for projects and events, researched grants, and drafted grant proposals. I came to work early, left late and dedicated all of my time and energy to making the 'New Hampshire Lakes Association' brand better recognized across the state. After four months, the president promoted me to a position as the Public Relations and Communications Coordinator.

I was thrilled about the promotion, but learned soon after that the president was leaving for a new association. All of his PR and communications responsibilities became mine. In addition to all of my other responsibilities, I had to manage our three annual events, including: site selection, contract negotiation, proposal negotiation, promotional material production, and vendor, sponsor, donor, and entertainment coordination. I also had to maintain the company website and figure out a way to expand viewership ratings.

I didn't have much time to sleep, and still don't, but the skills that I have learned along the way are invaluable. So what's the lesson learned? Even if you think your efforts are unnoticed, they're not. Be relentless in pursuit of your dreams and good things will happen.