Last year I had a placement with an Edinburgh publishing house. It was informative, a great way to practice my skillset, and incredibly awkward. Here’s what I wish I’d done differently.

Eat the frog.

    This adage means to do the most unpleasant thing first. I put off intimidating tasks because I wasn’t sure what quality I would produce. Consequently, I rushed them at the end and my work was inferior to my intentions. I created a self-fulfilling prophecy of underperformance.

    Start with the bigger awkward tasks so you have time to revise and edit as required.

    Speak.

      My placement was remote, with almost-fortnightly meetings to review progress. During these, I spoke little, giving minimal input. But I didn’t focus on presenting problems and actions and gathering information beyond the initial meeting on what the placement would entail. I didn’t really contribute to meetings and therefore didn’t embrace that opportunity.

      Ask questions about what they want from you; be specific in asking about tone and direction for the project. In short, get a brief and present what you’ve been doing.

      Get feedback early.

      In the first meeting we were told to submit everything by end of placement. Based on this I thought they wanted a ZIP emailed at the end. In the final meeting I discovered the others had submitted pieces earlier. They had specialised feedback; because they received feedback sooner, they implemented it during placement and ended on a more positive note. I was told I missed the mark in my interpretation of the text, which influenced my entire placement project, and left me feeling inadequate.

      Show your work early enough to get input and make adjustments so you leave your placement feeling you contributed. Don’t leave hearing two work-weeks’ effort “wasn’t what we were looking for”.

      Manage your time.

      Our placement centred a checklist of tasks and a deadline. This fell during assessments, meaning I couldn’t fully dedicate my attention to either assessments, my placement, or existing personal commitments. I failed to manage these responsibilities as a result. My placement ‘cohort’ all struggled− none of us completed the checklist according to the group chat. However, I was the only one called out for this, because I failed to properly prioritise.

      However you plan your days, set aside enough time to fulfil your commitments. If you do not have time to do so, speak up quickly to see if anything can be done.

      Don’t feel too guilty.

      Because I didn’t feel I accomplished enough, I felt I let everyone down. The company for failing to meet expectations; my lecturer, who arranged this opportunity; other applicants who might’ve done better; myself for not producing my best. This isn’t entirely unfounded; it wasn’t my best. But even if I’d completed everything to their taste, in good time, and to the best of my ability, I’d still feel guilty. Because no matter what, I’d still feel I could’ve done more. More research, more time devoted, more product.

      While I did not complete everything, I did what I could. I was two items off, which is more than the others stated they completed, during a very busy period. I styled the documents to match my understanding of the brief, for an unfamiliar genre, based on market research. It was a time-intensive project I underestimated.

      A Concluding Note.

      In the long term, my placement experience hasn’t done any harm. Nothing vital was lost by my actions. The work I produced still had certain merits, according to my feedback. While not the aspired-to-quality, I still contributed. Even if it didn’t go as planned, I still did a placement and learnt from it as a result.