A Day in the Life of an AA: Amir N.
Amir Nijem shares what it’s like to be a Public Affairs Account Assistant here at Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications.
Hello, my name is Amir Nijem, and for the last two months, I have been proud to be a Public Affairs Account Assistant here at Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications. I recently graduated from DePaul University where I received my BA in public relations and advertising. I share a passion for writing, reading, media and communicating messages across various channels.
Born and raised here in the Chicago, I have immense pride calling this wonderful city my home and willfully boast about it to anyone! I start my morning the Chicago way (and the economical way), which takes me on a short drive to the Blue Line where I transfer to Brown Line.
As the summer months unfold and the city blossoms, every day has been quite different here at JT.
8:30 a.m. – Daily Clips
The one task that unites all AAs, a daily media monitoring report on clients or topics that have been assigned to us. Using media monitoring software and traditional techniques, I scour the media for relevant and recent articles, which are then formatted into a specific template and circulated around the office.
10:00 a.m. – News catch-up
Coming off a weekend, there is typically more news and my daily clips take me a little bit longer to complete. Depending on my schedule for the day, I like to use this time to catch up on the news that is happening in the city and abroad.
10:30 a.m. –Alderman outreach
I have been working on various projects as the Special Olympics kicks off its 50th Anniversary celebration with events happening all over the city.
In honor of this wonderful milestone and organization, a new permanent, 30-foot monument will be lit at a dedication ceremony that we have been inviting aldermen to. So, for the past week, I have been coordinating with numerous chiefs-of-staff and schedulers to invite all 50 aldermen to the event and keeping track of those who are attending and not.
11:00 a.m. – AA Professional Development (Events & Advance)
To further enhance our learning and professional experience, these one-hour learning sessions cover different aspects of work done by the firm with senior members of the JT team.
This week we chatted and listened to Carly highlight her worldly travels that has spanned six out of seven continents. Carly explains the logistical and strategic aspects behind planning events and providing advance for various dignitaries.
12:00 p.m. – Front desk duty
Another uniting feature that all AAs share is manning the front desk at different points throughout the day. This includes various administrative tasks such as answering the phone, monitoring emails and welcoming guests.
12:30 p.m. – Social media outreach and research
For this specific assignment, I was tasked to reach out to individuals battling stage four ovarian cancer through social media channels. The work entailed researching people that are active on social media to share their stories fighting ovarian cancer. In addition to the research, I have been scouring a master list with past participants and analyzing activity and engagement levels to gauge whether or not they may be willing to participate again.
1:30 p.m. – Lunch
You already know what goes down at this time!
2:00 p.m. – JT brainstorm
During these sessions, all present JT staff members sit around the 6th floor conference room sharing snacks and brainstorming ideas on various new business or ongoing client projects. This is a great use of collaborative thinking, offers differing perspectives and opens the door to creative ideas.
Everyone is asked to participate, and no idea is deemed too silly or outlandish. In my opinion, this effort unlocks great potential and allows untapped ideas to be possibly brought to life.
3:00 p.m. – Weekly check-in
Once a week I meet with my supervisor Maddie and we go over what I have been working on that week and discuss any new or ongoing projects. This time really helps with professional development and facilitates conversation about how our internship experience is going.
4:00 p.m. – Power Hour
The last hour of work varies day-to-day. During this time, I usually wrap up any work that needs to be done, catch up on some more news and plan out the next day before heading out. And just like that, one more day in the books at JT.
Public Affairs
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