Advice: Take Full Advantage of an Internship
I cannot believe that the semester is almost over, and with it my time at Future Media Concepts. Looking back at my first day in January, the amount that I have learned is amazing. My experience here has gone above and beyond what was expected and I can truly say that I have had an extremely positive experience working as a Marketing intern at this company.
Over the past few months, not only have I learned skills to put on my resume, but I have also learned a few lessons in life and the professional world, so I thought I’d share a few pieces of advice with you:
-If something interests you, ask about it: This is a huge one. As a marketing intern, my main job was to work on e-mail campaigns and create content for social media. However, I often noticed some of the things my manager would do in his day-to-day schedule that really interested me, like Facebook Advertising and Google AdWords. I wanted to learn about it, but it wasn’t something I was ever assigned to do. At first I was afraid to ask about it because it wasn’t in my job description, but I then realized that I might not have the opportunity to learn these things anywhere else. I have an internship, and the point of an internship is to learn. So one day, I asked about it. Even though working with advertising on Facebook and learning Google AdWords wasn’t what I was originally supposed to do, my manager ended up teaching me both because I took the initiative to ask.
-Hard work pays off: If you are a hard worker, your boss is going to notice. Work hard, do your assignments, and if you finish, ask for something else. Taking the initiative to show that you are a hard worker will truly impress your boss. So instead of taking that Facebook break, ask if there is anything else that needs to be done. Your boss will remember you for it.
-Network, network, network: Even if your internship doesn’t give you the chance to go to networking events, there are always opportunities to meet people and make an impression. Even if it’s just with other employees at the company. For me, keeping up a strong relationship with my manager has helped a lot. Not only does he have connections in this industry, but so do his friends.
-Be open minded: Going into this internship, I never thought I had an interest in social media. So when I was asked if I wanted to work with the social media, I was a little wary. However, I ended up loving it. I now have a new passion that I would have never discovered if I didn’t keep an open mind and allow myself to try new things.
-Be professional: This one is fairly obvious, but as an intern it’s important to showcase yourself as a professional; show up on time, dress appropriately, use appropriate language, etc. No one will take your seriously if you get to work 20 minutes late looking like you just got out of bed.
This internship has prepared me for the real world in so many ways. Having the opportunity to learn and work in this environment has only confirmed for me that marketing and advertising is what I want to do. Although I am excited for what’s to come in the future, I will definitely be sad to leave Future Media Concepts in a few weeks.
