Break Out of Your Shell

Working in an agency environment provides a lot of perks. There are social outings, wellness seminars, and social interactions with different agencies and professionals. All of these events provide great networking and learning opportunities you normally don’t get in the office. When you’re in the office you get to learn the basics of the job but there really isn’t time to pick the brains of your superiors for advice.

Social outings provide an excellent chance to get to know your superiors outside of a professional context. When you get to mingle you can ask different questions that would be irrelevant during the course of the day. This is when you can make a deeper connection and let your personality to shine through. Talking business is great and shows you’re very invested in what you do, but it doesn’t give much information about you. People want to work with people who they can grab a drink with after work. That’s why it’s always stressed to find an a common interest with an employer when you go to an interview. Building a friendly rapport creates trust and a higher chance of  getting hired after your internship ends. When a position opens up the supervisors will remember what a great intern you were as well as how fun you were to have around.

Although social settings are great for connecting with your superiors you can also learn a lot more about the industry in which you’re interested. Many of the supervisors in agencies have worked in different markets and different agencies. They have a wealth of knowledge that is waiting to be tapped. Take these moments to ask them about things you’re worried about after college–things like on what kind of market a city focuses, what agencies or in house advertising departments look for when they’re hiring, etc. Knowing this is great because it gives you a base to research for jobs after you graduate.