Change Your Internship Trajectory

Life feels so surreal at the moment. Taylor Grissom, the senior Advertising major in the Copywriting concentration just completed her third, (and possibly final) internship. Every internship I’ve obtained has been in the entertainment marketing field, and this semester I had the pleasure of being the Publicity & Promotions Intern at Allied Global Marketing. I want to share 2 major tips I’ve learned along the way because they could quite possibly change your entire internship experience.

1. Learn the difference between agency & in-house: I’m sure if you’re interested in a career in advertising or marketing you’ve heard people talk about agency work vs. in-house work. I truly did not understand the distinction until the summer before my senior year of college. I believe it’s extremely important to understand this, and to have experience on both sides before you graduate. Working at an agency, you will have the opportunity to work with various clients on a wide range of projects. One day you could be helping Warner Bros. with the social media for a new movie they have coming out, and another you could be doing a promotional event for Food Network. With in-house you are doing the advertising/marketing for one company, and that is the company you work for. You get to know that company extremely well, and you are devoted to its products and clients. Over the years I was able to experience two agency internships at Submersive Media and Allied Global Marketing, and one in-house internship at 21st Century Fox. Having both experiences opened my eyes to the fact that I am in love with in-house marketing, and could do without working for an agency. Now I know the types of jobs I should be applying for upon my graduation in May 2019.
2. Utilize your supervisor: Supervisors, or managers can seem intimidating at first. They usually carry a title FAR above your own, and in my case, my supervisor at Allied Global Marketing was the VP of Field Marketing. On my first day at the company I had no idea what to expect. When I learned that my supervisor was a top dog, and I’d be meeting with him every day and assisting him with projects I felt a wave of nerves creep over me. Was I ready for this? What if he gave me a project I didn’t know how to complete? What if he didn’t really care about me because I was just an intern? After meeting my supervisor for the first time I learned he was one of the most down to earth people I’ve ever met at a company. He always made sure that I had something to work on that was valuable, and if there was nothing I could work on alone, he would let me sit with him in his office for hours and teach me about how the entertainment marketing business works. He made me feel comfortable to ask questions and to ask for help if I needed it. I know not all supervisors may be like this, but please UTILIZE THEM. Ask questions about any and everything. Even if you think you know the answer, ask one more time to make sure. Get the most out of your supervisor because this is YOUR experience. You are there to learn (especially if you aren’t getting paid), so do not let anyone intimidate you in a negative way. Make sure you are getting what you deserve out of your internship.

Good luck to everyone whether you find yourself searching for your first internship as a freshman, or you’re stressing about finding your first job after graduation like me! We got this!