Find a Place With Good People Who Like to Work Hard

Picture this: My Summer Internship was coming to a close. I found myself reflecting on the Summer I had at Brian Communications. The people I met, the projects I worked on, the experiences I got to have. I was actually quite sad to leave. I’d found a place full of individuals who enjoyed being around one another, while still prioritizing work and creating change in the industry. 

Luckily, I was granted another semester at Brian. This semester has been different, with a smaller cohort who have differing schedules. I miss the Summer with my five fellow interns, who all became my friends and made the internship all the better. However, this semester, with less interns and already 12 weeks worth of experience at the agency under my belt, I have been tasked with more extensive projects and tasks I didn’t do over the Summer. I got to work with new people and work on new accounts. It has been different, but great nevertheless. With this semester coming to a close and Spring Semester of my senior year on the horizon, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I want in my career after college and the type of place I want to work at. Given my very positive experience at Brian, I decided to pull apart what made me enjoy this place so much, in order to better understand the values I should be looking for in an employer. Here are just a few:

Good People:

After the first week of my internship, I felt quite comfortable at Brian. That’s because it’s full of very friendly people. From day one, I knew the company cared about their interns and genuinely wanted us to learn and grow as young professionals. Everyone at Brian has been more than willing to have professional discussions with us interns, whether that be giving us advice or sharing their experiences in the industry. When our advisors said feel free to ask questions they meant it. Everyone here wants to help us and wants to get to know us. Whether it be when you first walk into the office or into the kitchen, everyone says hello with a smile on their face. An environment like that keeps me motivated and positive in the workplace. 

Hard Workers:

It’s amazing to see a company of people who work hard. Everyone is always all hands on deck. Whether that be individually or collaborating, I see everyone in the office delving into work, for both clients and the agency. Everyone from the interns from the senior leadership helps out around the office. Oftentimes, senior leadership, including Brian himself, helps to clean up lunch in the kitchen. In the agency weekly meeting, I get to hear all of the account wins and agency wins, as well as wellness tips, such as a weekly recipe. This hard work pays off, because there are always wins across the agency each weekly meeting. 

Room to Grow:

Many employees at Brian have been here a number of years, but also, some are new, coming to the agency with unique experiences. What I like so much is that not everyone at the agency comes from a traditional communications background. It goes to show how much potential is at Brian. When talking with employees at the agency, I love hearing how many hats they get to wear. Although that may not be for everyone, I have come to learn that I want to work in a position in which I am not doing the same thing day after day. I want to get my hands on new work, be a part of different events, meet new people and utilize both the creative and practical side of my brain.

Company Culture:

I think above all, company culture is most important to me. It is a culmination of good people, hard workers and room to grow. The culture comes from the people, the place and the work done. In my opinion, Brian does an amazing job with company culture. As I had mentioned, they have weekly in-person agency wide meetings. There’s often lunch catered on Wednesdays, as well as happy hours and other agency activities. There are committees, such as the DEI Committee, The Intern Committee and the Wellness Committee. Everyone in the agency additionally has a mentor and mentee. All of these things made me feel like the agency wants their employees to have a proper work life balance and enjoy where they’re working. 

Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Brian Communications. I can now complete my internship knowing I have a lot of good work under my belt, a lot of great people I connected with and a better sense of what I want for myself in my professional endeavors.