Lessons Learned from THIS IS IT NETWORK
This semester, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to intern for THIS IS IT NETWORK and founder, Cheldin Barlatt Rumer. THIS IS IT NETWORK is a global, female, and minority-owned digital streaming platform that shares stories from incredible women around the world. I joined the team as a social media intern to help create content for both THIS IS IT NETWORK and the other small brands that the company manages.
As my internship is beginning to come to an end, I’ve realized how many life lessons that I’ve been able to learn from this experience. While I learned hard skills like how to create graphics for social media and make content calendars, I believe that I was able to come out of this experience with more valuable soft skills that I can use throughout different areas of my life. For example, communication is a skill that is extremely important and necessary to succeed at THIS IS IT NETWORK. In order to properly do tasks I had to not be afraid to ask questions and make sure that I kept my supervisors updated on my assignments. At first, this was something that I was a little uncomfortable doing, but after my first month of working it felt completely normal.
Another set of soft skills that I’ve learned is to have the mindset of being open to helping with things that may be outside of your skill set and be willing to learn. It is so extremely important to show your boss that you are willing to try different things as well as show them that you are eager to help out at work. It proves that you want to be there and that you are willing to work hard for what you want. I soon realized that offering an extra helping hand and putting yourself out there at work can really make you stand out. Eventually, you will be the person that your boss turns to when they the need someone they know they can count on to try their best.
The last soft skill that I think is something that I will be able to use all throughout my life is having the ability to adapt to your surroundings. Interning for a company that primarily functions digitally, you must be ready for anything. Social media is constantly changing and the turn-around time for content is incredibly fast. It can be overwhelming sometimes, especially if you aren’t used to working in a fast-paced environment. I was really able to work on my ability to adapt to situations that I wasn’t always prepared for and figure out how to move forward. With the ability to adapt, also comes to ability to problem solve. These two skills go hand-in-hand and show your boss that you are capable of handling anything. I believe that this skill will help me in any job or experience I end up pursuing in my life.
Overall, my experiences at THIS IS IT NETWORK have allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. While hard skills are skills that are extremely important to show off on your resume, soft skills are just as impressive and may even weigh more in the eyes of employers. I was able to learn these skills that will not only help me succeed throughout my career, but in life as well. My time at THIS IS IT NETWORK has allowed me to thrive and I truly believe that I will cherish this experience forever.
