Lets Network!
During the Summer, I interned with Avis Budget Group (ABG). Avis and Budget are car rental brands. During my internship there I learned a lot about networking.
So many people have told me about the importance of networking. I’ve also heard many times that the best jobs are not posted, but come from word of mouth. So, During my internship with ABG, I wanted to start networking. ABG was such a great place to start! Everyone was so friendly and helpful! I talked with so many people there. I really believe that 99% of people want to help! They were all in our position at some point, and they understand. All you have to do is ask!
I talked with everyone I could. As my time there progressed, my networking paid off. I had friendly relationships with all of the people in my department, and many other people in different departments, and this made me even more engaged at work. Besides that, I gained two great opportunities.
My first opportunity came from an intern luncheon. The internship program at ABG is wonderful. Human Resources set up several intern luncheons where the interns would eat lunch and listen to a member of the upper management. This Particular luncheon was with Eric Chang, the Budget Brand Marketing Research Director. During the luncheon he talked a lot about Avis and Budget’s new advertising campaigns. I always asked a lot of questions at the luncheons I attended, because it was a great opportunity to gain a lot of great advice and to get noticed. Because I am an Advertising major I had a lot of questions for Eric about his relationship with the Advertising Agencies they worked with (Mccann Erickson and Impax Marketing Group). All my questioning paid off, because after the luncheon was over, Mr. Chang pulled me aside and asked me about myself, and after I told him that I was an advertising major, he suggested that I meet with the account planners he knew from Mccann!
He followed up right away, and the next day I received an E-mail from the account planner at Mccann. She was also very willing to help! She offered to have me come into New York City for lunch and then give me a tour of the agency. She also gave me some book suggestions that I will post for you in another blog entry. I am going into New York City tomorrow to meet with her and I amvery excited! I will tell you all about my experience in a later post.
My second opportunity came from asking. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! During my time at ABG, the department I was working in was called the Customer Led Experience Department and they were working on a lot of internal communication. They needed graphic work like posters and other images for their materials, and this is where they employed Impax Marketing Group ( on Walnut Street, Philadelphia). I also helped with the graphics and posters, and the team liked my work. One of my team members, Eric, and I talked a lot because he was a Temple Alum. He liked my work, and he had a good relationship with the proffesionals at Impax. I asked him if he could help me set something up with Impax, like a phone call or a meeting where I could ask some questions. Eric was so helpful and talked to her right away, and now I get to meet with the art director at Impax!
Again, Don’t be afraid to talk with people and ask them for help! So many great opportunities come from talking with other professionals. Don’t forget to thank everyone for their help! Also, keep in touch, and help them whenever they need it.
-Brie Florence
P.S. Linked in is great! It is a professional social networking site. Add everyone you have a good professional relationship with. If you haven’t already set up an account, you can do it here.
