No internship? Read this post
A Sweet Tidd-Bit
Hey everyone! My name is Kathryn Miller and I’m a 4th year advertising student at Temple University. I’m currently serving as an intern for Cordasco Financial Network, which is a financial advising agency located in Center City, 3 Logan Square (across from the Comcast center). The position I hold is in-house advertising + marketing intern with a hint of radio production and copywriting.
What Have I Learned?
I’ve attended business lunch-ins with potential clients, staff lunch-ins and lengthy business meetings with the entire staff. I had to polish my manners, social skills and etiquette like no other. I’m thankful for these intense moments, because I now have the confidence to sit down and talk with anyone of any profession, status, etc. Learning to speak with industry professionals is a skill whether you want to accept it or not and this experience prepared me for the real world.
Most importantly, I sharpened skills towards my major, such as radio production, website development, content creation and research. The position entailed research on various topics, for example, website platforms such as WordPress, and social media managers such as, Zoho and Sprout Social.
Has This Changed My Advertising + Marketing Career Path?
To a degree, yes this created a shift in plans for the future. I realized that digital marketing is my niche, as well as small companies/in-house creative teams are within my comfort zone. I was honestly afraid of the ad agency atmosphere and didn’t feel that it was meant for me. I find working in-house for a company opens the door for further growth and opportunity. Although, I wish to experience what it’s like to work for an ad agency, as well as a larger company. You should never limit yourself.
Was My Internship Everything I Imagined?
No. Only because I had no idea what to expect other than it being something totally out of my comfort zone, which I’m sure most young adults don’t know what to expect. Most of us have experience that is totally unrelated to what our majors entail.
What caught me by surprise was the standard to which I was held. All of my creative efforts were utilized as business marketing efforts, which is pretty cool considering I went from ‘playing pretend’ in class, making ads that’ll never go anywhere, to hearing radio ads I wrote aired on popular radio stations. It’s pretty invigorating when your work and dedication pays off, even if It’s hearing something you wrote on the air.
What would I do differently?
If I were to go back in time and change anything about my experience at Cordasco, I would research the world of finance a bit more. Since the goal of my job is to communicate with potential clients, it would help if I knew what a 401k account was, or an annuity. Unless if you’re in business school, or your parents really wanted you to be up to speed with financial vocabulary, you probably have no idea what either of those REALLY mean and what they mean to someone who is about to retire. Although, it has become fairly easy to understand the world of finance as my time progresses.
Here are my two cents
- If you haven’t landed an internship yet, or haven’t started interviewing; now is the time. Even if you’re a sophomore and you don’t know if you want to be a media planner or a copywriter, just get yourself out there and practice interviewing. Apply for everything, even if you don’t want it because all it will do is prepare you for those questions that can make or break your chances of getting hired.
- Be aggressive. Follow up with the interviewer(s) and send them a thank you message. Reiterate that you are eager for the position and look forward to hearing from them soon. Even if you updated your resume after the interview, send it to them anyway.
