Step Out of Your Comfort Zone!

Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Petrenko and I will be a Senior this upcoming Fall. I am majoring in Advertising with a concentration in Media Planning. This Summer I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern at Harmelin Media as the Social team’s first remote intern.

Even though I have a concentration in Media Planning, I never had experience working in a media buying agency before. After seeing the application for this internship, I realized that I do not have as much experience as I would have liked to. I was hesitant on even applying because I did not think I had all of the qualifications, and I was right, I did not get the internship I originally interviewed for. But that is okay! Because of my experience in other fields and my relevant skills, my resume was passed on to their Social team and I was able to get an internship there. This has taught me that it is always best to apply for an internship or job even if you do not think you fully qualify because it could lead to better opportunities.

Throughout this internship I was able to join on many team meetings as well as client video calls, which gave me a lot of insight on how they operate in the real world. I also learned how to fill out different proposals and digital buy guidelines, as well as build on my knowledge using Facebook Ads Manager. In addition to learning new applications and expanding my understanding in prior skill sets, I got to do work for Ford, Stuffed Puffs, Aspen Dental and Inspira Health – to name a few. I also got very lucky and worked with a super helpful and friendly team, which made the internship that much better. If you ever get the opportunity to intern for Harmelin Media, take it because you will learn so much and build great relationships with the people who work there.