The End of My Interning Era
This spring marked my last semester as an intern. Ever. My interning chapter is officially closed.
The end of this monumental era has me remising where it all began. *Cue flashback music* Four years ago I stepped onto Temple’s campus bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Like any eager freshman, I did not think, I just did, and I ended up doing an interview for a position in Temple Football’s Front office. I was so proud of myself for getting to college and immediately scoring an interview with Temple Athletics, that it slipped my mind to prepare for the interview. So when her first question to me was “Tell me about yourself” … I just blanked. I remember thinking “I don’t know who I am lady, I just got here!!” I ended up saying, “oh…I really like sunsets…” Let that sit there for a bit, I said I liked sunsets… in an interview…It ended up working out in my favor because I went on to spend two years with the team. Now that I have grown as a professional, with seven internships under my belt, I look back and giggle at that moment. But wow, that was embarrassing!
Bringing us back to the present, this semester I interned with imre on their Health Account Team. I started this position back in January and I have quickly learned the ropes of healthcare marketing. There are many moving parts to launching a campaign, that are specific to healthcare, that I had to learn. Initially, the numerous processes and tedious healthcare lingo were overwhelming, but I have successfully navigated them, and I now feel confident in my position. That said, the workflow moves at a slower pace than workflow in a consumer agency because all content has to be reviewed by an external team against FDA regulations before they go into the market. What initially drew me to work in healthcare was the ability to relate with people, promoting diseases and products that will change someone’s life. What makes me want to stay in healthcare is not only the impact level, but also the challenge that this industry presents. The challenge that comes with creating strategy and creative content that resonates with consumers and that complies with FDA regulations. During my time at imre I have grown to love the company’s unique culture, as well as the supportive and driven team dynamic. After learning under an amazing team of Account Managers, I am looking to apply these skills to a full-time account position.
My four years at Temple University have allowed me to grow professionally and personally into someone I’ve only dreamed about. So much has changed and so much will continue to change come graduation in May 2021, but one thing is for sure, I still really like sunsets!
I can definitely relate to those first interview jitters, I still get them now and I’ve done so many at this point haha! Congrats on completing your final internship!
Hi Katie, seven internships is pretty impressive! And as for your first interview experience, I’m embarrassed to say something similar happened to me as well. I secured an interview for the student center and was so excited. One of the questions they asked me was, “why do you want this job?” and I could not think of a single reason why I wanted it. I’d like to think I’m a good interviewee now so it’s really hard to not cringe every time I think of that memory haha. Healthcare advertising is something that interests me a whole lot too! I’ll be starting my senior year this fall and hope to do at least one internship in the healthcare setting. All the best for your future!
Congrats Katie! I loved the story about your first interview with Temple Athletics, I’m glad they still hired you because it sounds like a fun experience!
Congratulations on your final internship! It’s amazing to feel confident in the job you do and love what you’re doing as well- you have so much personality coming from this one post, I hope you do well in the full-time account position.
…I like sunsets too, I think that’s a fun way to start out in an interview, it creates an interesting dialogue.
I first became familiar with imre during this year’s online internship fair, and I was very interested in an internship position with the company! Reading about your experience makes me even more interested to one day work with imre. I would also be curious how your internship may have changed due to COVID-19, since you were working in healthcare. Besides the obvious virtual component, I’m sure that the healthcare industry has been flipped upside down during the pandemic. I wonder how that affected you. Great post and I wish you the best upon graduating!
Congratulations on completing your final internship! I am also interested in getting a job in an account management position. It was great reading about your experiences and best of luck to you!