The Perfect Opportunity To Get Acquainted With The Industry

Hello, Everyone, my name is Griffin Hamer, and I am an Advertising major with a focus on Brand Strategy and Research. During the Fall 2019 Semester, I interned at Slice Communications in Old City as a Social Media Intern.

If my internship has taught me anything, it is that when you are new to something, you are going to make a ton of mistakes! During my first few weeks as an intern, I worked on Social Media Account planning, which was somewhat tedious at first. The first part of social media account planning consisted of drafting a posting plan. Posting plans accounted for two weeks worth of content across a client’s social media accounts. To properly develop my first posting plan, I had to study the material that was currently posted by the client. Paying attention to tone and vocabulary was essential to ensure the content would be on brand and relatable to the client’s audience. It turned out I was pretty good at the first part of Social Media Account planning, but scheduling was a disaster. 

At Slice, we used a platform called Sprout Social to schedule social media posts in advance. I was not familiar with the User Interface (UI) or subtle nuances of the platform. Some things that messed me up were extra returns, determining when to shorten or remove a link after it auto-populated, and assigning a publisher to post Instagram content manually. Throughout the first month, I received a lot of feedback that sounded like “good job, BUT…” This kind of feedback was good, but it also bothered me, because I knew I wasn’t doing things right. 

Throughout my time at Slice, I have always made a point to ask for clarification and ask questions if I didn’t know how to do something. Even in my last week, I had a problem with scheduling and made a point to request it rather than guess. It has not only improved my relationship with coworkers but made me more effective at the job.

I feel that this was the perfect position to get my feet wet with office work. The attire was very casual, which fit the overall vibe of the company. Slice’s office was open concept, and the desks were organized in pods of 3-4. I thoroughly enjoyed the modern office environment as well as the little dog that greeted me as I stepped off the elevator every morning. I was able to collaborate on projects and work with almost every person in the office regardless of their position. I went into this internship with the mindset that it would be an educational experience, not a full-time job, and that mentality has paid off. 

If anyone has the opportunity to work at Slice Communications I would recommend it greatly. It is the perfect place to get acquainted with working for an agency. Plus, there are a few Temple alumni currently working there. Best of luck to everyone and thank you for taking the time to read!