Tips and Tricks for Interns

I have had the privilege to be a Media Intern at Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), a Media Company that is based in Delaware with offices in Philly and Bloomsburg.

Over the course of my internship, I have learned a thing or two about how the industry works and how things at AB&C work. I have 3 helpful tips when starting an internship that I wish I knew beforehand. These tips focus on things like time management, communication, and relationships with colleagues. Those 3 topics have been very important in my success at AB&C. I just had a progress report with my supervisor, Nicole, and the stuff she pointed out I could work on is exactly the stuff I will be sharing with you today as well.

Tip #1: Utilize sticky notes and pay attention to due dates.

Every time I get assigned a project, I write the job and job number down in my notes. This helps me keep track of all of my assignments, so I know what is coming up. This is also really important because sometimes you can get assigned more work than other weeks and it is important to be able to communicate your schedule with the team. Due dates are also important because if you are not confident in one of your projects and feel like you need someone to review it; it is always smarter to send it a couple of days in advance for the supervisor to check over first. That way, when the due date comes along, you will have a complete project that is done on the due date.

Tip #2: Communication is key. Especially emails.

My first wake up call to the corporate lifestyle when I was told by my supervisor that email chains are crucial for organizing. When I first started interning, I would start a new thread every time I would write an email. That totally through off my team’s organization of emails and I had no idea I was doing it. Also, the way I wrote my emails just did not sound right. A very helpful trick I learned was to download Grammarly. It links on Google docs and Outlook so when you are emailing it can help you with formatting and spelling/grammar!

Tip #3: Do not be shy to ask for help.

I have had the honor of having a fantastic mentor named Nicole. She has been nothing but supportive and helpful when it comes to my career. I feel so comfortable asking Nicole for help and I feel that relationship is very important to have with your supervisor/boss. Something also awesome about Nicole is that she went to Temple too. She knows exactly what I am going through and can relate to my stress with school on top of my internship. She has been there many times for me with work and school.

I hope my tips and tricks were helpful. I also though including personal experiences would help emphasis the message even more. I really enjoy working for this company and consider it an honor to be a part of their team. I plan on continuing my journey with AB&C in the summer. I would really love to continue working for them. It really has been a pleasure!