Hey I’m Serena and I am an intern at Marketing Purks with a background in product design. I know what you are thinking, why is a product designer doing a marketing internship? But the relationship with design and marketing really go hand in hand. Both Product design and Marketing are known to influence consumer behaviour heavily.
So let’s get real. Do you ever feel like you have no idea what to do with your life?
Well a year ago that was me. We were in the midst of a global pandemic, I had just lost my job and moved back in with my parents. Not really where I pictured myself at 24. I felt this was the perfect time to
re-evaluate my goals and decided to complete my masters degree in Strategic Marketing. I really wanted to change the direction of my career and this was the perfect time, all the clubs were closed, we couldn’t go out, so I could 100% focus on myself and my education.
With graduation on the horizon, I spent a lot of my time looking for a summer internship to gain some real-life work experience and to help me broaden my knowledge. I was lucky enough to be put in touch with Daisy at Marketing Purks who gave me this opportunity.
I didn’t really know what to expect from my internship, maybe getting a lot of coffee for people and taking notes, however it has been far from that. It has really been one of the best opportunities with a lot of hands-on learning.
Right from the get go I was given many responsibilities and roles including social media content creation, branding, graphic design, as well as website ideation and development for a wide range of clients, meaning that no two days are the same. This is where it really helped to have a background in design. But perhaps the most interesting part for me is being involved in face-to-face client meetings. It is a great opportunity to see the process from start to finish. It is really rewarding to meet with the client to understand their aims and successfully implement a strategic marketing plan to meet this. I mean let’s be honest you don’t really get to do these things in Uni, it’s all very hypothetical and LOTS of essays!
If you are thinking about doing an internship, my advice to you is GO FOR IT! But there are 5 things I would say are key to making the most of your time:
1. Ask lots of questions – your colleagues are there to help you.
2. Request more responsibilities – Don’t just sit around and wait to be told to do something. When you are asking all your questions, ask for more tasks.
3. Have a goal – Make sure you know what it is you want to achieve from your internship.
4. Speak up – Don’t be a wallflower. Make sure you are contributing to any discussions.
5. Take notes – Keep track of your responsibilities, important skills you have learnt, this will help you build a good CV and for your future job search.
6. I know I said 5 things but this is an added extra… Have fun. Showing your enthusiasm and motivation, having a positive attitude can really impact your chances of getting a job at the end of your internship.
Serena Pearce
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