So you’ve read the agency vs. in-house internships blog and now you’d like to know how you could ace your own internship? Well, as an intern myself who has experienced both sides of the fence, these are my top three interning tips on how you can be the best in-house or agency intern.
3 interning tips for in-house:
- Choose the right organisation:
Make sure you select a company or brand that works within an industry you’re actually interested in or have a connection with.
I chose my organisations because I truly believed in the cause they were supporting, and this encouraged me to work even harder to get better results for the brand.
- Before the interview, do your homework:
At the very least, have a basic understanding of the organisation’s services or product lines. Remember, the people interviewing you only want the very best for their company. During my interview for the NFP, I briefly spoke about two of their previous campaigns that I was genuinely interested in.
You don’t need to be an expert, but show them you’re keen to be involved. After all, your job is to promote what the organisation does and if you don’t even know what that is; you have bigger problems.
- Reveal your strengths and use them:
Whether you’ve got markings of a great writer, presenter or you’ve just got some brilliant ideas to share – your internship is the best time to put your best assets forward. While interning in-house, sometimes I felt a little boxed-in by particular tasks but I soon realised how accommodating my co-workers were when I voiced my strengths.
If you know you’re really good at something or there’s something you particularly want to work on, just tell them, you never know what that might achieve.
3 interning tips for agencies:
- Always be adaptable:
When interning at an agency soon enough you’ll find yourself working on a wide array of projects. All of which, could come from varying industries. The ability to adapt and do it quickly is crucial for agency work.
Each client you work with has a different voice, image and purpose. Writing about trade and electrical might not be high on your list of interests – but if your client is a trade company then you best be able to adapt.
Take initiative in creativity and problem solving:
Don’t just sit around and wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Funnily enough they often have more pressing issues on their plate. I’m not saying you should go off on a tangent and start your own project – but take initiative and try to add value where necessary.
This also applies for problem solving, I’m sure you are well of aware of a tool called Google? Use it, and if that doesn’t clarify anything, at least bring some suggestions to your boss so they know you’ve thought the problem through before asking for their help.
- 9-5 rules don’t apply here:
When I interned in-house, we had structured hours (I worked from 10 till 4 with an hour lunch break at 1:00pm). This was a luxury, and isn’t usually found with the agency environment. If you’re in the middle of a job and the clock strikes 5:00pm – do not pick up and leave because you have dinner plans, get the job done and then go home.
Kristin Austin Marketing Communication & Training offers two internships for 3rd year marketing or PR students per semester. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be one of our interns, drop us a note with your CV explaining why you’re the one.
PS: please note, CVs without cover notes and explanations, don’t get read.
