3 Valuable Lessons I Learned as an AD Intern

March 16, 2017

1. An internship is a two-way street.

The company/intern relationship should be mutually beneficial. As an intern, you should be learning about the industry you’re in and gaining real-life work experience. In exchange, the work you do should contribute to the company in some way. My attitude about internships is that the more you give, the more positive results you will get.

Any good mentor/manager/boss in charge of your internship will ask what you want to learn and what skills you hope to gain in your time there. If these skills are at all relevant to your position, chances are your boss will be happy to provide you with opportunities to hone them.

I like writing and social media, but I’ve never had much of a creative license to explore these in past internships. My boss encouraged me to write blogs for AD’s public website and create social media posts for all of our channels. Given this opportunity I was able to learn while producing relevant content that the company could use.

2. Care about company culture.

How you align with a company’s culture and values can make-or-break your experience there. I found what I didn’t know I wanted in my experience with AD. Everyone who works here is kind, friendly, and willing to lend a helping hand.

One of my favorite experiences during this internship was having the opportunity to work with the Giving Back Committee which focuses on social responsibility. I got to help with fundraising and planning for two different days of charitable giving. Moving forward with my search for a full-time job, I know I want to work for a company with great people and a commitment to giving back.

3. Impressions & connections matter.

It’s obviously important for an intern or potential intern to make a good impression on the company they’re working for. But, it’s easy to forget that the company needs to make a good impression too.

If you or your company is thinking about hiring an intern, I would absolutely recommend it. Bringing on an intern (or interns) can bring new ideas and a fresh perspective into your company. This can also act as a “try before you buy” opportunity if you’re considering bringing on full-time hires in the near future. You can test out fresh talent, and even mold that talent to fit the needs of your company. In any case, it’s important to offer a valuable and enjoyable internship experience.

For any intern, my main advice would be to work hard and always be willing to help. These things require 0% skill and 100% effort. Although you may not have somebody tracking what you’re doing all day, the amount of effort you put in will show. As I finish my internship with AD and begin to look for a full-time job, I’ve made a good enough impression on the company that the people I worked under have been willing to act as references and offer career advice. From the first day to the last day of any internship, always try your best. It matters.

Kaitlyn Shaffer worked at AD as the 2016 Corporate Marketing Intern. Next week she starts her first job at Delphic Digital. Congratulations Kaitlyn!

We are currently searching for our next Corporate Marketing Intern. Interested? Apply here.