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Ken intern-talk-v2
1.
2. WhoWeAre
Full-service online advertising and digital
marketing agency. Specialists in conversational
and brand engagement marketing.
Headquartered in IFSC, Dublin 1. Office
recently opened in London WC1.
Brand Social Digital Internship
5. Define Your Area(s) of Interest
•Digital Account Management/Execution
– Planning, analytics and metrics, SEO and SEM, PPC, digital and social media marketing strategy
•Copywriting/Creative
•Design
•Technology/Programming
Brand Social Digital Internship
6. Your CV
•Relevant education
•Specific area(s) of interest
•Previous experience
– Social media credentials
– Blogging
– Portfolio
– Coding experience
Brand Social Digital Internship
8. Choosing an Agency/Company Type
•Independent digital agency
– Tend to be busier
– Quieter atmosphere
– You may be thrown in at the deep end and have to fend for yourself
•Traditional (more established) advertising agency
– Busy
– Tend to be more buzzy and interactive
– Chances are that you’ll be given plenty of attention but won’t learn as much as with a smaller, independent agency
•Non-agency
– Consumer goods/FMCG company
– Technology company/startup
– SME
Brand Social Digital Internship
9. Internship Program
•Does the company have any internship roles on offer on their website?
•Does the company have an established, tried-and-tested internship program?
•Is the internship paid or unpaid?
Brand Social Digital Internship
11. The interview
•Sell yourself
– Be passionate about digital
– Communicate your interest in your chosen area of expertise and demonstrate knowledge and previous experience –
academic, commercial or otherwise
– Communicate your personality
•Ask the right questions:
– How long is the internship program?
– What are the chances of a full-time role at the end of the internship? Has the company hired any previous interns into a
full-time role?
– What will be expected of me during the course of the internship?
– What will I learn?
– Is there any kind of induction to the company once I start or will I have a mentor?
Brand Social Digital Internship
13. Getting The Balance Right
•You won’t always be busy – so take the initiative!
– In client services agencies, full-time staff tend to be extremely busy.
– If you’re at a loose end - send an email, ask if there’s anything you could be doing to help out.
– In the interim, do something productive with your time.
– Nothing screams “lacking motivation” more than sitting around, waiting to be told what to do!
Brand Social Digital Internship
14. Attitude
•Treat your internship like a full-time job – unless you don’t plan on sticking around!
•Stay busy but don’t interfere too much with staff – take the initiative.
•Don’t be afraid to share your opinion – even if you think you might be wrong.
•Don’t be afraid to ask questions relevant to your role/desired role.
•Be sure to get feedback and updates towards the end of your internship.
Brand Social Digital Internship
Notes de l'éditeur
Hi everyone! My name is Ken Stanley and I’m the Managing Director of a digital agency called Brand Social.
We’ve been around since 2009 – just over 4 years. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency, specialising in conversational and brand engagement marketing, primarily through online channels and social media. We’re headquartered in the IFSC – just around the corner actually – and we’ve recently opened an office in central London. Services include: Digital media planning, buying and strategy, social media marketing, digital advertising campaign management, analysis and optimisation, mobile marketing, search marketing and creative and technical services (video production for the web, interface design, programming, etc) Clients include: Universal Pictures Ireland, Digital Marketing Institute, RTÉ, William Grant & Sons, Eclipse Pictures and JOE.ie
Today I’m going to be talking about digital internships. I’ll start by discussing how to prepare your application, move on to choosing the right internship for you, the interview process and then we’ll discuss the internship itself, what’s going to be expected of you, what you should expect to get from the internship, etc.
Is anyone here currently doing an internship or have they done an internship before? Is there anyone here who hasn’t but is planning to apply for one? What about the rest of you? Nothing else to do on a sunny Saturday? ;)
Am I correct in assuming that the majority of you are interested in the account management, campaign execution and strategy side of things? Are there any copywriters, creatives or developers here at all? It’s surprising the number of people that apply for internships and seek out a career in digital because it’s *the sector* to be in at the moment. Have a defined area of interest and ensure that you’ve done as much background work on it as possible before applying – whether that be academic or just research in your own time. Know what you want to be!
Commercial experience generally isn’t necessary but it’s rare that an agency will consider someone without at least some kind of academic grounding in digital or some relevant experience. How many here have studied digital in an academic capacity? Define your specific area or areas of interest. Most agencies will be looking to hire someone with strong skills in a particular area. Previous experience – or having taken the incentive to practice your digital skills – shows an employer that you’re actively interested and willing to put time into your trade.
Here we’ll look at researching the type of company that you want to work with. It’s important to try and ascertain whether there is any value in a company’s internship or if they’re just looking for ‘cheap labour’ – as can often be the case.
Independent – Can be a bit intimidating. Many of these agencies are very hard working and the atmosphere is often subdued. Although you will learn very quickly. Maybe not the best choice for someone with no experience at all or who’s expecting to do more learning than helping out. Traditional – Probably more scope for learning here for someone less experienced but less so for someone with a bit more experience. Non-agency roles can be invaluable, particularly if you get to work with a strong, recognised company or brand. Although transitioning to a full-time agency role from a non-agency internship might be difficult.
If not, they probably haven’t thought a whole lot about whether they need interns. You may find yourself more of a spare wheel than you would want. Is there any evidence that the company has used interns previously and that they have a structured program in place? You should be able to ascertain whether the internship will be all give and no take. Some internships are paid, some are unpaid. There’s some controversy over this and different people have different opinions. My own personal opinion is that companies should at least cover travel, lunches and beer money. If a large agency with strong resources use unpaid interns, they’re probably just looking to exploit you so be wary.
We’ll have a quick look at the interview process now. It’s a one-pager as it will never be anywhere near as involved as an interview for a full-time role.
If you don’t love digital or if you’re only applying for an internship because it’s currently *the* sector to be in, it’ll be fairly clear to the interviewer. Be excited and be passionate about digital – because the interviewer probably will be as well. Be happy, enthusiastic, positive and excited Always ask questions at interview and ensure that the role is suitable for you. Don’t get overly-excited at the prospect of starting the role and be absolutely sure that you’re going to be happy there. Internships could be anywhere from 1 month to a year. Most of ours are 3 to 6 months in duration. If a longer-term position with the company is an important possibility for you, then be sure to ask this. Find out what you’ll be doing and if it’s what you’d like to be doing in the longer-term. Obviously you’ll be expected to do more menial tasks to help out as well - just make sure that there will be a balance. Most importantly – what will you come out of the internship with that you don’t currently have in terms of experience, knowledge, etc. It’s important to ask whether there is any kind of induction to help you get up to speed. This will usually uncover whether internships are structured or seat-of-the-pants.
So you’ve been offered the internship, your start date is set and then you show up on your first day. It can be fairly daunting as you’ll almost certainly find that you’re not given as much attention as you might have first thought!
This is important – as an intern, you won’t be busy all the time. Plus it’s important not to be constantly pestering busy colleagues to find things for you to do. During any downtime, take the initiative: Write a blog post for the agency blog on a relevant topic that you’re interested in. How is the company’s own current marketing activity? Why not draw up a small marketing plan or campaign and arrange a time to present it? Check out any digital marketing, networking or design events happening that you might be interested in attending and (if paid for) ask the company to arrange a ticket for you to attend.
Remember – strong employees with the right attitude in the digital field are like gold dust. Your employer will almost certainly be evaluating your suitability (or unsuitability) for a full-time role. If you’re at a loose end – take the initiative and be creative. Generate a fun, inventive marketing concept for an existing client or even the agency itself. Schedule time to present these when you’re finished. Share your opinions when you’re given the opportunity – and don’t be down heartened if you’re told you’re wrong. You’re there to learn and, right or wrong, you’re showing the right aptitude. You’re employer doesn’t expect you to know as much as her/him - or other more experienced staff. Asking questions doesn’t show a lack of knowledge – it demonstrates curiosity and enthusiasm. More experienced staff enjoy imparting knowledge. Not asking questions shows that you’re not all that interested and you run the risk of fading into the background. Is the company in a position to offer you a full-time role? If not, are they prepared to help you find one?
And that’s it! I hope it was informative and if anyone has any questions – fire away!
