Annie Quigley, a junior majoring in media studies with a concentration in public relations, talks about her summer internship at Do317 Media.
Ironically, I found out about my summer 2017 internship from the IU PRSSA newsletter! Last November, the newsletter mentioned that the Indianapolis company, Do317 Media, was seeking an intern to fill the position of Social Media Marketing and Promotions. I applied through the online application over Thanksgiving break. I then interviewed with the company’s general manager during winter break. After a successful interview process, she offered me the internship position for the summer, and I gladly accepted.
My position mainly involved writing and copyediting the promotional and organic content I published on the company’s social media channels. I also measured social media analytics from the content I wrote. I gathered information for cultural events within client campaigns, and transferred this research into promotional and marketing strategies. With the use of social media analytics, I discovered which strategies obtained the most engagement with Do317 Media’s users. Given that Do317 Media would not be as successful if it weren’t for social media, my internship came with a hefty workload. However, I was grateful that the internship kept me busy because I knew I was truly contributing to the company.
One of the key things I learned from my internship experience at Do317 Media is how to work within client campaigns. I learned how to compose content for clients that had an event or venue they wanted publicized on Do317 Media’s social channels.
The biggest takeaway from this internship was the importance of completing all my tasks independently and confidently. I would say I’m the person who always has millions of questions to ask. I was lucky that my supervisor encouraged me to always ask questions. Yet, as I became more acclimated to my internship position, I found that I could produce great work entirely on my own. I learned that if the answer could be discovered with extra digging on my part, I did not need to ask the question. In any field, people are hired not only because of their qualifications, but by how they can contribute to a company. My supervisor already had a lot of responsibilities on her plate. When I worked hard on my tasks, I proved to be a valuable asset to the company. Proceeding with confidence and creativity is usually better than proceeding with guidance. Those who achieve are typically the ones that go above and beyond what is expected of them. They do not stop to ask questions that they could find the answers to on their own. Although I understand that sometimes questions are necessary, completing my work independently helped me grow in my career path. From my internship at Do317 Media, I personally gained so much experience that I can apply to the next phase of my professional career.