An Inside Look: Interning in Marketing/Advertising

Submitted by Ashley Williams, Office of Career Services Graduate Assistant

Ariel Rivera first discovered her Summer 2013 Internship opportunity at the Rollins Career & Internship Expo this past spring. Ariel not only secured an Intern position with Where Orlando magazine, but also received both academic credit and scholarship toward the opportunity due to her thorough investigation and timely follow up.

In this post, she describes her tasks as an intern, the challenges she overcame, and the skills she has developed half-way through her internship.

by Ariel Rivera, Summer 2013 Intern at Where Orlando Magazine in Orlando, FL

As I approach the midpoint of my internship with Where Orlando I have realized the hard work and dedication that goes into not only publishing each issue of the magazine, but organizing advertisements, dealing with clientele, and informing the community of our publications. I feel that I have progressed immensely on completing my learning objectives. For example, as I work closer with the circulation manager and editor, among other personnel, I have learned the process of completing each issue and assignment by working together to make everything from articles to emails as effective as possible. Most of my work entails posting on the company’s social media sites, which has made me proficient in using these tools for successful advertising and as great sources of information. I have always felt intimidated by complicated computer programs and now I find myself using Excel and design software with ease. Embracing the power of online interaction and realizing how useful websites like Facebook and Twitter can be in promoting a company has helped me to feel connected to my community and a helpful asset to the company.

Learning to be in a new environment was initially the hardest part of my internship. I am used to working in fast paced environments so being in a cubicle for hours at a time took a lot of getting used to. However, I now enjoy going to work and I definitely see myself working in this field as a career. Seeing the power of group work has impressed me the most. I am used to doing things on my own, including homework and other assignments. Working together with everyone on staff step by step in creating e-blasts (emails sent out to clients and advertisers), newsletters, and event updates has taught me that it takes a lot of time, energy and teamwork to keep a magazine running. Especially when I attended my first Where Wednesday event at Bon Posh Fashion Jewelry was I able to see how advertisers, concierge, clientele, and those on the magazine came together to create a fun way to connect with each other and sponsor other projects. Helping with that event and finally seeing it unfold was perhaps my most proud moment with the magazine thus far. I was able to see how Where Orlando actually affects the community and it helped me connect to other businesspeople and feel the satisfaction of a job well done.