June 7, 2019, by Katie Watson
Internship Diaries: What To Expect
By Katie Watson, second year BA (Hon) History, student blogger
Maybe you have finally landed your dream internship or you are deciding whether an internship is right for you? It can be good to know what to expect and that it isn’t running around getting people coffee.
Over Easter, I had my first ever marketing internship at the Institute of Quarrying, which I secured through the Nottingham Spring Internship Scheme. You can read my previous blog posts to hear everything I had done over the last term in order to get an internship. I learnt so much as I took advantage of every opportunity to learn. Here are three things that I did to make the most of this fantastic opportunity.
1. Learn, learn, learn
It is important to remember when you start an internship that you are not expected to be an expert. You can ask as many questions as you want and have the chance to put any digital skills that you might have learnt into practice. I loved that I had the chance to use Hubspot which has a brilliant academy that gives excellent training on using Hubspot and marketing strategies in general.
2. Put everything you have learnt into practice
Internships are a brilliant way to learn by doing. I had the chance to make real changes on the Institute of Quarrying website, and created infographics using the information they had on PDF files in order to revamp a series of pages. Through doing this I found out that I love the creative side of marketing. Internships are a great way to find out what tasks you enjoy doing within a role.
Another skill I got to put into practice was web design. I got a chance to completely update and change the Quarrying Explained page, one of their top ranking pages. It was really useful as I can now use these pages as examples of my work for future employers.
3. Enjoy the experience!
Internships are a good way to find out whether a career is for you and whilst you might not find every task exhilarating, it is a chance to understand how you best work. Internships can be the best way to try a job if you go with an open mind.
I knew nothing about quarrying before I started my internship. However, I saw it as a challenge to create content for an industry I had little knowledge of. It meant that I proved to myself I could do it and really helped to improve my self confidence.
I even got the chance to watch the production of a training film about the importance of trust in leadership. The filming day was a unique experience as I got to see what went on behind the camera when creating good quality video content.
Overall, I really enjoyed my internship and I did so much more than just sending emails and making coffee. I learnt that internships are what you make of them and if you approach them with a can-do attitude then you can learn so much. Still on the fence about doing an internship? Honestly, do it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This blog post is just a small taste of what you can expect.
If you’re inspired by Katie’s internship experience, explore careers in digital marketing and find out more about the Nottingham Internship Scheme .
It’s great to hear such a positive internship experience – they really are invaluable learning opportunities. Another great perk is the networking opportunities and the personal insight you can gain into careers you may not previously know much about. Thanks for sharing.