07 Oct My Internship at BWD Advertising

It is the third month of my Internship at BWD and ..where do I even begin. My first day was beyond nerve-wracking and it felt like walking down the corridor as a grade 8 learner on the first day of high school. Despite the first day jitters, I adjusted and got into the hang of things. With such a hands-on experience, I want to share what has been instilled in me and how my knowledge has expanded. 

BWD Advertising is a marketing agency that offers a wide range of services from Website Design, Social Media Management to Video Animations. The internship is aimed at making you a well-rounded person as this agency is always evolving. Everything is at your disposal to improve your skills and to gain first-hand knowledge from people who have more experience in the field that you are interested in. This is the time to be inquisitive, show passion and determination as no one else can want you to succeed more than you do.  

I came in with a strong interest in Social Media and Content Marketing. I had my insight on how complex Social Media is but little did I know, it was only the beginning. I was equipped with more knowledge from experts, blogs and through tasks such as completing the Google Analytics Course for Beginners. One of the most inspiring things with this agency is the persistence and interest in helping you grow and master your craft, as they always say here “ We grow when you grow”. You will leave the BWD doors being a more refined person than when you came in.

Even though I was interested in Social Media, I learned that there are different aspects that all ensure that you deliver the best content that you can. Practice makes perfect and that purely means you have to be driven enough to take the skills that have been instilled in you and master them. For example, if you want to be a good photographer, take more or less 100 pictures in a week and after let’s say 6 months, you would have taken 520 pictures. If you decide to go with the 10% rating of your work, you should have 52 quality pictures. Go above the bare minimum for your craft and be intentional with what you are trying to accomplish. 

DOs and DON’Ts in making the most of your internship.

I still have a lot to learn during my time at BWD but here are three DOs and DON’Ts that are important  in making the most of your internship: 

DOs

1. Do set goals and expectations. It is important to have a plan for what you expect to get out of it.
2. Do look for guidance. Learn from your co-workers by asking them about their tasks and the obstacles they had to overcome to get where they are.
3.   Absorb like a sponge. Ask questions to help clarify what you are learning and take notes to reference later.

DON’Ts

1. Don’t allow your inexperience to affect you. Contribute any ideas you might have without fear of rejection. If anything, your employer will see that you are keen on helping.
2. Don’t assume that any task given to you is unimportant, even the smallest of tasks have some value to the company.
3. Don’t hide mistakes. Nobody is perfect so always take accountability and offer solutions on how such mistakes will not happen in the future. 

Internships are the best way to align your career path and to know exactly where you want to go. It is a way of getting your feet wet and finding out if working in a specific field is something that you could see yourself doing. Internships make candidates more competitive in the job market. By maintaining professionalism and taking on the individual responsibility that is required of you, you will be creating a good impression that can provide you with a reference letter or even better, a potential job offer. Keeping yourself flexible during your internship will open many doors. Seize that opportunity and put everything that you have learned into action.