Above I’m with my fellow AIG Direct San Diego Interns in Times Square NYC for our induction and training.
I’ve been asked on multiple occasions how I snagged my internship, what I liked about it, what I didn’t, etc. So, I’ve decided to share my experience since I’m in the last week. This is a two part blog, I’ve broken it up into actually getting my internship and my tips for those of you who want one!
Part One:
It’s honestly pretty random that I even happened upon the internship. There was a day back in March where I had time between classes so I went to the library. I thought briefly that it’s time to start applying for Summer Internships so I went on Indeed and did a couple searches. I couldn’t really find anything that grabbed my attention, so I went onto SDSU Career Services and somehow found SDSU’s version of Linked In that’s only available to their students. It’s called Aztecs Career Connection and you can find it here. I didn’t even know that this platform existed but I was curious so I uploaded a profile picture, my transcripts, my resume, and filled out a quick bio. Their platform had a lot of options, and most of the internships were pretty easy to apply to since the platform already has your information filled in. I highly recommend using this website, and I’m not sure why no one ever told me about it. Also, I’m pretty sure that it’s free for students and alumni which is a plus.
Anyway, I saw that an Advertising and Media Intern position was available with AIG Direct, so I applied since the title seemed like what I was interested in. I had heard that the process of getting an internship can take some time. Usually they will call you within a month for an interview, and then you’ll hear back if you got the position within another month from then. That may not be true for every internship, but that was the case with mine. I had completely forgotten that I had even applied when I got the call a month later to schedule a phone interview. After the phone interview they scheduled me the next week for an in person interview. After meeting in person, I was confident that I had done well but I didn’t receive the call for the job offer until another month later. I guess this time frame is typical, since there are usually a large number of applicants. So, don’t sweat it if you don’t hear back for a while.
I had no idea what to expect from my internship going into it. I knew that I would learn about working in the traditional office setting, and that I was working in a media position for an in-house direct marketing agency that works in lead generation for life insurance. That’s a lot to jump into all at once with no actual experience, but everyone was very helpful. The first week they set up an orientation where I met with every person in the department for an overview of their position and how they fit into the marketing plan.
It probably took about three weeks to truly feel comfortable with all of the different reporting systems, different types of media we use, and how we track the performance of each one. At the same time I was learning all the different types of life insurance products, which was necessary in order to understand our advertising performance. In our office, we worked with most media channels. This was one of my favorite aspects of my internship becuase it allowed me to become familiar with how each one works and find which one I like most.
I found that I really enjoy digital marketing, specifically for display and search campaigns. I’ve gotten certified In Google Analytics, and Adwords. Another resource I became aware of early on was my fellow intern. He showed me how to build a website from scratch. (which is what you’re currently on, thanks to Michael for being an amazing web/software developer!) I’ve learned more than expected from this experience. Going into it, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I finished school, mostly because I didn’t know what was out there. My degree has taught me a lot, but it honestly hasn’t taught me the kinds of jobs available to me when I graduate. This internship has done that, and I’m very grateful to everyone at AIG Direct that has been willing to share their job with me.
Part Two: My tips to anyone out there looking for an internship.
1. Apply, Apply, Apply
I have no idea how many internships I applied to before I got the call back for an interview. It never hurts you to at least apply and get your name out there. Even if the internship doesn’t sound appealing, even if its with a company you don’t see yourself with long-term. APPLY! You never know what you will gain from an internship. I’m sure that going into it, you can have some expectations, but until you’re in an office setting and you can see all of the different positions available to you it’s very hard to know exactly what you want! That is the whole purpose of an internship: to learn. So apply to as as many as you can if you want to actually get one!
2. Be open minded
An internship is not the place for you to limit yourself to what you think you want. Maybe you know exactly what career you want, but once you find yourself working in the office, you find a position that ultimately interests you more? Explore all of your options, and take advantage of your ability as an intern to do so! I have my own example of this. When I started I thought that I only loved working with creative (specifically for social media) and that I would not enjoy all of the actual media buying or analysis. It turned out that most of my time at AIG was working in analysis and performance and when I was given the opportunity to create content for social media, I was not as excited about it as I expected compared to what I had already been working on. I had preconceived notions that tried to limit me, and I’m glad I had the ability to expand my interests.
3. Get to Know Everyone
This is one of the most important tips I can give you. Try and meet as many people as possible throughout your internship. Find out what they do, how they like their job, or ask if you could ever give them a hand. There are so many positions in an office and the only way to find out which one is best for you is to expore what is available to you! Also, networking is invaluable and you have the opportunity to build a strong network to help you in your next endeavor. Help yourself out, and take advantage of your ability to meet new people.
4. Ask Questions
This tip is not just about getting information, but giving as well. You should absolutely ask questions when you don’t know something and want to learn, but asking questions can have a bigger purpose than that. By asking good questions, you show that you’re engaged in the situation. I love the feeling of surprising someone with a smart question. By doing so, I’ve not only made that person feel that their time is valuable to me, but I’m showing them that I can also be of value to them.
I know that these are not the only useful tips out there, but I hope this leaves you with a good starting point. I’d love to hear your thoughts! What did you learn from your internship? What advice do you have for others during their internship?
Highlights: Work Experience, Business Travel, Digital Marketing
