Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship/research opportunity/fellowship.

I attended the College of Communication and Information career fair, and there, I found the Career Center Communication Intern opportunity. I applied through Handshake under the InternFSU open positions for the summer semester, but my internship took a different route due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I also reached out through email. My experience was unique in its nature since I wasn't able to be part of the program in summer 2020, however, I was able to join the team in the fall. 

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?

I prepared in advance for my experiential learning opportunity by looking up similar positions on LinkedIn and checking qualifications and requirements. I also looked for different new and creative ways to create graphics and learned more about the latest communication and social media trends to stay up to date to be better prepared. 

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your internship/research offer, what were they?

 I attended the Career Center's Career Fair to take the chance to speak with potential employers to expand my knowledge in the industry's latest trends and what they look for in a candidate. I also utilized many online resources that the Career Center offers, such as resume and cover letter resources, which gave me an overview of what is expected from me.

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity.

As the marketing and communications intern, my responsibilities and duties included assisting the Marketing & Communication Manager with marketing plans, branding, and campaign brainstorming about The Career Center’s events, services, and resources to students. I created graphics and content for social media and social media scheduling. I also worked on initiating and developing new social media marketing campaigns with my supervisor to promote The Career Center’s events and services, organizing biweekly newsletters that go out to students and staff, and other designated tasks as required. 

What was a typical day like "on the job"?

My typical day is usually using Microsoft Teams and Zoom to communicate with my supervisor about any new projects or updates on ongoing projects. I log into all our social media platforms and monitor if there are likes, comments, reposts, shares that need attention. I also sometimes love to explore Pinterest for inspirational ideas. I usually work on assigned tasks prioritizing each task by deadline requirements.

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the future?

This experience was unique because it allowed me to be heavily involved in digital media, which is part of my future career. I got immersed in the environment of working on multiple projects, which gave me a sense of how client relations work at agencies or marketing departments in corporations. I was able to get hands-on experience showing the client the project and receiving feedback, and the process that takes place prior to final deliverables. I learned many technical and interpersonal skills that include acceptance of constructive criticism, independence when working on projects on my own, effective online, and verbal communication, social media and advertising strategies, content creation, social media and email analyzation, and much more that will allow me to be an experienced candidate.

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so?

My experience was eye opening and left me with great exposure to what I want to do with my career. It was a great opportunity to identify my talents and abilities. In the beginning, there were some challenges. Still, with the assistance of my supervisor and fast-paced work environment, I was able to work on being a multitasker and efficient with any workload. I was working directly with the department head, so I was able to get a unique perspective on a professional point of view and project implementation through a different lens. I'm grateful for being part of this experience, which emphasized that this is the same path I'll be taking in the future.