No one really knows what they are getting into as an intern before their internship actually starts. Like many of you, I pulled my idea of an intern from the TV shows I’ve watched. Yet, here at DENOR Brands and Public Relations, I did not run food errands or gather coffee orders. I had my own tasks that were essential to other projects – I felt a part of the team. Being an intern at DENOR taught me many things, and I’ve come up with some helpful tips and things to learn from for those to come.
Work on Time Management
Upon first meeting Ashley Northington, I told her that I was organized and had good time management skills. For the most part, I honestly felt like that was true. Ms. Ashley would assign multiple tasks at once, and that is when I learned I did not have as great of time management skills as I thought. I quickly learned. In order to complete all the work assignments, I had to get it together because nothing is worse than when you get the “look” for not completing an assignment in a timely matter. If you work as an intern, you will soon find out what I mean by this… and hopefully, you’ll learn to step it up quickly, too.
Be Self-Reliant
This is both a tip for those to come and something I gained as an intern. I already felt self-reliant before coming to DENOR, but I soon learned that I had to bump it up a level. One of my favorite assignments as an intern was designing graphics, but I quickly learned that I did not have to ask Ms. Ashley want she wanted in a graphic. I learned that I should just make it. Ms. Ashley would assign a task and expect it to be done – no questions asked unless absolutely necessary. This forced me to figure out on my own how to write a captivating press release, how to create a well-written email, how to do client outreach, and so much more. Ms. Ashley taking the training wheels off made me much more self-reliant, so if you need a lot of guidance and direction, DENOR more than likely is not the place for you.
Be A Communicator
Marketing is all about communicating something to an audience. When I first started working at DENOR, I really only knew how to communicate through social media – and not all that well at that. Now I am confident I can effectively market to individuals through any communication channel – all because I got a chance to communicate in different ways to multiple targeted audiences at DENOR. Also, my writing skills advanced because of my time with DENOR.
In public relations, the next important thing – besides great verbal communication – is written communication. Writing is something I personally never felt was a strong suit of mine, but I have slowly but surely gained confidence through tasks such as blogging and creating emails. I realized that without the ability to effectively write with a purpose, I could not succeed in the public relations business.
Work Well With Others
I am a people person. For the most part, I like people, but people can be really annoying at times. In public relations, one tends to obviously encounter a lot of people. I have gotten the chance to fine tune my people skills through my time at DENOR, which allows me to have a level head in any situation – or at least to appear that way. I also began to put more trust into my coworkers because I was able to ask them for help before going to Ms. Ashley by bouncing ideas off of them. We even have inside jokes now.
Benefit From Class Room Advantages
I am a sophomore in college, and I had never taken a marketing class before working a DENOR. I just recently completed my first class in marketing, and I knew majority of the things taught in class already due to my knowledge gained at DENOR. As an intern, I could work first hand with clients and on projects, which made learning easier. I was able to catch on to in-class concepts with ease.
Work Toward A Goal
Lastly, I learned about working toward a goal. At DENOR, we worked on a lot of big picture projects – meaning as a team, we worked on individual tasks to make one thing. On some projects, I would know what the end goal was, but it’d be hard to see how we were going to get there. For example, DENOR partnered with The Equity Alliance to create the 2018 Nashville Voter Guide for Nashville’s May 1 election. I spent days calling Nashville candidates running in that election and sending emails to them, which at one time seemed pointless because they would not answer or respond to my calls. However, in the end, I was proud of the work I put into the Voter Guide, and I’m proud to say that I assisted on that project. You might not see the end of what you are working toward, but when you see all your hard work compiled into something amazing, you realize it was worth it.
My time at DENOR is definitely one for the books. I recommend this internship to anyone interested in marketing or public relations because you learn a lot. However, this internship is not for the weak or lazy. Be ready to think and take criticism as you embark on your learning journey. I enjoyed my time with the people at DENOR (shout out to Rochelle and Monica!). I believe this blog does not do justice in showcasing everything I learned under Ms. Ashley’s wing, but I believe I turned out “tight” like she wanted. For that, I thank you.
