When I started my remote role for Girls in Marketing in April 2021, I had only been to Liverpool a handful of times. Fast forward to now, completing a marketing internship in Liverpool, alongside my freelance Community Engagement Coordinator Role, with Girls in Marketing.
When Olivia offered me the chance to complete an internship with Girls in Marketing, I jumped on the opportunity. Work experience is so hard to find within the crowded marketing industry, although most employers have wild expectations of graduates to have years of experience fresh out of university.
I wanted to share my diary for my first week, to give you more insight into our team and our office vibe (snacks and throwback playlists, what’s not to love)?! Students, have a read to see how you can benefit from completing a marketing internship and, more importantly, how you can actually secure an internship in marketing.
Day 1:
This day was super fun (and not only because I discovered the cafe next door to the office). We kicked off the week with a team meeting planning our week. Having a brainstorm with your team to start each week is a great way to motivate and give team members a focus, which is something I learned straight away. Then, I completed my set training courses for week one, including courses in SEO, podcast editing, and YouTube editing and managing (Subscribe)! Free courses are such a great way to expand your marketing knowledge and to show proactivity to employers.
To finish the day, I began to edit our Podcast which was a great opportunity for me to see behind the scenes of the Podcast and I learned SO much.
Day 2:
At Girls in Marketing HQ, we are currently testing out themed days. This means that each day we have a different focus to get the most out of our day, e.g. Monday = Members Society, Tuesday = Marketers Making Moves Mentoring Programme. Who doesn’t love a productivity hack?!
Today, I split my day into two sections. The morning was spent outreaching for our Jobs Board and then the afternoon was for writing guest blogs to feature us.
Day 3:
If you haven’t tried splitting your days into themed sections, I would definitely recommend it. By saving time from switching from task to task, it will make you so much more productive and give you a focus. Today, I worked on editing and managing our podcast, which is something that I have actually really enjoyed doing. This also includes making the graphics that you see on our socials, and I was super excited after seeing the list of our dream podcast guests (we CAN NOT wait). The afternoon was then spent planning and editing for our YouTube Channel. If you haven’t already seen our channel trailer, check it out here.
Day 4:
Today, I was allocated some time to complete more marketing training courses which included completing an email outreach course and a community kickstart course. These courses are great to add to your LinkedIn to show off your knowledge to potential employers. If you have been completing online free marketing courses, you should certainly try out courses in a range of marketing fields to see which area you enjoy the most. Who knows, you might surprise yourself!
I finished off the day by completing some tasks for my freelance role for Girls in Marketing, which included managing some members admin for our Members Society.
Day 5:
Coming to the end of the week, I brainstormed some more ideas for our guest blogs and sent a couple of guest blogs off to be approved. I also spoke to some of our lovely members about their week and received some amazing feedback from them about our Girls in Marketing membership.
The first week of my marketing internship was super useful and I have learned so much. From podcast and Youtube editing to SEO, the amount of responsibility that I have been given from the start was amazing. I’m sure you’ve heard other people’s awful internship experiences, being placed at a desk with no help and no one to talk to. But, the first week of my internship in marketing has been great and I cannot thank the team enough for being great mentors.
Where Do You Find Experience?
Although marketing internships are hard to secure, you should not just apply to be a marketing intern anywhere. Here’s how you should go about it:
1. Do Your Research
If you want to secure an internship that will really benefit you, do your research on the company and check that its values align with yours.
2. Build Your Personal Brand
LinkedIn is great for connecting with marketers, and through building relationships with people in the industry, you can spot when the companies you love are looking for interns.
3. Start Small
Small businesses always appreciate extra help with marketing. Maybe you could try volunteering for a local business, to get some experience before applying to larger companies.
Experience is out there and you will secure some amazing opportunities, so continue applying and growing your skills, marketers.
Written by Keira Penney
