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Internship Advice: If You Want Something, Go For It

Derek McLamb, senior, business administration

Derek McLamb is an account management intern at Tierney Communications, a full-service, mid-sized communications agency based in Philadelphia, Penn. During his 10-week full-time internship, he is “assisting all levels of executives in the account management department with any work that needs to get done on a variety of different accounts, including TD Bank and Bayer Environmental Science,” which is based in the Research Triangle Park, N.C.

“I also spend a great deal of time shadowing client meetings or conference calls which gives me tremendous insight into all current projects in progress at the agency. Along with 12 other summer interns in various other departments, including public relations, media, creative and traffic, I also participate in company-sponsored learning workshops called “Lunch and Learns.” Each lunch, held generally once a week, features representatives from one agency department discussing their role. It is the perfect time for me to learn about the bigger picture of the agency, something that is clearly important as an employee.

He followed the advice of several faculty members, who encouraged him to start early in searching for an internship. He also struck out on his own in that search, as he did not want to remain in the Raleigh area for the experience, and began his search is mid-October.

My goal from the beginning was to obtain an internship in an industry that I want to work in, at a company that I could enjoy working for located in a city that I want to live in after college – all of which I accomplished with this particular internship. My initial research was crucial to picking out specific Philadelphia agencies to contact,” he said, basing his decision on the size of the agency, its culture and most importantly, its work philosophy.

“Having grown up in the Raleigh area with zero contacts in Philadelphia, I reached out to just a few Philadelphia agencies, including Tierney, armed with a customized resume and cover letter written specifically for each company. I worked to identify the right person to contact, and my conversation soon led to an interview at Tierney in January. Following the interview, I continued with follow-ups and open communication to develop a relationship and let them know how much I wanted the job. In the end, my persistence and consistent communication paid off with an internship offer in early April.”

Mid-way through the experience, he’s found that the “internship has helped me a great deal as a professional and especially as one working in an agency atmosphere. The often hectic environment of a busy advertising agency has already taught me a lot through just observation and sometimes without even leaving my desk.

“Tierney’s awesome open door policy with regard to both internal and most external meetings has meant that I have the opportunity to assist with real clients on projects that actually matter. As an account management intern, I am (gaining) a tremendous amount of knowledge useful for working with diverse clients on agency projects both large and small. I can already understand how crucial it is for everyone to work together on teams spread across all departments in order to get the task at hand completed.

“Plus, I find it really neat that by working in advertising, I can see things that I knew as just an idea now hanging in a window down the street, appearing as an interactive element somewhere online or airing on TV in between a show I am watching. I have also had the opportunity to work on the agency’s newest team, developing a campaign in response to a (request for proposal). This process is incredibly interesting for me to be a part of since I am able to see such a large project from inception through to completion.”

McLamb said he’s also working on a team project with other interns, something he describes as “the coolest thing that I have done at my internship.”

“We are divided into two teams, each with an equal mix of representation from all departments in the agency, and given a real client with a real case to solve. This summer’s project has us creating a fully integrated marketing campaign for a recently launched newscast of one of the nation’s most successful local news stations and a long-time client of Tierney.

“During the eight-week project, my teammates and I, as well as our department mentors, are working to develop our plan from scratch and then (will) pitch our ideas to the station president and general manager in early August. We have been given a realistic budget and access to all resources within the agency to create a product similar to what would be presented by an account executive to other large clients. This means the experience is truly real, as if we were not just interns. It was also very cool to have been taken on a tour of the station’s studio in Philadelphia as a part of our initial project briefing and client meeting. This whole project will provide me with true advertising experience and possibly a product that the client actually decides to use in the future.”

ADVICE FOR OTHER STUDENTS: “My advice is simple and perhaps a bit of a cliché but I will give it anyways. If there is one thing that I have learned from my personal accomplishment of getting this internship it is that if you want something (for me it was a certain internship that will hopefully lead to my dream job after college) no matter how far-fetched you may think the idea is, you really can do it. You just have to have confidence in your own abilities and be smart in the way you go about it. The quote I once heard, “If you want something, then you have to go get it,” was definitely my motto throughout my process.

Thomas Lamm, senior, business administration

Thomas Lamm is a customer care intern with BASF, The Chemical Company, at its Charlotte, N.C. offices.

“I focus on customer relationship management, working with clients through the order fulfillment process. This also includes working with buyers, material planners, supply chain professionals and transportation managers to meet customer demands while doing it efficiently and with costs in mind. I also will have the opportunity to work on projects for the finance division. He learned of the internship during Poole College’s fall 2010 career fair.

“I have worked for different employers, but never in the corporate atmosphere and never for a foreign company. This internship has given me insight on how internationally based companies operate in the U.S. and also insight on the corporate climate. I have also learned a great deal about supply chain and its applications. One of the most valuable assets I will be able to take away from my internship is working knowledge of SAP.”

The internship has provided opportunities “to visit and tour chemical manufacturing plants and distribution centers to see what we make, how we make it, and how we distribute it. This is an opportunity that many people don’t have. I have also had the opportunity to visit partner businesses to see how we work together in joint ventures and how that impacts both businesses.

ADVICE FOR OTHER STUDENTS: Approach with an open mind. Don’t exclude applying for internships just because they are not specific to your concentration. I am in the finance concentration, but was interested in supply chain. I ended up in an internship where I get to focus on all the concentrations which is providing valuable experience. I learned how to use software that is very valuable to other companies (SAP), worked with material planners and supply chain, worked with customer relationship management, and will have the opportunity to work some with finance.

Lauren Canjar, senior, business administration

Lauren Canjar has a marketing Internship with Dimension Data in Cary, N.C.

She is assisting the company in maintaining and strengthening partner relations as well as building an 18-month road map for its security division. Canjar learned about the internship through NC State’s ePack database.

Canjar says she’s found the experience has “helped immensely with learning how to network, maintaining professional relationships, and how to understand and work within a global ‘real-world’ marketing environment.” The position has taken her out of the Cary office, as she has “traveled to New York City with the director of security to attend and participate in many of the Dimension Data marketing partner events and meetings and client engagements revolving around Information Security within the technology market,” she said.

ADVICE FOR OTHER STUDENTS: “Do it! It will not only help you gain an understanding of the field you may be interested in, but it will help you determine which area(s) of focus within the field you may be interested in pursuing as a career (including areas you would not have been aware of prior to the internship).”

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