Every semester, Find Your Influence hosts a series of college student interns. The Find Your Influence (FYI) internship program aims to work with hardworking students who are in search of a distinct experience not found in a classroom. The internship program at FYI is more than how our organization can grow from interns but how we can create a learning experience that inspires passion and applies critical thinking.
During the summer of 2020, FYI hosted our first ever fully remote group of interns (thanks, global pandemic). As their semester is coming to an end, we sat down for a conversation to learn more about their internship.
Josh Peterson is entering his junior year at San Diego State University. Josh is a business major and spent the summer working as a Digital Influencer Marketing Intern. Over the course of his internship, Josh specialized in Search Engine Optimization tactics.
Rachel David will begin her senior year in the fall of 2020 at Arizona State University. This Sun Devil is pursuing her degree in Psychology and Marketing with a minor in Spanish. Rachel spent her summer working with the Client Success Team as an Influencer & Account Management Intern.
What were your expectations coming into your internship with Find your Influence?
Josh: “I certainly wasn’t expecting the internship to be mostly online. But It didn’t really seem to matter considering I was learning the ins and outs of digital influencer marketing. Pretty much everything I learned along the way dealt with using a computer, so It was almost fitting that it ended up being online. The internship was everything I hoped it would be and I had a great time learning how to operate in the marketing world.”
Rachel: “My main expectation was that I would be learning a lot about influencer marketing, and I certainly did. With such a huge interest in social media and marketing I was very eager to learn everything I could about what Find Your Influence does. Prior to starting my internship, I also met with the Client Success Team that I would be working with throughout the summer. They were all extremely nice and helpful, so I came into the internship with the expectation of getting along well with everyone.”
What are you most proud to have worked on/learned during the course of your internship?
Josh: “Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and why it’s so important. Without websites or blogs coming up early on a search engine, the odds of that website or blog being seen are significantly lower. That’s why SEO work is so important, so that what is made can be seen in the digital world. On the digital side, marketing could, in a sense, revolve around SEO. That’s why I think SEO was such a valuable tool to have learned and have in my back pocket for future jobs.”
Rachel: “I am most proud of the various projects/campaigns that I was able to work on. It was very rewarding to work on a project at its beginning stages, such as finding appropriate influencers or filling out content examples, and then later hearing about the successes of that campaign. Influencer marketing is such a huge marketing tool for companies and brands today, so it has been very interesting to learn about the intricacies of the campaign process.”
Are there any mentors/leaders who impacted you during the course of your internship?
Josh: “Michael Creel took me under his wing and worked with me step by step to make sure I understood digital influencer marketing. I had a lot of questions when we first began and he always took the time to explain and never got frustrated with me. He also pounded SEO into my head so I’d never forget it, which I’m grateful for.”
Rachel: “Sarah Hickam was my mentor throughout my internship, and she was an incredible person to work with. Whenever I had questions or concerns, Sarah was always there to help me and walk me through them. On top of her already busy FYI schedule, Sarah made sure I was enjoying what I was doing and created a very happy and comfortable environment for me. I am extremely grateful for all of her help throughout my internship with FYI, as well as all of the guidance I received from the entire Client Success Team.”
How was the experience of interning in a 100% remote capacity?
Josh: “It couldn’t have gone any better than it did. Sure, at times it could be difficult if my wifi went out or I had a bad connection during a zoom call, but regardless it worked. I was still able to learn as much as if I had been coming into the office every day.”
Rachel: “The remote internship experience was seamless. Microsoft Teams was used for video calls and messaging, and it was very easy to navigate and made everyone easily accessible. Everyone at FYI handled it very well, and I never experienced any issues.”
Would you recommend interning with Find Your Influence to your friends? If so, why?
Josh: “Yes of course. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to have an internship at all with the pandemic that we’re all in. I had a lot of friends whose summer internship got canceled. FYI saw a problem and instead of completely canceling on me they said how can we solve this, and they worked with me digitally through the summer, which I appreciate greatly.”
Rachel: “I would absolutely recommend interning with Find Your Influence to my friends. Even during this difficult time, FYI was extremely accommodating and eager to have me on board to help out. Tami Nealy worked very closely with me during the set-up process and consistently worked to make sure I was comfortable with the summer internship set-up amidst a pandemic. The Client Success Team also made me feel very comfortable and included throughout my internship, always checking in to make sure I was doing well and enjoying what I was learning.”
If you’re interested in learning more about interning with Find Your Influence, email Tami Nealy, tami@findyourinfluence.com.