My name is Iona and I completed my internship with the SME Internship Scheme just after I finished my third year doing English Literature. I was employed by Second Campus, an organisation that seeks to help students find job in the tech industry. Over the course of the internship, I was involved in content creation, writing, and SEO research.
Preparing for my internship
As Second Campus was in its very early stages, I wasn’t able to research into it a huge amount. Instead, I was very fortunate to have an enthusiastic boss who was happy to answer any questions I had. I also made sure to research rival businesses to gain an idea of the industry and to see what kind of content was already out there.
Challenges
My first week involved completing a few courses in content marketing and SEO research. At first, I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of information, but I found it gave me a firm foundation for the work I was to do later.
Once I’d begun my internship, I found that working 9 to 5 in my student room with dodgy WiFi was pretty hard! The rest of my house was busy revising but were still leading far less structured lives, so it took a little time to adjust to the new routine.
I quickly learned that this wasn’t something to worry too much about. Over the duration of the pandemic, employers have become much more understanding about varying work environments and I was able to work around any issues I had by communicating with my boss.
What I learned
I was given a fantastic opportunity to write an entire newsletter series for Second Campus. This meant learning how to research and grasp ideas quickly and relaying these concepts with clarity.
Throughout the process, I collaborated with my boss on content ideas and writing styles, which definitely improved my ability to verbally communicate my thoughts.
As an English student, this internship also provided an excellent opportunity to write in an entirely different style and for a new audience which was really exciting.
Being involved in the process of content marketing also opened my eyes to the huge variety of writing job opportunities that now exist in the tech industry. Without this experience, I would have been a lot less clued up on the kinds of roles that are emerging for people who want to write for a living, but who don’t necessarily want to follow more established career paths, such as journalism.
Advice
My main pieces of advice to anyone doing an internship are to do plenty of research and to have a go at things even when you’re not sure – your colleagues will be pleased to see you taking some initiative!
Get involved
As Iona discovered, work experience is a great way to learn about a sector, develop your skills and earn money. Interested? We are now advertising internship opportunities through mycareer.
If you would like support with writing applications, you’ll find some useful resources and events here to help.
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