I’m Xiaohan. I am a master’s student of Accounting, Finance and Management at the University of Bristol.
It is a great honour to have had the opportunity to work as a Social Media Marketing intern at Centre for International Visiting Artists and Scholars (IVAS).
IVAS is a newly formed not-for-profit and independent organisation that promotes collaboration and cultural exchanges between universities and international artists and scholars.
Although this role does not correspond directly to the majors I have studied, I have gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge through practice.
‘First and foremost, I would like to thank my manager and mentor, Minyan‘
She has given me a lot of guidance during my internship. She founded IVAS with courage and creativity and inspired me to constantly challenge myself in my work and try new working methods and ideas. She provided me with platforms and opportunities, whilst encouraging me to use my creativity and imagination.
During the internship, I was tasked with WeChat posts and poster design. Although this was not my first time doing this type of work, I gained much new knowledge.
‘Compared with the previous internships I had done, the targeting and content of this internship was different.‘
I learnt how to design posters and push content, according to target groups, to convey information better. I also learnt to use Canva to make posters and presentations.
Thanks to the flexibility and remote-working nature of this internship I was able to fit it around my studies. Additionally, I realized that effective communication and teamwork are essential at work. In this internship project, I needed to communicate and collaborate frequently with Minyan to ensure that the project was completed in a timely manner. I improved my active listening skills to better understand the requirements of each task at hand. By doing so, I ensured that I fully understood the brief and executed it to the best of my ability.
‘My internship experience at IVAS has been immensely valuable, equipping me with many transferable skills and allowing me to challenge myself.‘
I am incredibly grateful for the support I received. I am confident that this experience will have a positive impact on my future development, personally and professionally. I strongly believe in the meaningful work being done by IVAS and I hope more people will have the opportunity to join in and contribute to such a worthwhile cause.
Here’s what Minyan, the Founder and Director of IVAS, had to say about the internship:
‘As a not-for-profit start-up, we have hugely benefited from the SME Internship Scheme by the University of Bristol. The Careers Service team is fantastic and we are thankful for the opportunity to work with such a dedicated group of professionals. This is a truly fantastic initiative for both the student and the company.’
Want to be an SME intern?
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Read more blogs in our “My SME internship” series to hear about other SMEs that our students have worked with.
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