They’re not kidding when they say you will work on real-life projects here.
When I first started at IDeaS, I didn’t know how much responsibility, accountability, and trust I would be given as an intern. With this also being my first big internship, I had no idea what I was walking in to. One full year later, I am so thankful for the experience I gained throughout my internship. I can confidently say that IDeaS helped me grow and learn more in more ways than I could have imagined.
If you had told me before this experience that I would be in charge of creating and posting social media content for over 48,000+ followers, I would first be scared, and then say you’re crazy. But the best way to be comfortable and confident is to practice. So, over the course of a year, I worked my way up to gaining more and more confidence in my role as an intern, and single-handedly ran the IDeaS LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for a couple weeks while our in-house Social Media expert was out of the office. I never would’ve imaged being able to achieve that in any other internship!
I’ll be the first to admit that I refreshed each page more than a few times and reread my captions over and over before they were posted – just to make sure I didn’t mess up. But, if something doesn’t scare you, I’ve learned that it’s not helping you learn and grow.
My role as a communication intern also allowed me to connect with so many amazing people and use my voice and writing to share their stories. I led a few people-centered social media campaigns, like the Kindness Campaign, IDeaS Innovators, and “Meet the Team Mondays” program. With these campaigns, I practiced consistency with a brand’s voice, image, and messaging.
It’s really heartening to see my posts shared and appreciated online, and I met so many professionals who shared great advice about starting a career. These social campaigns really showed me that IDeaS is full of talented, helpful, insightful, and positive people.
Not only did I have my content published on IDeaS’ social media pages, I also had a few industry blogs published to the website too. Within only a few weeks of starting my internship, my manager asked if I would be interested in writing an article about RMS (revenue management software). Now, I didn’t know much about RMS, hotels, or anything like that when I first started interning, so I was really surprised by the request.
IDeaS truly fosters a culture of learning and growth though, so I ultimately knew that taking this opportunity to try something new would teach me something – and it did. I have blogs about group business, IDeaS products, and other topics that I researched, drafted, and ultimately published on the website because I had room to learn, ask questions, and get feedback. Not to mention, my portfolio is top notch now with these pieces!
Another big part of working in Communications is working on the brand image, and a company’s employees are always a big reflection of the goals and mission of a company. IDeaS is an industry leader, and so many of our employees are top-thinkers with a big audience. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to reboot our Brand Ambassador Program, where we help our team members build their personal brand and represent the company online.
Not only did I get to share my writing and voice through articles and quick tips for our brand ambassadors, I also lead the program to stay on top of relevant news and topics, and to increase engagement with their audiences. I truly felt so valued in my opinions and direction by curating content for this program, and it was amazing experience to say that I kicked-off a big project like that on my own – how many other interns do you know who can say that?
Interning at IDeaS blew my expectations out of the water. When I initially interviewed for the position, I underestimated how much real-life experience I would gain as an intern. Over the course of a year, I’ve worked on more projects, articles, and social content than I can remember, and I am truly grateful for this experience. IDeaS created the most flexible, supportive, and growth-oriented environment for a young professional like myself, and I’ve never worked with more encouraging and caring people.
Internships are about gaining experience, learning new things, and growing confident in your abilities as a young professional, and IDeaS went above and beyond to make sure it happened for me.