Having finished the fifth week of my ten week internship, I have now crossed the threshold of the half way mark, and now growing ever closer to the finish line, and the prospect of returning back to the realms of unemployment. I started my internship (Social Media and Communications) at the beginning of January, a fresh new job to start off a fresh new year.
Standing here at the half-way point, with the sight on unemployment down the way, is actually not as bleak as it seems. I’ve learnt a lot already, and even just five weeks in, my portfolio and job prospects are a lot stronger now than they had been beforehand. Not only have I already had a job interview for a senior position in a company, but I’ve made many new contacts, ones that I may not have if I wasn’t in the position I was in now.
“But Liam” I hear you all cry. “What do you even do?”
My role as the Social Media and Communications Intern is to work with the Employer Services Team, a section of your friendly Careers Service based on campus. I’m currently working with them to help them create and maintain a social media presence through the implementation of a social media strategy. Social Media is something I’ve always had a strong interest in, and even throughout doing my Television Production degree, it’s something I’ve often found myself coming back to when writing.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is; don’t be afraid to look for work outside of your degree. If it’s something you’re passionate about, and something you know you can do, then don’t let any opportunity pass you by. And if it’s something you’re passionate about, but you don’t feel too confident about it, then set some time aside and begin researching and teaching yourself.
Very little of my social media experience came from my university course. That’s to be expected, it was a Television Production degree, but my own interest in Social Media drew me to articles and pages online where I learnt more about it. Whilst you’re at university, take the advantage of having a Careers Service here with you, who can help you and point you in the right direction if you do choose to take on other areas on interest.
The internship programme is also something to consider if you’re graduating this year. When I graduated last year, I had no job lined up. It took me three months on Job Seekers to get a job at a supermarket. The internships came up after about three months of working nights at the supermarket, and I applied for three, all to do with Social Media, as those were the ones that I felt were best suited for me.
Three of my friends are also now working internships, all in areas in which they have strong interest and career aspirations in, and they’re all doing extremely well. More than likely, this new experience will help us get into jobs once we leave the internships, be it with the company we’re with now, or an entirely new opportunity, and an entirely new adventure.
I’m half way through my internship, and I couldn’t be happier about where I’m going next.
Liam Walters, Social Media Graduate Intern