Name: Abby Kruse
Year in School: senior
Major: advertising
Position: digital media marketing intern, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union
They tell you to find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Well, that’s mostly true.
Back in March, for about the 50th time, I Googled “Marketing Internships in Des Moines.” I happened upon a new one I hadn’t seen yet and clicked. The more I read, the more excited I got. Monitor and update social media accounts? Design social media campaigns? Photography? I can do all those things! Better yet, I have an interest in women’s high school sports – I played sports in high school and loved it!
I’m totally in.
I submitted my resume, cover letter and online portfolio with the usual tag line: “I look forward to hearing back from you.” Except this time, I actually did want to hear back from them – and not just to fulfill an internship credit.
Finally! Six days after I applied (who’s counting?), I got an email back to schedule a phone interview. “That’s a good sign!” I thought, although I admit I had already begun to panic. See, interviews are scary enough, but, on top of that, phone calls make me actually anxious. I avoid them at all costs. Nevertheless, I scheduled a phone interview for 11 a.m. the following Tuesday.
Here’s something you don’t learn in class – phone interviews are weird. You can’t read the interviewer’s body language, and they can’t see your facial expressions. You will definitely feel like a fool when you sit at your kitchen table making grand hand gestures until you remember they can’t even see you.
I didn’t quite know how to prepare for a phone interview, but here’s how I did it. First, I had several different internet browser tabs open: the job description that had originally peaked my interest, my own resume, my online portfolio and Google (in case I needed to look something really quick … you never know). Before the phone interview, I did the usual things: I researched the company, I practiced interview questions, I wrote down my own questions to ask at the end, etc. After all this preparation, you know what got me into the next round of in-person interviews?
My passion.
Yes, I have social media marketing experience. Yes, I have photography experience. But, what really won over my future boss was our connection. He had worked for the Drake women’s basketball team and we both agreed women’s sports are underrated and largely overlooked.
I’m from Iowa (West Des Moines, born and raised!), I’m an athlete, I’m a talented social media copywriter and I’m a feminist. It’s very rare you stumble upon a job that can combine your passions, but I’m fortunate enough I did.
Some days at the office are going to be slow. Does anyone really enjoy stuffing envelopes with promotional materials? No. But, I got to watch young, Iowa women set personal, school and even state records! I caught it all on my DSLR camera. I caught it on my iPhone and live-tweeted it. I got to post it on Facebook for proud parents to see. I got to be part of something feminist and Iowa-based. I got to work a job that combines my passions and talents, and it was beyond rewarding.
When you’re looking for internships and you see one but think, “Well, it’s boring … but it pays well,” I urge you to wait for the internship that will actually excite you. I guarantee you will learn a whole heck of a lot more if you’re genuinely interested in the content.
Vote for this blog post in Round 2 of the 2018 Greenlee Summer Intern Blogging Competition. Voting opens at 11:59 p.m. CST on August 8 and closes at 11:59 p.m. CST on August 15. The author of the post that receives the most votes will receive the $50 Amazon gift card.