By Erin Krage, ’20 public relations
Similar to pretty much every other student lucky enough to find an internship during the crazy summer of 2020, I learned how to effectively work from home. While I had been excited to be a part of Workiva’s office culture where pets are welcome and there’s an employee game room and an impressive cafe full of professional cooks, my virtual experience with the company proved to be just as fun and educational.
As a content marketing intern at Workiva, I was responsible for writing blogs, emails, ads and more to be used by the Workiva marketing and sales departments. Through the experience, I learned how to follow a strict style guide while maintaining the organization’s brand, voice and tone.
The most difficult part of this role may have been comprehending the subject matter enough to write about it. As a Greenlee student, my accounting and finance knowledge is limited. By researching, reading previous Workiva content and meeting with amazing subject matter experts throughout the company, I was able to learn how to effectively write about topics I previously knew nothing about.
While I enhanced my hard skills during my summer internship, I think developing my soft skills was one of the greatest blessings during this experience. My schedule was incredibly flexible, but my deadlines were strict. Days went by without needing to video chat with my team, but I was expected to be working diligently. I kept open lines of communication with my team as well as others throughout the department. I learned how to work cross-functionally with graphic design, customer marketing, sales and more to combine expertise.
I will carry this professionalism into my full-time career. My co-workers may never know how tall I am, notice that I wore pajama pants at least once a week or see the mountain of snacks stacked up beside my laptop, but I am confident that they know I am a hard worker, an eloquent writer and a respectful peer.
My experience with Workiva didn’t end with the summer — I was excited my internship was extended through December. My Greenlee internship credits were my final graduation requirement, and I am thankful for the opportunity to continue on with Workiva while I job hunt and plan my next adventure.
I would like to thank Iowa State faculty and staff for advising me throughout my four years and this last summer, the donors of the Cleo Fitzsimmons scholarship that aided in my financial support and my Workiva co-workers, and now friends, that have made the company an outstanding place to work and begin my career.
Editor’s note: Greenlee 499A internship scholarships support students who have a primary major in advertising, journalism and mass communication or public relations and are completing their required 400-hour internships. The application is available each spring.