The days of coffee runs, making copies and answering the phone as an intern are over. Now, the internship experience isn’t just about adding another bullet on your resume, it’s about gaining hands-on experience to PRopel What’s Possible for your career.
I completed my six-month Edge internship program with Alloy and was recently promoted to a full-time junior account coordinator. The program helped me dive into agency life and the tech pr industry head first. To help others going through the internship experience or searching for the perfect fit, keep reading.
DriveChange
Alloy prides itself on driving change. In fact it’s one of its spirited ideals. There have been countless times in my internship where we’ve broken the rulebook and tried different approaches. Unlike other agencies that are set in their ways, Alloy believes there is no one way of doing something, but a myriad of creative solutions.
One example from my internship was changing the normal pitching process because of COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, we had to throw our normal pitching process out the door, especially in the healthIT practice group. To keep up with the news cycle, we started sending follow-ups the same day we sent our initial pitches.
Having the ability to change up the pitching process allowed us to stay with the news cycle and secure coverage for our clients.
Be Passionately Curious
I know a lot of internships claim this, but Alloy’s hands-on approach is truly unique, and encourages curiosity and lots of questions. From day one of its customized onboarding program, Rookie School, you are introduced to the practice groups and accounts, and learn all about Alloy’s panorama approach, which completes the entire marketing communications lifecycle - from creating brand awareness and buzz from a headline all the way to delivering nurtured, qualified leads to the sales team.
During my internship I enhanced my media relations skills by developing pitches and corresponding with reporters on a regular basis, which helped to build my media relations skills and confidence in my pitching efforts.
I also dove into digital marketing, helping develop content for blog posts and drafting social media content. Because I was more novice on the digital side, I appreciated the chance to work directly with my colleagues and practice my digital skills in a way that encouraged me to continue to ask questions, knowing my team had my back and were encouraging me to be curious and learn.
Making an Impact
Unlike other internships where you are given busy work and sit in the back at your desk all day, at Alloy, you can directly impact a client's success.
On top of that, your colleagues value you. They want to see you improve as a PR professional and get to know you outside of work.
As an Edge intern, I always felt like I had a seat at the table -- participating in on weekly Team Pow Wows, going on practice group outings and joining fun events, like office parties and happy hours. And now, I’m excited to join the full-time Uncommon Crew knowing more adventures and learning await.
If you are interested in learning more about Alloy’s Edge internship program, or if you’re interested in applying, visit the Edge Intern Program page here.