A student from NC State asked me for some advice about becoming a marketing professional. We talk about my career and the twists and turns I experienced. When I learned that this rising senior had a summer marketing intern program at an insurance company, I gave him several pieces of advice. I told him that these thoughts would be helpful in future job searches too. He knew that I had hired dozens of interns and employees during my career and he listened carefully, took notes and asked great questions.
Proactively Prepare for a Summer Marketing Internships in Insurance
- Ask twenty people you know to tell you about insurance. Ask them what they know about it, if they have it and why.
- Dig deeper to learn things how they chose their insurance company, where they learned about their agent or company and anything that gave him insight into the industry.
- Write up a summary of what you learned by synthesizing the research into major themes or ideas.
- At some point in his initial week, speak to the person he reports to and tells them about his “pre-work” that he did to prepare. Tell them that he’d like to see if what he heard aligns with the company’s programs.
Why this matters
When someone comes into an organization as a student/intern/temp or prospective employee, they get a chance to show initiative. They demonstrate it by doing something that 95% of their competition won’t do. By showing that they did something on their own (proactive), found ways to research the industry (curious) and brought together their thinking into a summary (analytical), they are displaying the skills most employers want.
This action also allows someone to illustrate how they are different from the other interns. And, if you are in marketing, you need to be marketing yourself and finding ways to stand out from the crowd.
Three Ways to Separate Yourself from the Pack
- Come prepared to an internship with pages of questions. Companies want employees who want to learn.
- Gain some knowledge of the industry through resources like Wikipedia, competitors websites and first-hand interviews. Companies want employees who are self-starters.
- Don’t wait for someone else to give you context about an industry. Be proactive and learn as much as you can before you walk in the door.
Most job opportunities happen because individuals show they can solve specific problems that employers need to address. Hiring managers don’t want to hire people who need to be spoon-fed, they want people with imagination, determination, and persistence.
Delight and overwhelm your prospective employer. Be prepared in an unexpected way, so you’ll get noticed.
By the way, this student was the only one of 350 students who followed up after my guest lecture and asked me to help him learn how to have a career in marketing. That proactiveness will help him succeed in his marketing career.
I’d be happy to share information about him privately if you are looking for a self-starter to work with your company.
Need advice about hiring a marketing team? Let’s talk. I can help. 919 720 0995 or jeffreylynnslater@gmail.com
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/language-school-team-interns-834138/
