When the interns head back to campus, you know it’s coming. The inevitable end of summer. At Shamrock’s Cleveland offices, it’s going to be a lot quieter around here without Katie roaming the halls.
But it’s been a great summer semester! We already miss her contagious energy, unique perspective, and excellent taste in music. However, as all good things must come to an end, we’re excited for her next chapter as she heads back to college.
To give our intern a proper sendoff, we enjoyed a farewell luncheon and had some fun with exit-interview questions.
Here are the unedited takeaways from her Summer at Shamrock experience:
You were able to work in various departments throughout your internship—which was the most fun or enjoyable?
I found the most interesting department I worked in to be the marketing department. I enjoyed working on various social media projects as well as sitting in on meetings with clients about their marketing needs. I believe I learned a lot about the marketing industry from this experience as well as how Shamrock operates.
Do you have a favorite project or task work that you enjoyed most?
My favorite project I worked during my internship would be my lead campaigns. I enjoyed these projects because I was able to work with a variety of different tools and learned a lot about the process. I had the opportunity to develop messaging and contact leads on behalf of Shamrock. I found receiving responses rewarding and helped me understand the contribution these projects make to Shamrock’s sales team.
What was the greatest life/business lesson learned from your internship experience?
The greatest lesson I learned throughout this experience was trusting myself and my ability to make decisions. I was somewhat nervous to make decisions on my own regarding projects and feared making a mistake or messing up. Learning to trust my instinct and making knowledgeable choices helped increase my skills and understanding. I feel that I have made significant progress in my confidence and ability to comprehend and work in the business industry.
What was the most surprising thing you discovered about working at a marketing/communications company?
I think the most surprising thing I discovered is how project-oriented Shamrock is. There is standard work I’m sure all employees have to do every day, but as I learned, I found that most of it depends on clients. The workload I had depended on the projects that were assigned and available. I enjoyed that flexibility and variety in my work schedule and was surprised about the diversity of work I was involved in as a marketing intern.
If you could pick your job at Shamrock, what role would you choose?
If I had to pick a role at Shamrock, I would be a sales director. I enjoy being in contact with clients and interacting with people face to face. I went to several location meetings and although they didn’t directly relate to a sales client, I enjoyed the experience. I would benefit and enjoy a position that allows me to interact with clients as well as have on-site visits.
Which skills have you improved based on the work you’ve done this summer?
I believe my overall knowledge of the marketing industry as well as my business understanding has grown. Not only have I been exposed to so many important and useful tools, but I have been able to use them firsthand to help with projects. The exposure to these platforms has made a significant impact on how I understand the marketing industry and I see it having an even greater impact as I continue my studies in the business school.
What was the most monotonous intern task you had to manage? (Be honest!)
If I had to name one task (even though I enjoyed them all 😊) that I found most monotonous, I would say kitting. Although kitting felt the most monotonous, I learned the importance and necessity of the task. Especially as Shamrock is growing their distribution services, this job is very significant to its growth and success.
If we videotaped your entire internship experience, which moments would make the blooper reel?
If I had to include clips in the blooper reel of my internship, I would defiantly include my Dog Days of Summer clips. I thoroughly enjoyed the Dog Days of Summer and thought it brought a great energy into the office, but I don’t think I would like to watch myself running around after the dog guests. Especially when I brought my own dogs in and had to chase after them while playing hide & seek…I was always seeking! It was a lot of fun, and I loved the experience, but watching myself interact with all the dogs would make some great blooper scenes.
Sum up your summer internship in three words.
Educational, collaborative, fun
If you could put music to your summer internship experience, what song (+ artist) would be your soundtrack?
The song of my internship would be, “From Austin” by Zach Bryan. Whether I queued the song or it played on shuffle, the song would play every morning on my way to office. And it’s also one of my favorites. Watch the video here:
If you could write a book about being an intern, what would you title it?
If I had to write a book about being an intern at Shamrock, I would title it “65 Days to Market Yourself.” I was an official intern here at Shamrock for 65 days. As an intern I am learning, growing, and applying my knowledge to the projects I take on. I am marketing not only my skills but my personality and ability to learn and adapt in the industry. The goal of any internship is to land a job, and the only way to do that is to market yourself.
If you had to give advice to next year’s incoming interns, what would you tell them?
If I had to give advice to an incoming intern, I would tell them to trust themselves. It might seem scary coming in and thinking you have no idea what you are doing, but the most growth I experienced was the confidence in my decision making. I was assigned a variety of tasks in many different projects and fields. I received thorough instructions on some as well as little to none on others. This flexibility gave me freedom in my work and tested my ability to make my “best judgement calls”. I learned to trust myself and use my understanding to develop my decisions. My advice would be, trust yourself and what you know to make the decisions that seem difficult. Be confident you know what to do and don’t be afraid to ask for further instructions when needed.
While it’s sad to see her go, we’re happy to have shared the summer internship experience with Katie. It’s been rewarding for our team to watch her learn and grow and to see our everyday job experiences through her eyes.
Thank you for all your hard work. Good luck this year—we hope it’s your best yet!
