Special Note: The following was written by Yan Golovatyy who came to Prime as an intern for the summer of 2015. Yan is a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student starting his senior year of high school this fall.
At Prime Advertising & Design, student internships involve much more than brewing coffee and sorting the mail. From optimizing Local Search Profiles to learning more about web design and development, each day my “toolbox” gained new tools and I gained invaluable skills.
Spending the summer at Prime was a perfect match for me. I believe internships are a great idea for students and for local businesses. Here’s why:
A Win for Students
According to a 2012 survey for the Chronicle of Higher Education, employers give twice as much weight to college graduates’ work experience as to their academic credentials. Good grades are important, but potential employers are really looking for candidates with hands-on experience in the workplace.
At Prime, I gained a boatload of hands-on experience. For example, I learned that the online reputation of a business can be dramatically impacted by many different online properties such as Google MyBusiness, Yelp, and many other local listing and review sites. This proved to be a valuable lesson to me, as it permanently changed the way I think about different companies, advertising and the information available about anyone I am considering doing business with.
As I head back to school for the 2015-16 academic year, I am looking forward to applying my new skills and experience to my studies.
A Win for Businesses
While summer internships are extremely beneficial in providing real-world experience, high school and college students can certainly contribute meaningful work to a company.
Having grown up with computers, smart phones and social media, my generation is tech-savvy and quick to learn new programs.
I learned about web design and development and the many elements of a successful website. I was able to help by using my knowledge of building online business profiles to create and enter website content.
Interns can also help by lightening the load. Prime has launched 860 websites in over 22 years of business experience. With so many beta websites being worked on, I was able to help out the account managers by entering content and managing social media.
Many internships turn into job opportunities. Instead of spending a chunk of time searching for good candidates and training new employees, hire an intern who is reliable and already familiar with how your company runs and the programs you use.
Finally, interns are often willing brand advocates. I am very thankful for the kind, considerate and caring group of professionals I spent this summer with. I am excited to tell friends and classmates about my summer internship and look forward to applying Prime’s mission to “spark the energy” in everything I do!
