There’s such a big emphasis on the “resume bullets” of internships that I think college students, myself included, forget about the other things that come with any pre-professional experience – and sometimes, those other things are way more important in the long run.
Don’t get me wrong, my internship at Mekky Media Relations gave me incredible professional experiences that helped me develop the hard skills I knew I needed before graduating and looking for a full-time post-grad internship. I wrote press releases and pitches, built decks and worked face-to-face with clients. I joined media training sessions, created social media copy and researched back-end media lists and competitor audits.
And yet, when I look back over the past year, I don’t think about these tasks when I reflect on what I learned from my Mekky internship, even though they made up my daily workload.
What I’ve found even more important through my time as an intern at Mekky, and what I think every young professional should experience before entering the workplace full time, is that I wasn’t just given “work” experience; instead, I gained access to a community of driven, talented and legitimately good people and professionals to learn and grow from.
From all my internship experiences over the past four years, my time at Mekky stands out as the one where I was shown what it actually means to be a part of an agency, of a workplace.
Even virtually, whether it was in the weekly all-team meetings, one-on-one calls or company-wide wellness activities, I could immediately feel the community and support that each member of the Mekky team felt for the other people in the Zoom. And, each day, I felt that support extend to me.
Whether it was in the feedback I got after sending a finished release for edits or the quick check-in about how my week was going before starting a call, I consistently felt motivated and inspired by the rest of the Mekky team. I was motivated to improve my work and build my skills, but I also was encouraged to find what I excelled at, and learn how I could turn that skill into a passion and a path.
I just graduated in June, and will certainly miss my four years of college. But, thanks to the Mekky team, I’m not just prepared for the future – I’m excited for it.