Calista Flores

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship/research opportunity/fellowship.

I attended the career fair for my major, where I connected with a company that I really loved, and that was  looking for interns in social media. I left my resume with the recruiter for Lady Spirithunters. After the fair, I sent an email following up which helped me land an interview. After my interview, I was hired to intern for the summer. 

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?

I updated my resume and attended the career fair in February to look for a summer internship, so about four months in advance.

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity.

I worked with the content creation team to brainstorm and write out the copy for the company's Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin accounts. I also helped write out copy for the training manual the company will use to train future employees.

What was a typical day like "on the job?"

Because my internship was remote, I spent a lot of time on apps like Zoom, Slack and Monday.com communicating and receiving directions from my supervisor and team. Then I would work on my tasks for the day, which usually consisted of planning out and writing the content calendar for the upcoming month, working on writing sections of the Training manual, or helping promote the company's upcoming events through Facebook and Linkedin. 

What are some major takeaways from your experience? 

I learned how to think outside of the box to make original, yet relevant social media content for a brand. My supervisor also taught me the importance of advocating for myself in the workplace (even our remote one) and helped me create an action plan to do that more during my time. I now feel like I have the experience, skills, and personal ethic needed to do well in any post-graduation setting!

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so?

This experience helped me grow confident that I have the skills and abilities to succeed in my field. I always knew I liked social media on a personal level, but now I feel like I have the creative mind, writing abilities, and communication skills to succeed with it professionally.