By Elaney
What feels like a distant memory but was not long ago, I remember sitting on a bench in Circle Park crying. I felt so overwhelmed, burned out, and truthfully I was filled with so much self-doubt. I knew I could not allow myself to live in this space very long, so I asked myself “What’s next?”. The following day I attended the communications job fair and I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Wilson and Lani Fort. Soon after, I interviewed with them. The next day I was walking through the same Circle Park that I had cried in only a few days earlier when I received the email offering me the internship position at Smarter Searches. I am so grateful to have received this opportunity and am beyond stoked to learn and grow with the Smarter Searches team.
A Better Idea of What Direction I Want to Go in After College
In my time at The University of Tennessee, I have been able to learn a lot, but I don’t feel I have had the opportunity to confidently and realistically develop an idea of what I want my professional career to look like. I hope that getting to know the team at Smarter Searches and being able to hear about their experiences within the industry will allow me to more accurately visualize, as well as navigate my post-graduate journey.
How to Market Myself
With what seems like more and more people earning bachelor’s degrees every year and the mass majority of people working in public relations being female, I have quickly realized that I have no other option than to stand out. I hope this internship will teach me how to further develop my pre-existing skills and enlighten me on skills that are game-changers in the industry. With this knowledge, I hope to be able to better market myself as an asset that potential employers don’t want to miss out on!
In-depth Industry Knowledge
I would like to gain a more in-depth understanding of the marketing and public relations industries. I feel like I have learned some of the basics in school, but I know I have a lot more to learn. I want to be able to identify what strategies will be beneficial to use in every situation, and I want to know who the industry leaders are and why. Ultimately, I want to feel more knowledgeable within the field.
How to Cater to a Diverse Range of Audiences
I want to gain the knowledge to do it all. I want to learn how to put myself in the shoes of any and every brand’s target audience, to the best of my best ability. I would like to be able to see the purpose of a brand, even if its purpose does not serve me. With these abilities and knowledge, I want to be able to better market, as well as represent the companies I work for in the future.
After only a few meetings with the team, I can already tell I am going to learn so much and will push myself in ways that are different from my previous academic experiences. I hope to look back on this opportunity as the starting point of my professional career and to gain knowledge and insight I will utilize indefinitely.
