This post was written by our first virtual summer intern, Erin McCabe.
While I’m sure that this is probably common knowledge, 2020 has been an incredibly unpredictable year. This year has thrown my meticulous planning personality out the window and along with it, my whole alphabet worth of backup plans. When a global pandemic interrupted my previously scheduled summer in Australia, I was left searching for an internship at what felt like the last minute. However, both McConkey and I were searching for a Marketing Communications Intern(ship) at the perfect time. I guess you could say that it was fate, but the things I learned from this team, the leaders, and my supervisor are going to be applicable throughout the rest of my career.
Although I spent my spring semester completing classes online, I had never really “worked from home” before. I greatly underestimated the capacity that this internship would have. I was treated like a regular employee and completed a series of projects and became incredibly involved during my time here. I not only learned valuable marketing skills but received personal and professional development advice from people who have spent years in the making becoming strong leaders, team players and part of a great support system. I also participated in a talent show, caricature drawing contest, and learned how to bake some amazing chocolate zucchini bread during a lunch time baking show.
Over the span of my internship I met with multiple departments to learn more about the insurance industry, created a yearlong content calendar for all of McConkey’s social media platforms, helped launch McConkey’s Instagram and drafted nearly 30 blogs. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of my projects, here is the full list of projects that I completed this summer:
- Content Calendar
- Owners’ Blogs
- Instagram Launch
- Email Signature Audit
- Website Audits
- Zoom Golf Lessons
- Update Marketing Handbook
- Update Login Credentials
- How-To Guides
- Regional Staffing Exhibition Search
- Media List
- This Week on Social Media Weekly Flyers
- Eat Local! Weekly Flyers
- Onboarding Revamp
- Miscellaneous Posters and Content Creation
Through each of these projects, I was given a lot of autonomy and creative freedom. McConkey redefined what working in a virtual environment meant for me and really encouraged me to grow in my confidence, knowledge and marketing experience. Likewise, I learned so much about the importance of strong leadership, strategy, and relationships. The most important takeaway from this internship, though, is that workplace culture is incredibly important for a whole number of reasons, but mostly because it’s important to work as a team. Also, did I mention that I made a really good loaf of chocolate zucchini bread?
I haven’t been working with McConkey long enough to really give you a complete look into what this company is about. But from what I’ve witnessed, I’ve seen a strong family come together in probably one of the most major shifts in their careers. They are led by a persistent and organized leadership team, and what makes it all work is each individual member. The experience that this internship has given me will help me throughout my marketing career, and I now know more about insurance than I ever thought I would. I could spend hours trying to articulate the magnitude of what I’ve learned this summer, but in short, my summer with McConkey exceeded my expectations beyond what I could have ever imagined.
