Photo Credits: Héctor Martínez from Unsplash
Hi there! My name is Cole and I’ve interned with and wrote blogs for Jelly Social since the end of March. With next week marking my 2-month anniversary with Jelly, I tasked myself with writing a reflection that outlines my time during and beyond my internship to hopefully aid people in my position.
Time Before Jelly
In my graduating year at Humber, I was required to find an internship that related to my Media Communications program. Just like many of my classmates, I was frightened to take the first step into the field and was worried that I wasn’t good enough. I luckily discovered Jelly Social through my school’s internship website and was captivated with the work they did. After emails and interviews, I began my time working with them.
Responsibilities
I, along with another intern Chris (who also made a reflection), were recruited as Digital Marketing Specialists for Jelly Social with two platforms each to create for. I was responsible for website adjustments and content, in addition to creating strategies for newer apps they considered expanding towards. This is where I began working for the blogs and once my other tasks were accomplished, blogs became my sole responsibility. This is where the first issue arose for me which took some days to overcome.
Creative Freedom’s Shackles
Jelly’s mentality for my internship was that I was brought on as an expert, which was a huge confidence and morale boost but also meant I had a lot more creative freedom than I was used to from my time in school. I needed to develop a voice, cohesive theming, and meaningful topics that would fit in with their goals. I beat this by making a list of what came to mind when I thought of the company and created loose templates for my ideas before pitching them to my friends and teammates. All you need to do when you feel overwhelmed by freedom is take a step back, create an organized list of what you want to accomplish and understand that (especially when it comes to blog writing) you can always throw ideas at the wall to see what is successful. Times change and new ideas are developed every day, so don’t be afraid to mix it up.
Overcoming the Fear of Working
This is a blog, not a novel, so I won’t dramatize and drag it on. As a 20-year-old fresh out of college, I was extremely scared of working. Even though I was reassured that I could provide what was expected of me, I was too afraid to try. How I overcame this, and my biggest tip for anyone experiencing these feelings, is to establish a repour with your leader/manager. Sounds simple, but it can be scary! Even though Sunjit was extremely understanding and appreciative of the work I did when I reported to him, putting myself out there for the first week remained daunting. However, I got more comfortable the more I spoke which led to some of my recommendations being accepted by the team and incorporated into their work.
Connection Corner
Cole is a Media Communicator based out of Brampton, ON. He specializes in content creation ranging from photography to writing, in addition to presentation and plan creation.
Make sure to show some love to Cole and thank him for the amazing work he has done for Jelly! We wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for his bright ideas and work ethic. Stay connected with Cole on his website, LinkedIn, or Instagram and join him on his journey as a Media Communicator!
I am beyond thankful for the chance Jelly took on me, as well as the love and support they showed me throughout my time working with them. Although I was nervous when I started, they taught me that every day is a new chance to innovate and improve on what I am doing. I am incredibly proud to have my name associated with Jelly Social and to have laid the foundation for their blogs that hopefully can inspire and be built upon by others. I am happy to have established this relationship with Jelly Social and cannot wait to see where they go in the future.
