What I Learned From My Internship Experience Essay [TeamAsia]
By Bitania Pangilinan
As part of the UP Journalism Department’s course curriculum, every incoming senior student is required to register in an internship program and clock in 200 hours to earn academic credit. Above everything else, what I learned from my internship experience is that students can gain experiential learning in the professional setting as we apply the theories, ethics, and practical tips we have learned in the journalism program. In this light, our department has implemented an internship-from-home (IFH) arrangement amid the coronavirus pandemic—an opportunity to embark on a new challenge and make the most of our digital internship experience.
What did you know about TeamAsia before coming on board?
What really caught my attention before applying for my digital internship was how the company began. As they described it, they started “small” and “ambitious,” where a team of three organized the Asian Management Awards in Hong Kong in a cramped garage—which later flourished into this award-winning integrated marketing communications firm. This story really fired my enthusiasm to apply. Prior to coming on board, I saw how TeamAsia has been offering promising services for years. As a Journalism student, it was a whole new world to me. I knew it was going to be an avenue for new learnings and experiences, and I was ready to embrace it.
What made you choose TeamAsia?
Two things: its name and its vision. Initially, I was accepted to intern at 5 companies. It wasn’t really a hard decision. Out of all my options, I chose TeamAsia in a heartbeat. It may sound trivial, but the name of the firm was a huge factor in my decision. It’s bold and encompassing, like a company that goes further and beyond, and it actually does. As a marketing agency, it has not only established its name but has also catered to diverse clients, local and international alike. Secondly, much as the company’s eminence and budding possibilities are good benchmarks, the core values it upholds are equally significant as well. I chose TeamAsia because it envisions being recognized for its “meaningful storytelling.” And this aligns with a principle of mine. Being a Journalism student, sharing stories that bear great weight and relevance is an important value that I want to constantly employ in my present and future endeavors.
What have you gotten out of TeamAsia thus far?
I have only been on my digital internship at TeamAsia for roughly 3 weeks, but I feel like I’ve already gained several months’ worth of experience. I was thrilled and honored to have my supervisor trust me with real tasks for their clients. So far, I have been helping with content ideation, copywriting, suggesting visual directions, and tracking online performance. The thing about content ideation is you always try to come up with fresh engaging ideas to promote your client’s company or products. I’ve been tasked to generate different topics and content for engagement-centric posts and social advertisements. Through time, what I learned in my internship experience was being able to veer away from my accustomed journalistic writing style and rouse the creative side of writing. In the case of copywriting, it usually has to be short and sweet and will depend on the visuals produced. Similarly, captions for social media posts are kept crisp and concise.
My supervisor has also taught me to keep in mind who I am writing for or who the target audience is. Each client has a different set of online consumers. I took the time to explore their brand voice and how they communicate to the public. In this effort, I get to discover how vast marketing can be. Being tasked to provide visual directions was also beneficial for me. It was an opportunity to convey creative and colorful ideas that I have in mind. Through sketches, I get to relay how I imagine the content to be laid out. Meanwhile, I was also assigned to do a weekly sweep of a client’s social media performance. This is to monitor and track negative and positive feedback and comments they receive online. I’ve learned how this initiative can quickly address people’s concerns or solve a particular issue promptly and effectively. I was also introduced to the basic ropes of marketing such as the use of Google Analytics and the importance of social media metrics. Overall, it has been fruitful and fulfilling. Up to this point, I’ve had the chance to dabble in different areas, and I hope to grow and learn more from TeamAsia before my internship officially ends.
How can you take the idea of providing Next Level Experiences into your future work?
I think providing Next Level Experience in my future work entails delivering my craft more than a few steps ahead. It means going further and beyond, like how TeamAsia does it. This kind of work philosophy is a major game-changer because it shifts the outcome of one’s experience from being the best to beyond the best. Creating Next Level Experiences is the absence of limitations. It is not confined by superlatives as it signifies continuous evolution. In the future, I want to create meaningful and forceful crafts for the common good. I want to see people growing alongside me as we keep on surpassing what we have accomplished before. I want to provide Next-Level Experiences that will change people’s lives. Having these visions at present, I guess I’m a few steps away from bringing a Next Level Experience. But for now, I will keep the gears turning as an intern at TeamAsia.
What have you learned from the Digital experts of TeamAsia?
Aside from being innovative and talented, the Digital experts of TeamAsia have shown me their great camaraderie and collaboration. During our first meeting, not only were they warm and welcoming, but they also assured me that my internship experience at TeamAsia wouldn’t just be about doing menial and trivial tasks. And they didn’t disappoint. So far, I’ve only been gaining substantial and meaningful learnings at the company. What I learned in my internship experience was how companies have revolutionized new ways to adapt to the work-from-home setup. As Digital experts, a large portion of their jobs are executed in the online sphere. Constant communication and updates were done to monitor the team’s performance. With regard to my performance, my supervisor never failed to check up on me from time to time. She has been constantly guiding me with my tasks and asks me if I’m having any difficulties with my workload. The team also gives timely and constructive feedback on my work which helps me improve my performance. Being in the Digital team, I’ve had the opportunity to be surrounded by such skillful people and it’s making me want to thrive more. With the different areas I have dipped into, I’m still in the process of exploring what I want to do in the future through this digital internship. A work in progress if you may, but as one of the Digital experts told me, we’re all a work in progress anyway. Just like how TeamAsia started, as “small” and “ambitious” as I am, I still have a lot to learn and understand. It’s just the beginning. And I will keep moving forward from here on out.
Check out another one of our intern’s blogs who had a fulfilling digital internship experience in TeamAsia.
