VisionPoint Launches Official Internship Program, Welcomes Inaugural Class
I've always been a big fan of internship programs — and I should be. My role here as project manager began with an internship position almost three years ago. And that's probably one reason why I'm excited about the success of the VisionPoint Marketing internship program, now launching its inaugural season.
The catalyst for our program was really seeing how well our two summer 2011 interns did at VisionPoint. Both individuals brought real value to our team almost instantly, and I realized there was no reason why we couldn't have this type of intern recruitment every season. I also knew, however, for this program to be truly successful, it must be well structured and executed.
How we started
In order to setup a well-organized internship program, I knew we need to do a lot of competitor and industry analysis. We researched agencies like us, national brands and other organizations that successfully structured, sold and promoted their internship program. We created our strategy based off of these findings and then, once we determined we had a need for five positions, we posted these opportunities online across our website, Twitter, Craigslist and then emailed the positions to the career resources contacts in the journalism, computer science, communications, business and marketing departments at community colleges and universities in the Triangle area.It took a lot of planning [and some logistical concerns on where we were going to put everybody], but everything has paid off. In late August, VisionPoint Marketing welcomed its first official class of interns. They are:
- Matthew Dewar, Social Media Intern
- Chris Francart, Web Development Intern
- Kenecia Jenkins, Production Assistant Intern
- Carissa Niederkorn, Project Manager Intern
- Anne Rhodes, Graphic Design Intern
- Mari Tanaka, Project Manager Intern
I feel we have assembled an excellent team of interns looking to VisionPoint Marketing to arm them with additional skills to help them find a strong, full-time job in the future. We're delighted with how kind and gracious everybody is and how well they fit in with our values and culture. I also truly hope our program provides our interns with a unique, challenging and rewarding experience that furthers their careers. Now read on to hear more about more who they are.
Ashlee Little is a Senior Account Manager at VisionPoint Marketing. One of her favorite things about working at VisionPoint is collaborating with such a smart, driven and passionate team.