Why a Direct Marketing Internship Might be For You
It’s early June and summer is fast approaching. A lot of recent graduates are looking for ways to implement their newly obtained degrees and others are home for the summer and in need of a summer job or classes to take. Depending on what you study in school, the internships you seek will onbiously vary. Internships are usually used to gain experience and add to your resume, so that you appear berrer to a potential employer. Very few internships however, also offer extensive leadership training.
What makes Direct Marketing Different?
A lot of internships through certain marketing programs are called “Entrepreneur training programs”. These involve learning sales techniques, working with customers, and also working on other team members, growing your influence as a leader. The length of the position could range anywhere from a month to 4 months and involves a lot of work. For that work however, you receive real work experience and the ability to manage aspects of a small business yourself.
Who can use this?
The answer to this question is so simple: anyone can use this! Many sales positions do not require a college degree upon hiring full time workers so having a new degree or none at all is no problem for an internship. There are few fields in which a worker will not interact with customers in any way, whether directly or indirectly, so having such skills is appreciated in almost any job. Leadership is another skill that any profession would like a team member to have since it shows they would work well in their team, as well as be trusted to lead it.
Personally, I myself graduated from undergrad with a degree in Spanish literature and language. Being bilingual is another important asset to have as a job candidate but I also have experience in dealing with customers in Spanish due to my training program. Not only do I now have the skill, but I also have implemented that and can leverage that moving forward with employers or other business partners.
Keep an open mind
The main point to take away here is that you do not have to be a marketing major to make use of such an opportunity, or any other opportunity that comes your way. It is important to assess your own skillset and experience and decide for yourself what fields you feel comfortable in and which ones you can leverage to make your position even better in the search for employment. If you are a marketing major, having experience in the industry is an obvious plus. If you are studying something else such as psychology, you’ll notice that many marketing tactics are derived from basic psychology and you can leverage that. As mentioned before, language puts you in direct contact with way more customers, leading to more opportunity. The list goes on and on, so take that extra step and research how your studies can lead to bigger opportunities, or at least ones you have not considered.
Paid internships are always a plus
With the way internsips are set up and maintained nowadays, a lot of them are unpaid aside from a stipend and mostly depend on you earning work experience and learning. With a lot of internships in direct marketing, you will receive full pay, the same as any other employee there. Most work on commissions so you will be able to bring in as much money as you’re willing to work for. So this means that not only will you receive monetary compensation but a lot of programs can be leveraged for credits and experience as well, setting you up for future success.
Future career options
Since these internships often provide full pay and the same treatment as other workers and team members, it also means there is a high chance of being offered a full time position. If an intern manages to complete the program, finishing whatever milestones they have to to be considered done, they essentially have the option to join the team full time. Usually one of those milestones is taking on a recruit to train to teach them the same things they learned through the program. This is important because if they are able to create a team of people to train and manage for themselves, they can build a network. A professional network is the most important thing in the professional world since it generates more business opportunity.
Aside from growing the network in their own team and others they work with, having more options when deciding where to work is always important. Upon completing whatever program they’ve been through and showing value to a company, they will be offered a position, and since it’s an offer, they can accept or refuse. Having that peace of mind that you can take a job at a place you’re already comfortable and established will boost confidence in other interviews as well as improve mental health during a stressful job search overall.
Reach out for more info
As this site continues to grow and the topics expand as well, I will be responding to any comments or emails on this site if anyone wants more information. I have contacts in many different industries who are looking to recruit new team members, especially direct marketing.
Best,
Quentin Hardy
