Co-Founder of Munq, Adjunct Professor | Building brand stories that connect | Bridging the entrepreneurial gap for Gen Z
I've never had an internship. Back in 2019, I could not find any marketing internships that would hire me. I had one lead for an agency, but unfortunately did not have enough "experience" for the role. Now 5+ years later....I own my own agency. What did I do in that time to lead me where I am now? I gave myself permission to start. Permission to learn the skills I wanted to. It was during this time that the early days of what-would-become Munq started. Justin Matsen and I took on tons of pro bono projects to develop our skills and relevant experiences. This portfolio of work would be the foundation that we started Munq on. Look - if you are a young person reading this...please get an internship. Don't do what I did. Admittedly, I was horrendous when it came to resumes and applications. My situation was rare yet it worked out well for me. What I am saying: If you feel out of place like I did, know that it's okay to take an alternative route. Entrepreneurship became my internship. It became my resume, my experience and life's greatest teacher. The best part was? I needed no one's approval or permission to get started. We live in such a resourceful world where information is no longer gatekept or withheld. Justin and I built our entire agency on the back of YouTube tutorials 😂 Most importantly? We built our agency on failure - on having the courage to even try in the first place. We did not have internships, but we worked like hell to get where we are to learn everything we needed to. In conclusion: Relevant, meaningful internships are one of the best ways to develop skills and build a resume. I happen to believe entrepreneurship can do the same thing too. My message is this: Do not wait for someone or something to give you permission to pursue the life you want. If one door closes, blast a hole in the wall to make another. Keep going until you reach that desired destination. Have an awesome week my friends! #entrepreneurship #creativeagency #internships
Words of wisdom! I remember the dreadful search for marketing internships as well. I was declined time and time again for a lack of experience. Til this day it still kills me that businesses do that. I was lucky enough to get one through the biz department at WSU after a long search and it taught me so much. First thing I did when I made it to a position of influence…started a marketing internship program at my company at the time. Internships are the way to go as a young professional!
Great advice! I would also recommend seeking out academic courses that involve service learning, or participating in community service activities. The soft skills that you learn in these environments (interacting with people with different life experiences, interpersonal communication, teamwork, etc.) are valuable when looking for employment. Depending on the position, you can also build the skills you are learning in the classroom and make an impact at the same time.
1000%
A perfect post, I think all students - in any field - should read this. Thank you Tim!!!
Awesome story work is sharing by you ,also its give new message to the youngster 🖖
Creative marketing professional producing scroll-stopping content 📱
1wLove it. I always advise students/interns to do work for free. I know no one wants to not be paid for their work. But especially in creative fields, having a portfolio of work is needed. And it gets the ball rolling, starts the conversations and connections. Even if you don’t have a client to do pro bono work for, make one up. When I wanted more experience doing social media marketing, I created a page for my crafting and it became my best portfolio piece.