Confessions of an Ad Agency Intern

Last summer I spent three months working as a strategist intern in one of Ireland's most successful creative ad agencies, Rothco.

Here were some of my takeaways…

You’ll have no clue what you’re doing

The first steps you take into a new industry will always be a little shaky and uncertain.

Walking into my first few days in Rothco I was completely out of my depth. Every sentence was filled with anagrams, colloquialisms and made up terms that described a real life process that sounded like a totally different language to our marketing lecturers.

While it may be tempting to nod blankly and pretend it’s all second nature to you, asking questions (no matter how silly they sound) will make you feel more comfortable and look more in tuned.

Don’t be afraid to talk with people

Like any self respecting introvert there is nothing that I try to avoid more than awkward introductory small talk. But as an intern there is literally NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OFF!

People work with people, and the chances are that everyone in your workplace wants to be friendly and welcoming to the new people that arrive, particularly the interns.

Go for lunch with co-workers who you don’t know yet, say yes to joining any events that interest you even if that means dusting off you football boots to join the 5-a-side team - show that you're a nice person

Watch others Not in a way that’s creepy or sinister but curious… In Rothco I had the pleasure of working alongside some of the most talented creatives, strategists and account managers in the game. The way they approach and tackle problems was seriously impressive and inspiring. Take mental notes around how they work, when they work and what content they consume to get them on top of their game.

Your approach is everything

Call me corny, but my approach going into Rothco was this; “No task is below me and no task is above me” - I think I read this on one of those clichéd Instagram Inspiration pages but it’s always stuck in my head.

It’s unavoidable that you’ll be doing some jobs you don’t really like or are inspired by, but by doing them with the right attitude you can show that you can handle more responsibility when it comes your way.

In the end I discovered that advertising is as really more about mastering a craft then applying a set of marketing principles. Though I don't think it's for me, the stuff I learned about the craft, the culture and myself made it a very worthwhile internship.