Doing an Internship During a Pandemic

Doing an Internship through a Pandemic from an Interns POV

Getting an internship is so exciting because it is opening the door to what could potentially be the rest of your life. It’s a new environment, new learning opportunities, more connections, and overall gaining experience for your desired career. While some work can be done online or on a computer, the majority of internships are completed in-person. However, with the COVID-19 Pandemic, that isn’t possible anymore. Those that can do their work remotely, are required to stay home. Many companies are having to either cancel their internships or learn to adapt to virtual settings.

Fortunately for me, MMG’s internship made the switch to work remotely. Here are the three key takeaways I am finding to be the biggest factors throughout my internships

Key Takeaway One-Communication:

As an intern working remotely during a pandemic, it is important to overcommunicate. With technology so advanced, communication devices are more accessible and easier to use than ever. Choosing your method of communication is important and depends on the urgency and depth of your message. Methods of communication that I found to be the most effective are: videoconferencing, phone calls, emails, and instant messaging.

For in-depth conversations, team meetings, and demonstrations, videoconferencing and phone calls are most effective. They are the closest communication style to an in-person conversation. Obstacles that tend to arise with these methods are internet-based issues and scheduling complications.

For instant feedback and sending files and images, emailing and instant messaging are the most effective methods. Issues that could arise if the receiver misinterprets your message. The message could be taken out of context, get lost among other messages, or may not be replied to quickly enough. 

Key Takeaway Two-Time Management:

Making sure that you can manage your time is key to succeeding in your internship. With the pandemic, managing outside factors can be difficult especially when working from home. Waking up to go to an office versus waking up to work from home is a completely different mindset and can be hard to change. Whether you have kids at home, pets, homework, or a job, it is imperative that you are able to set aside time to finish your work.

What has helped me manage my time better is when I am assigned multiple projects at once, I create a priority list. This helps you organize what needs to be completed first and ensuring you can meet important deadlines.

Key Takeaway Three-Career Experience:

When you take on an internship, you also take on new responsibilities. As an intern at MMG, you have the opportunity to complete and assist on projects, meet with clients, and learn A LOT. Whether you learn communication techniques, writing styles, or new tools, it will all benefit you in your future career. The internship is for you, never forget that.

If the pandemic has taught you anything, it is how to adapt individually, but also how a company treats and cares for its employees during a crisis. That experience can help you determine what to look for in companies when you are applying for full-time jobs.

I know the connections I have made at MMG will last a lifetime. They have helped me advance my career in ways that I did not think were possible. I have learned skills during their internship that separate me from my classmates.

Doing an internship through a pandemic from a mentor’s POV

As I started my internship journey with MMG I learned a lot and made great connections the led me to become a team member with MMG. Now mentoring other interns, I know exactly what they want to get out of it and how to guide them. During the pandemic of 2020, we have been working remotely and had to make some adjustments. While mentoring an intern was one of them, Abby came on with us in October so most of the world was accumulated to working virtually.

Key Takeaway One-Communication:

Communication in a learning environment is true for all forms- in person and remote. Working remotely has taught everyone the importance of it and the various ways to get the message delivered. We are fortunate to have a platform to do so, with video calls, texting, and emails we are always in the know. At MMG mentoring during a pandemic is something no one has done before, but the way that the pandemic has made us re-think how to teach, communicate, learn, and adapt.

One thing I took away from communication with interns is there is no such thing as over-communicating.

Key Takeaway Two-Time Management:

Time management is something we all have to do every day, whether you’re in the office or at home. MMG has implemented a time tracking platform that helps track time, projects, and tasks. This really helps from a mentor’s point of view to see in real-time what someone is working on, share files and photos, and see if they’re available. During an internship at MMG, we want you to be as involved in the workflow as much as possible, as we have many projects in progress at once. Priority lists and the time management tools MMG uses help a great deal in making sure those deadlines are met and the communication in between is comprehensive.

Key Takeaway Three-Career Experience:

In all internships, I think experience is the main goal for everyone involved. An internship helps you prepare for the next step in your career path and gain new knowledge and wisdom. While teaching an internship remotely, you don’t face to face, yet the content your teaching and the meaning behind it are all the same. While mentoring only for a few months now, it has gotten easier as time has passed for my intern to get the feel of how we do things on a day to day basis, that being said it is easier for me to guide her in the right direction with edits on blogs, teaching her more about social media marketing, and doing screen share lessons for her to see it in real-time. All of these experiences she will take with her on whatever career journey she decides, and doing this through a pandemic and remotely may have helped her experience even more.

While this year has had a lot of unexpected moments, the whole world has learned how to adapt, learn, and communicate differently and effectively. Doing an internship is not easy, especially from home, MMG has the resources and experience to help you achieve your career goals. Get in touch with us today!

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