What I learned interning at Creative Agency Secrets

Hi my name is James and I now work at Creative Agency Secrets, but that wasn’t always the case…

Back in March I was floating around handing my CV out left, right and center trying to find my first full time job. I had graduated from university in December and after a relaxing summer soaking up rays on the beach I set out on the quest for employment.

After a month of only small leads that didn’t turn into anything promising, I realised that it is actually quite hard to get a job without any experience. My previous work history consisted of small summer jobs and a season working on a ski field so my limited knowledge came straight from my degree. Most of the jobs that I found wanted at least a year’s experience, which I was lacking.

This lead me to looking at internships. An internship would give my CV that extra boost of experience to make me more appealing to an employer.

Enter Creative Agency Secrets.

A friend of mine had previously interned there and mentioned that they might be looking for someone as they take on interns regularly. He put me in touch with Rebecca and I got an interview. I either nailed it or they didn’t have any other options so I was offered a position as an intern!

The other intern…

When I first started at Creative Agency Secrets I wasn’t the only intern. There was another, a Swedish student called Johan. He was in New Zealand on a university exchange and was interning to get experience as part of his degree back in Sweden.

Johan helped to show me the ropes and settle into the team at Creative Agency Secrets, although it was a bit of a competition at first as I was the “new intern” invading his territory.

My internship at Creative Agency Secrets was short, it only lasted 6 weeks before I was offered a job. During these 6 weeks however I learned a great deal. I sat in on meetings with clients and learned the basic ins and outs of how the company worked. Before I knew it I was dealing with proper client work and gaining the valuable experience that I had wanted for my CV.

Some of the skills that I picked up during my 6 weeks as an intern and that I am still developing at Creative Agency Secrets include:

• Using and managing social media for marketing purposes on the client’s behalf. Including the theory behind social media marketing and some technological tricks to drive traffic to your website.
• Using analytics to track the effectiveness of our campaigns.
• Dealing with clients using email, in person and client meetings.
• Writing blog posts, for both clients and on the Creative Agency Secrets blog.
• Researching and keeping up to date with the newest and most effective marketing practices.
• Foosball, I have dramatically increased my foosball skills while I’ve been here thanks to the foosball table and the fierce competition that the other members of the Creative Agency Secrets team provide.

I have learnt a lot and continue to gain new skills here at Creative Agency Secrets. I have enjoyed my time here thus far and have been quickly accepted (I hope) as a valuable member of the team.

Two previous interns have also written articles about their experiences at Creative Agency Secrets. Johan the Swedish intern and Brad who worked here before my time, check them out.

Interested in becoming an intern or applying for work here?  Visit the Careers page. Creative Agency Secrets’ business model includes hiring and training ‘first job’ trainees giving them marketable skills.