Hey there,

My name is Katie Smith, and I have just come to the end of my six month internship at Shake Social. With many students now debating whether to kick back and enjoy the Summer or send that letter of application for an internship, I thought I’d share some of the benefits of doing an internship. If it’s ok with you, I’d like to take a little wander down memory lane and try to piece together what I’ve learned along the way. Fancy joining me?

First and foremost, I feel that I have most definitely improved my written content and communications, particularly when writing blogs. Throughout my life, and not just through academia, I’ve been a writer by nature. I’ve kept journals, diaries, blogs, and even attempted to write a book at the age of 12, hence why my choice of degree (History) wasn’t much of a surprise to many that know me- it’s very heavily essay based. However, here at Shake, my style and confidence to get creative has really grown and has been shaped. I’ve lost count how many blogs I’ve written, and my knowledge of the Twitter algorithm has expanded from nothing to knowing the basics; so I see this as a pretty good improvement. I feel that I could have a good go at most topics now, which is a handy skill to have as I begin my journey into employment.

Secondly, my ability to create visual content has improved. Canva is mindblowing, honestly. I loved using it so much, I’ve created a personal account and use it on my own Instagram now! Being able to manipulate colours, shapes and images to put across a message is really exciting, in my opinion, and I’m grateful to Shake for giving me such an opportunity to grow in this area of digital marketing. I’m sure I wouldn’t have had any experience in design without this internship.

Internships are great for the company too. They not only get to help rise up younger generations in their skill and trade but they get people through their doors that are eager to learn. Take University for example, it is highly unlikely that you’re going to like everything you learn in every module, but in an internship, you’re diving headfirst into an area of business (or trade) that you are personally interested in. In my view, that’s one heck of a win-win situation, don’t you think?

I’m very fortunate in the fact that Shake have a really impressive reputation within Nottingham. Most people within the local business world know who I’m talking about when I mention I’ve been an intern here; this will put me in great stead for my steps into further employment. Those (potential) employers will see the consistency of my commitment to Shake over the long stretch of time, the breadth of work I covered, as well as the ability to work in a team, think creatively as well as independently. Internships help you grow all manner of skill sets; so really, you’re onto a winning situation once you finish.

I would have to say that my favourite day working here was a few weeks ago where I wrote seven blogs in a day, closely followed by another where I wrote 200 tweets in a day. Just the sheer amount of content I produced both those days gave me a real sense of achievement and the fact that I had formed good quality work was job satisfaction for me. Having said that, the team I’ve been a part of are really quite fantastic, and the office environment is comforting from the minute you walk in. Shake Social is a lovely place to work.

Overall, I feel that I have grown as a person; both in my written work but also in my confidence around people and dealing with difficult situations (trying to get your head around some financial terms takes some grappling, trust me). I appreciate the training and encouragement Shake have given me, and I am so grateful for this opportunity they have given me as I graduate and step into the working world now.

Thanks Shake!