10 November 2009

Zac Wants A Kick Ass Internship

In what can only be described as excellent timing, there's been much discussion recently about starting your career in marketing, including my own article.

With just one exam pending, I will have completed the third year of my double degree, with one year remaining. Unfortunately I failed a law subject last year (perhaps this is the wrong time to be bringing this up) which means I have to make up the unit over Summer. And what I'd like to do, is an internship.

So instead of approaching agencies, which is what I'll do if this little experiment fails, I thought I'd advertise it on my blog first.

Here's what's in it for you...
+ A passionate young student who is far less arrogant in real life than on this blog.
+ Three weeks of a free full time work over Jan/Feb (dates flexible).
+ An honest Gen Y perspective from someone who will bring value to your agency.
What I would like to get out of it is...
+ Experience at an advertising agency (big or small).
+ To work on something meaningful, ideally more than just social media to get the full experience (whether it be various tasks or one three week project).
+ Little travel to work, ideally somewhere close to the CBD in Melbourne (unless you can help me cover the costs to get interstate, or even internationally, but let's not get carried away).
+ To be able to brag to my mates about my kick ass internship.
I'm not expecting anyone to bring me on just from this post. But if you want to grab a coffee or beer, it's my shout. At least for the first round. After all I am volunteering.

I don't really know what to expect, but I thought I'd run this as an experiment. How many students have advertised their availability to intern before? If you are interested, hit me up on email, buzz me on 0400 949 184 or drop me a comment below.
Posted by Zac Martin at 12:54 AM

20 comments:

  1. I have a job for you.

    I work for a company called Monsu Caulfield and the last years Marketing Officer needs some help. Think your up to it?
    ReplyDelete
  2. Hahahaha, ladies and gents; my ex employer.
    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey - well... depending on how tied you are to working within an agency, we could have a good fit for you to explore on a trial basis. Our world is about doing good... yeah, superman style, and we're right off Hardware Lane. Check us here to see what we're up to (or were up to as of about a year ago...) www.urbantrans-anz.com and @UrbanTransANZ
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  4. hey, im not here to burst your bubble, i think your blog is great, but just some thoughts:

    think of how many people apply for internships (especially in a climate where junior positions are so so rare) in amazing agencies, and how many people actually get them..i like your idea of advertising yourself on here (it can't hurt) but agencies dont want to have to go to you.. they want you to go to them. usually they want to know why you like their agency best (bit of an arrogance thing)

    i work in an agency and as we see it - these days, it's sometimes more of a hinderance for companies to take on interns because interns need to be constantly given small jobs and be "looked after". so if we are going to hire someone they need to really have a point of difference and use that to benefit the business

    and considering how many Gen Y'ers there are applying for positions, you can't really use knowledge of social media/online world as much of a point of difference anymore... although there wouldnt be that many people who would have such an extensive blog as yours, and what that shows is that you are truly passionate

    but if you really want an internship, i say get off your ass and go find one - cold call, walk in off the street, go to the bar of a local agency, use every contact you can - and then use this blog to sell yourself.. agencies want do-ers, not wait-around-till-you-make-it-ers
    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Anonymous 2

    Completely agree, and this is definitely something I plan on doing if nothing ideal comes up. But I thought I'd start by throwing it out there to see if anyone bites.

    I have a few contacts that I think could hopefully set me up, at big agencies too, but just wanted to see if this was at all possible.

    You never know, plus I think it's a bit of an arrogance thing myself! ;]
    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree with Anonymous, there are so little jobs going round at the moment. They want to know that you have initiative, and the balls to go up and knock on their door. From there, they probably just want someone who they get along with at work.

    I see a blog post nowadays is not that much different than an email, even a little less direct...
    ReplyDelete
  7. How many students have advertised their availability to intern before?
    me: http://www.vimeo.com/7373193
    ReplyDelete
  8. i like the approach and would put money down that it works for him. good luck zac.
    ReplyDelete
  9. In all seriousness I'd be a reference for u!

    He actually is a little marketing genius (for your age- don't go getting a big head!) and I was just joking about the Marketing Officer thing. As someone who has seen Zac in action and not just posting on his blog- he actually would be a valuable assest to your company, as he does know and can do more than just bring a Gen Y perspective and alot of knowledge on social media.

    Take a leap of faith, he's pretty passionate and wouldn't let you down!
    ReplyDelete
  10. I seem to remember it used to say Zac is an intern at Naked somewhere on this blog. What gives?
    ReplyDelete
  11. @ Stan

    I finished up at Naked six months ago. Unfortunately Monash wouldn't recognise it as credit points because it was too early in my degree.
    ReplyDelete
  12. Which just goes to show how out of touch the world of academia is with an industry undergoing massive change.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Zac, are you after an advertising agency specifically or would you be interested in a media agency too?
    ReplyDelete
  14. I think I'd prefer advertising, but have a couple of potentials in the works at the moment. :]
    ReplyDelete
  15. Nat, Paul and Jake need someone to make them coffee (and teach them about marketing). Theres a job for you!
    ReplyDelete
  16. Interesting approach... Have you got the job? Lowongan kerja
    ReplyDelete
  17. Yup, it worked! More deets soon...
    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey Zac,

    Just a few quick questions...

    I'm curious as to how you ended up as the "Social Media Manager" of a company when I remember distinctly that you specified in this very post that you want to work on something "meaningful, ideally more than just social media".
    Would you say what you're doing at George Patterson Y&R is of such description?

    Additionally, is your role what you expected? If not, how so?

    Adam Jaffrey
    http://whoisadamjaffrey.com/
    ReplyDelete
  19. @ Adam

    My role is quite varied, but I am more than happy where I am at the moment. My perception of the role and the industry changed significantly after writing this post and working in it for a while.
    ReplyDelete
  20. @Zac Martin

    Maybe consider writing a blog post specifically about how your perceptions of the industry have changed. I'd be intrigued to hear your reasoning.

    Adam Jaffrey
    ReplyDelete

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