By Mary-Anne Aiyeola – 10,000 Black Interns Programme, 2022
They say ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ – and I couldn’t agree more. Just like that my time at IAC comes to an end. However, this is not the end of the road but just a quick learning pit stop. In the space of 8 weeks, I’ve learnt so much about myself, marketing and the world of recruitment.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Coffee will become your best friend – I used to wonder why adults always drank coffee and now I get it! One of the most challenging things was adapting to the corporate 9-5 life. I would literally roll out of bed at 6am to get to work for 9am. They promise it gets easier with time but really they mean coffee!
The importance of great work culture – people tell you what you should look for in a company. Is their career progression? Are there any benefits and perks? But I never realised how important your work environment is. Its better to wake up to a job you love than a job you hate. The team at IAC are not only wonderful colleagues but wonderful people who embody the company’s values. Professionalism, Honesty and Teamwork. They have really set the bar for the type of work environment I picture myself in, in the near future.
Putting theory into practice – Its great studying a degree in your chosen field but at the end of the day it’s the experience you gain that makes the most difference. I’ve learnt way more from my manager about digital marketing, branding, content creation etc. than any lecturer has taught me. As I enter my second year of university, I can put practice into the theory with the edge IAC has given me.
I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone at IAC for making my time there not only insightful but memorable from the interview practice to the Friday after-work drinks. A special thank you to Georgina Blaney aka GB for being a great manager and an even greater mentor.
So my advice to the next intern would be: stay curious, ask questions, be open-minded and say yes to (almost) everything and my favourite sayings from the IAC Managing Director himself, ‘control the controllables.’
Applications for 10,000 Black Interns Programme open this September so head over to their website and apply! https://www.10000blackinterns.com/
