This month, our New Business Intern shares his personal take evok internships, including what to expect, how to prepare, and his overall takeaways. If you or someone you know is looking to explore agency life, we invite you to apply for an internship online.

Personally, I feel that the most difficult part of interning as a college student is searching for the one that’s right for you. Even if you find your dream internship, it’s not guaranteed that you’re the chosen one for the role. Interning is like dating in that sense; you send in your resume and cover letter to see if you’re a good match, and if you manage to impress, then it’s time for the first date: your interview.

This is the nerve-racking part as a college student, where it’s up to you to convince your “date” that you’re worth their time. You’ve got to really sell the interviewer on your best qualities and showcase what benefits you can bring to the company. And hopefully, by the end of your interview, you’ve established a positive connection with your interviewer.

A connection, of course, goes both ways. I believe that the most important thing when a college student is looking for an internship is to feel a certain level of connection with a company’s goals, mission statement, and culture. The research was a key step for me—checking out their social media presence, website, Google Reviews to see what clients had to say, and more.

Everything I saw about evok excited me. The client base, location, agency culture, and internship position aligned with what I’m looking for in a future career. I sent in my application for “New Business Intern” in the Spring of 2021, and two interviews (one conducted over the phone, the other over a Zoom call) later, I was offered a position for the summer semester. Needless to say, I accepted.

I’ve had an internship before but it was fully virtual, and the position was focused on social media. Prior to evok, I had no experience with agency culture, so even though I was very excited to start, I was nervous about my first day.

I admit with no shame that I probably annoyed my supervisor, Ariana, by asking a bunch of overly specific questions. One of my most memorable questions being “How will you find me when I walk in the door?” This was not my most impressive moment in hindsight, but it seemed a very legitimate concern at the time.

You can probably imagine how embarrassed I was when I showed up to the office and I saw it was a single-story building with an open floor plan, and definitely not the labyrinth I had envisioned in my head. Needless to say, my supervisor had no trouble spotting me.

I was quickly welcomed with a tour of the office, meeting the team, and even snacks, candy, and drinks from the fridge. Later that afternoon, I was quizzed on knowledge of classic rock, and I think I blew the expectations out of the water, for being 20 years old (thanks dad!).

By the end of my first day, I had been fully inducted into the company. I had an official email address and my own account login on the in-house management software.

The sheer level of “pro-businessman” I felt when I started filling out my first Excel spreadsheet could’ve gained consciousness and founded its own start-up company. I hate to say it, but spreadsheets got less cool as time went on. Who could’ve seen that coming? I had no idea how important and prevalent spreadsheets were in agency life, but boy did I learn. After this summer, I feel like I’ve become a bona fide Excel/Google Sheets wizard.

Something I do have to say to all of my fellow Advertising and Public Relations majors, or even anyone in marketing, is that you should try to get an internship in a new business development department. The amount of passive information intake about the advertising industry I learned this summer is incredible.

While you learn a lot about advertising and public relations from college, you would be surprised by how much you don’t know about the actual industry. For example, I’d never even heard of a Convention and Visitors’ Bureau before working in new business development, and I graduate next semester.

As a college student in Florida, one of the largest tourism industries in the U.S., I feel so much more confident in my knowledge of the advertising industry in my area. Prior, I wouldn’t have even known the places I could potentially apply to after college if I hadn’t interned with evok, since a part of new business development is being aware of competitors.

The initial reason I interned with the new business department at evok was because I thought it would give me a healthy appreciation and basic understanding of how all the departments in an agency are run. That way, I don’t make any crazy requests of the media buyers or creative department when I eventually wind up as an industry professional.

Evok helped me achieve my goal, especially since they have the head of each department guide interns on what they do, and their role for the rest of the agency at large. It really gave me an appreciation for the difficulties that each department faces within an advertising agency.

I’m writing this on my last day, as a fond farewell letter. So, that’s where I’ll leave you, with a farewell, and a five-star recommendation to any intern that’s considering evok.