Imagine an intern.
Mixing up coffee orders, sporting an ill-fitting suit, googling Excel commands despite their resume claiming: “Microsoft Office proficient.”
The intern experience is chock full of clichés. Luckily, my summer at Forefront Communications surpassed any and all stereotypes.
From the first day, my fellow interns Cate Geiger, Riya Jayanthi and I were welcomed to the company, entrusted with projects and absorbed into the team dynamic. Our experience kicked off with four rotational weeks through each of Forefront’s practice areas. Each week provided a balance of educational and practical components, teaching us the ins and outs of marketing and communications and then allowing us to implement our learnings.
While my takeaways from eight weeks of career development and education cannot easily be distilled into a few hundred words, I’ll give it my best shot:
Organization Is Everything
#TeamForefront thrives on checklists, calendars and communication. Managing an extensive client roster, each one with its own priorities, Forefront stays on top of work through individual and company-wide organizational tactics. (We even did a recent social campaign on our top productivity tips!) From sticky notes to written agendas, the team employs various techniques to meet deadlines and turn around deliverables. Moreover, during our rotational week with Forefront’s digital team, we learned how to use HubSpot, the ultimate organizational tool. This marketing automation and content management system is critical to Forefront’s digital work, streamlining our social media management and marketing campaigns.
Be a Swiss Army Knife
On a small team, everyone is integral to bringing a project across the finish line. While some individuals at Forefront specialize in a particular practice area, everyone has a broad skillset they can draw upon to support clients — and each other. I observed the incredible way Forefront team members helped each other out and provided one another with an extra hand on tasks across practice areas.
Make the Candy Salad
On my second day in the office, everyone came to work with bags of Nerds Gummy Clusters, Swedish Fish, Lemonheads and the like to make an overflowing bowl of candy salad. Hopping on a recent TikTok trend, we all took a few minutes out of the workday to gather together and shoot a video for Forefront’s Instagram account. Beyond being a 4 p.m. snack staple for the rest of the summer, our candy salad symbolized company camaraderie. The Forefront team prioritizes maintaining a positive culture, knowing that the best work gets done when individuals feel supported and championed by their coworkers.
Ask the Silly Questions
During my first week, I realized I had no idea how to plug my laptop into my monitor. Luckily, Forefront’s Head of Digital Amanda Perrucci was there to answer my question and help me get set up. It was a silly question that I could have eventually answered myself, but by speaking up, I was able to accelerate the process. As an intern, almost everything is new. From technology to terminology, there are plenty of roadblocks that can slow down the workday. However, by asking questions, I put myself in a better position to navigate my tasks, ensure I hit deadlines and produce strong deliverables.
Be Intentional
One of the most valuable aspects of my experience was the opportunity for my fellow interns and I to talk with individuals at the firm about their career paths and our own goals. Throughout these conversations, the emphasis on intention was clear. As young professionals, we were advised to be discerning in our future job searches, paying close attention to the size of the company, industry and team dynamics at play. Looking ahead to my last year of college, I will remember to be intentional and prioritize long-term thinking when approaching my career.
My intern experience at Forefront was a world away from picking up coffee orders or spending all day doing data entry – I learned the foundations of marketing and communications work and gained insight into agency life. More importantly, I formed valuable relationships with my coworkers, who I will no doubt rely on for guidance as I approach my graduation next spring.
Thank you, Team Forefront!
