DollarsAndSense Internship
- Feb 7, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 2, 2023
Throughout my 6 months at DollarsAndSense, I have been able to take part in some projects as well as some ad hoc tasks.
I was given the opportunity to come up with photo stories, some of which were adapted from current articles. I have created 4 photo stories during my time at DollarsAndSense.
One of my takeaways from my internship at DollarsAndSense was social media listening analysis – exposing myself to various third-party social media listening platforms and prepare listening audits based on the client’s conversations on social media. For instance, I was able to learn how to use platforms such as Google Analytics and bit.ly to track traffic and trends. These information collected allowed for ease of insights reporting. Another learning takeaway was social media reporting - exporting social channel data, extracting insights and learnings, and providing recommendations for optimisation on a weekly or monthly basis during editorial meetings.
On the topic of editorial meetings, I also got to ideate and propose ideas to complement editorial content. During my time at DollarsAndSense, I have been able to take part in two video projects, one of which I was able to script and shoot myself!
Aside from my main tasks, I have also been assigned some general marketing duties, I have performed ad hoc marketing and commercial related duties required by my supervisor and marketing team. For instance, I was tasked to do up several reports for clients, and also gather certain statistics in collaboration with my co-workers.
In addition, being in charge of the business’ Telegram channel, I was tasked to keep track of interesting trends, so as to increase engagement for the Telegram channel and ultimately, drive up traffic to the business’ site.
Throughout my internship at DollarsAndSense, I have been able to apply some of the knowledge and skills learnt in NYP. For instance, I have been able to use Adobe Softwares such as Photoshop, to produce content such as drafts for ad placements in lieu to the website’s upcoming Sustainability Landing Page. In addition, I have also been able to better understand how to present certain graphics that would better appeal to different audiences. I have also been able to use the skills I have learnt in production modules at NYP like Advanced Video Production and Editing, and was able to apply it during my internship for some of the production projects that I was involved in, be it video-production or just simply taking of photos for photo stories.
I have been able to produce graphics and video content, applying skills such as video production, logistics planning, media management and scriptwriting, to increase engagement on DollarsAndSense social platforms. I was able to do so by following the SOP from editors and Head of Creative and referencing existing content produced by DollarsAndSense, together with my experience using Photoshop, Adobe Premiere skills to produce content on digital platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and Instagram.
I have also learnt how to retrieve, analyze, and present certain data for both internal and external reporting purposes, by using third party platforms to do social listening, as well as internal data to spot trends.
I have also been able to work closely with the editors to gather new research data for content development work, especially during weekly editorial meetings.
Last but not least, I was able to work closely with the project lead of several projects to produce marketing materials, to support work for other DollarsAndSense’s initiatives, for instance, collaborations with partners.
Overall, the main thing that I have taken away from my internship at DollarsAndSense would be learning more about the industry. It provided me with a roadmap on how organizations are constructed in terms of organizational structure, culture, mission, vision, policies, and strategies.
I have expected to have understood the working environment, networking, socialization and to gain knowledge of both internal and external environment. My expectations were met with the help of my colleagues, who guided me along the way throughout my internship. I also got the chance to learn diverse skills that can help me beyond the media industry, in terms of better adaptation to unusual changes.
This internship was of great importance to me, as I learnt critical lessons not only items of new skills I have gained, but also affected the way I behave, socialise, and network with others. I have learnt to respect working environment conditions and to deal with difficult people and other people with different personalities in the workplace. Also, it has helped me create connections with different persons, which might lead to future opportunities.
The knowledge gained from this internship has enabled me to apply what I learnt in class to my field of work for better performance in organizations that I would be working for in the future. This internship provided me with the opportunity to gain hands on work experience that I would not be able to get in the classroom.
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