This Spring Quarter, soon-to-be MAWRD graduate Olivia Griffin has been working hard on an internship she coordinated herself. After working on her Content Critique assignment for Dr. Dish’s Content Strategy Course, her work blossomed into a professional opportunity. Her assignment was to critique and offer feedback on content published on a professional website, and she chose to critique the website of Mononograms on Webster, a boutique that specializes in personalized apparel, where she has been working for four years as a retail assistant. After publishing her content critique, she approached her boss wondering if she might enact the changes she suggested. Her boss was delighted, and she went on to propose and formalize an internship with the MAWRD program.
Her opportunism sets a good example for undergraduate and graduate students alike, and shows the feasibility of setting up your own internships and carrying forth course projects into professional opportunities. When we talked to Olivia about her internship experience, she expressed, “This internship was a natural progression following Content Strategy and really showed me my potential as a professional digital writer. I definitely recommend that everyone look for an internship experience to fit into their program pathway.” We asked Olivia more questions about her internship, especially her experience interviewing a professional writer to find out more about their position.
Describe your internship including your role and its relationship to your professional goals.
My internship was project-based, so I did not go into an office or have the traditional daily responsibilities that one might imagine an intern having. Instead, I proposed a website redesign grounded in my content critique. My main goals for the website redesign were the following: 1) address many of the questions that the store regularly receives by clearly communicating their services, 2) integrate more photos into the home page to more clearly advertise the products and personalization services, and 3) revise the information architecture of the website to expand categorization and the likelihood of customers finding new products.
To achieve these goals, I spent a lot of time writing; most of the copy on the redesigned website is new or heavily revised. I also read the book Everyday Information Architecture, which was incredibly helpful in learning the psychology behind the way web menus are designed. My boss and I also collaborated to brainstorm additional products and photos to include on the newly designed website to maximize sales. After solidifying the content, I had to learn the ins and outs of Shopify, the platform that the website is on.
Describe what you found interesting from your interview with a professional writer.
Because my internship experience was not necessarily within the professional/digital writing industry, Lisa Dush connected me with Kelsey Peters, a content strategist at Expedia. I learned A LOT from interviewing Kelsey, and I wish I had gotten a chance to speak with more alumnae prior to my final quarter in the program (I highly recommend others seek that opportunity out!).
Hearing about Kelsey’s responsibilities solidified my interest in content strategy, especially because her work focuses on Expedia’s website and mobile app as products, as opposed to content strategy that focuses more on social media or marketing. When I asked her for advice related to the job hunt, Kelsey explained that in order to secure a position as a content strategist, you have to demonstrate strong writing abilities, understand the process of user testing, and know how to measure the success of content. She also suggested learning more about UX writing and design thinking as well as SEO. Finally, she urged me not to ‘be afraid to apply to something that is over [my] head.’ These tips have been helpful as I apply and interview for a variety of positions.
What were some of the most valuable things you learned during your internship?
“I learned firsthand how valuable user testing is. It is really fascinating to see how people interact so differently with the same website. Based on my user tests, I made a lot of changes that I would not have been able to anticipate any other way. I also learned how important being concise is, especially for writing on the web. Through my user testing, I was able to see just how little users read, especially when they are looking for specific information. Kelsey shared similar sentiments and gave me a few tips on writing microcopy, which came in handy when I was editing the redesigned site as well.”
Did you have deliverables from your internship?
My main deliverable was the redesigned website, which you can preview here. I am definitely planning to include the redesigned website in my professional portfolio once it is totally finished. I think it will accompany my content critique quite nicely as it demonstrates that I can not only analyze content and identify issues, but also implement effective revisions.
I also did some user testing with the new website, so I created a script and have the recordings from those sessions as well. This experience was really eye-opening and definitely something I will include on my resume.
How does this internship compare to other work experience?
There is some overlap between this project and my work as a peer writing tutor in the University Center for Writing-based Learning in terms of the feedback and revision processes. I also have experience working on Monograms on Webster’s Instagram, so I have familiarity with marketing for this specific business. Still, it is pretty different from my teaching experience. However, I do think my service-learning classes with Prof. Dush have prepared me well, and that is one of the reasons I was able to successfully manage and complete this large professional digital writing project by myself.
What types of careers are you interested in?
I am currently in the job hunt, and I am still discovering what I am interested in. I really appreciate my internship experience, so I am looking into digital writing that focuses more on website development as opposed to social media, which I don’t enjoy nearly as much. I also really like my position at the UCWbL and would love to be able to continue to support students in an advisory or mentorship role as a higher education administrator. No matter which path I take, I know that my writing skills and project experience will be invaluable wherever I end up!”