Over the winter two MAWRD students, Brian Griggs and Kerri Martin, participated in internships that broadened their professional writing knowledge and their resumes. Brian was a technical writing intern for Dematic, a software company, and Kerri was a communications and content intern with the Executive Club of Chicago, a networking organization for business professionals. Brian worked on documentation for equipment, software, and training while Kerri wrote interview questions for keynote speakers, advertised programming, and wrote the descriptions for their various leadership programs. We wanted to see how their internships went, how WRD helped them in the experience, and what they can now teach us about professional writing and how to go about an internship.
- Did you have a favorite part of the internship?
B: My favorite part of my internship with Dematic was releasing the first standardized training curriculum for the machine I covered during the presentation (the SL2 sorter). My mentor and I worked on this for a few months, and since this was the first standardized curriculum, we really were starting from scratch. What was most fulfilling was after the curriculum was released and the trainers could use the curriculum materials during their training and could finally give us feedback. The trainers came back and told us that this curriculum was far more organized and comprehensive of the topics needed to support the “students” (on-site maintenance personnel). In addition, courses taught after the release of our curriculum received much higher evaluations from the students, so this new curriculum benefitted the trainers and the students, and we worked hard to achieve that.
K: I enjoyed attending networking events. It was fun to spend some time with colleagues outside of the office and meet the executives that The Exec Club serves. Plus, free ice cream!
- A part that felt the most valuable to your future career and/or writing?
B: The subject matter we worked with at Dematic was complex, so working cross-functionally with subject matter experts (SMEs) was critical. Going to them for clarification or sometimes to completely learn a new system or machine would happen throughout various phases of developing content, and this would enable us to create effective content. Due to this experience working cross-functionally with SMEs at Dematic, I felt prepared for these discussions in my current role with Abbott.
K: Learning how to follow guidelines to design slides the way The Exec Club preferred was helpful as was working with a communications team and seeing the editing/creative process.
- Aside from classes like Content Strategy and Editing, were there other aspects of WRD that helped prepare you for the internship?
B: I think rhetorical dexterity is something that many of the courses in WRD touch on in some way and helped me a lot throughout my internship. In the professional setting, you’ll be asked to shift from writing in one genre to another, and the contexts are also shifting. Being proficient at writing in multiple genres or contexts is important but being proficient at making these shifts is also important, especially when a task becomes more time-sensitive than others.
K: I think Multicultural Rhetorics was helpful because it gave me a broad understanding of issues that affect different groups, and that *some* companies are looking to understand. Some companies are even looking to change the way they hire, communicate, etc. For example, we had one company looking at different hiring practices, changing the requirements to apply, and instituting apprenticeship programs for people who may not be able to immediately earn a four-year degree, so that more groups would be represented in their business.
- What was the biggest surprise to you about professional writing?
B: The biggest surprise about professional writing was how many inputs can go into a single deliverable. There are many different parties of the company that must have their eyes on the deliverable before its release outside to audiences outside of the company, not just the SMEs that know the topic and check for accuracy.
K: In my past internship and well as in my current internship, it can sometimes be surprising how the editing process goes. There are often multiple editors, and sometimes you may find yourself going back and forth. Sometimes people don’t remember what they said, and everyone is always sure they said the correct thing. Chances are, we all make errors or omissions in editing. Some supervisors like you to run everything past them and are more in a process with you, and others want the most perfect copy possible the first time around.
- Any advice for those looking for an internship (classes to take, mindsets to have, job search help even)?
B: My advice for those looking for an internship would be:
– Prepare for the interview. Read up on the company, what products/services they provide, what projects they’re involved in, and really read the job posting
– Be prepared to perform tasks you didn’t expect to. Often those what you learned in those tasks will come back to inform other tasks in some way. Also, being capable of doing multiple things in the company will really make you stand out during your internship.
– Expect to write in unfamiliar genres and contexts. You’re not just asked to do these kinds of writing tasks because it needs to get done, but you’re being asked because they think you’re capable. The internship has a lot to offer you, and you have a lot to offer the internship.
– For those looking for a technical writing internship but find it hard to search through the multiple job sites available, I would suggest prioritizing LinkedIn. This is advice I received from multiple technical writers in my department at Dematic. To them, this was where jobs in our field were posted the most and that employers lend most of their attention.
– Update your resume often. If you have a big project that you worked on during your internship or coursework, it’s worth talking about in your resume.
K: Think outside of the title and look at what the job description entails. See if that is something you would enjoy doing. One company’s “Event Planner” is another company’s “Communications Coordinator.” Consider looking into free or inexpensive classes on Udemy.com or Hubspot.com on applications and skills you may not have such as InDesign, SEO, etc.
WRD loves to see its students go on to succeed in the professional world, and can’t wait to see where Brian and Kerri go in the future! If you have any questions about how to fit an internship into your class schedule, reach out to your advisor or Dr. Jason Kalin with questions.