Shona R.’s Post

I lied on my first internship In 2020, I got my first social media internship to save up for my first phone. Before COVID, having a smartphone was a luxury for us, and my family couldn't afford it. During those two months, I learned graphic design, video editing, content strategy, and writing, even though I exaggerated on my resume. After six months, they offered me a full-time job, but I wanted to freelance. The real question is: how did I learn all those skills in just two months? It's the "do first, learn later" method. Instead of long tutorials, I tackled tasks step by step, figuring things out as I went. It's all about making things simpler and focusing on real practice.

Hi! I’m delighted to announce the start of my career journey as a Bachelor of Management student. My background is diverse, including photography and running an online candle shop. Each experience has helped me grow and learn new skills. I started with a love for photography, where I learned to be creative and pay attention to details. This interest led me to start my own online shop, selling handmade candles. Although it was a small venture, it taught me a lot about marketing, dealing with customers, and managing a business. These experiences taught me the importance of combining creativity with strategy. As a photographer, I learned how to communicate well and understand what clients want. Managing my online shop helped me with things like creating engaging social media posts and building relationships with customers. Now, as I study for my Bachelor’s in Management, I’m eager to use my skills in a professional job. I’m especially interested in roles where I can use my creativity and strategic thinking to help businesses grow. Whether it’s through internships, entry-level jobs, or teamwork, I’m excited to bring my enthusiasm and knowledge to the field of management. #CareerJourney #ManagementStudent #Entrepreneurship #Photography #Marketing

Insights from last week’s (Monday, September 30th) Speaker Series with Bex Creatives: Q: What are you currently working on? A: Right now, I’m focused on photographic work, including concept creation and managing contracts. The skills I’ve learned from the program, like organization and time management, are now essential in my business. Q: What internships have you taken? A: I took a web design internship because that's the direction I wanted to pursue. It was a freelance position for an organization in Oakville, where I worked one day a week for 7 hours. The internship helped me manage my time better, stay organized, and use the connections I made with professors. Q: When applying for internships, do you recommend a website or printed portfolio? A: I recommend a PDF portfolio. Include 5-6 pieces but no more than 5 pieces in each category. Make sure to show the step-by-step process, including sketches, wireframes, user testing, and research. Q: What are some portfolio tips you shared? A: -Include 5-6 pieces, no more than 5 per section. -Show step-by-step processes with sketches, wireframes, and user testing. -If it’s a physical portfolio, keep it small and cohesive. -Don’t overload with too much content—it can water down your message. -Focus on projects that represent your branding; if a project doesn’t align, scrap it. -Personal projects stand out more and help make a lasting impression. -Start building your portfolio early—it’s constantly evolving as you grow. Q: When did you land your internship? A: I landed my internship later, closer to the end of October. If you’re waiting to apply, don’t delay—just do it. Start emailing small businesses and get your name out there. Q: How important is your resume for an internship? A: Your resume is very important because it highlights skills that might not be in your portfolio, like volunteer work or unpaid gigs. These skills can show you have valuable experiences outside of graphic design. Q: What if you’re considering changing streams? A: Whether or not you change streams depends on your goals. Having knowledge and skills in multiple areas can be useful and fun. It allows for more versatility in your career. #mohawkcreativeindustries #connectthedots

⚡Stories are powerful. Here's how & why: When I joined LinkedIn back in 2020, writers were already thriving with their catchy hooks and well-framed content. and there were very few designers posting their artworks/designs. I started connecting with them and all I could see was "Check out my new design" along with their recent design image. It almost felt like this platform was probably not for us (aka designers). Within a few days, I got my internship certificate. I knew I had to post on linkedin for the sake of my resume hoping I would get a nice job! While all my friends posted a sweet thank-you note with their certificate, I made a whole big paragraph on my experience & some of my key learnings during that period. and damn! got a lot of appreciation (& likes of course 😅) From then onwards, I never posted anything without telling my part of the story. Because even if we all are doing the same thing, chasing the same goal, each one of us experiences differently. and your part of the story is always worth telling ❤️ This being a story itself, you made it till here. This is the power of a story⚡ #storytelling #graphicdesignersclub #graphicdesigntips

I just realized what career path I truly have an interest in. As a Mass Communication graduate who majored in broadcast, I always thought I’d be a news anchor. The thrill of reading the news to millions of people fascinated me, and when I did my internship and saw what being on TV was like, I was even more excited about the whole thing. Except there was a catch! I started creating content during my internship and fell deeply in love with it—in fact, more in love than with being a news anchor and that caused a serious clash of interest. Yes, I know both careers are in the same space, but creating my own unfiltered (sometimes unscripted) content captured my heart. This newfound passion also led me into the world of graphic design and video editing. Although I initially didn't get to utilize my graphic design skills, everything changed when I started as a marketing intern. There, I got the opportunity to blend my content creation passion with graphic design and video editing, as well as learn a whole lot about the social media space opening up a whole new world of creative possibilities. Reflecting on my journey, I now see a clear path where my skills and passions align perfectly. I'm excited to continue exploring the dynamic field of Social Media Marketing combining creativity and communication to make an impact. #CareerJourney #ContentCreation #Broadcasting #GraphicDesign #VideoEditing #Marketing #MassCommunication #PassionToProfession

This post will be shouting about the amazing work our intern Sana Jayaraj has been doing over the past 4 months. 🧡 Sana has been our Graphic Designer intern for the past 4 months, and we’re so proud of the work she’s done. No coffee runs or basic research tasks found here - working alongside our Creative Director, here’s how Sana has delivered outstanding visuals for us and our clients.  1/ Social media 📲 Sana put together a variety of graphics together for numerous clients during her time with us. Whether it was a client in recruitment, tech or for our own agency, she delivered visuals that not only looked fantastic, but received excellent engagement.  2/ Website antics 👩💻 Without any previous website design experience, Sana attacked this with passion in her stride. She added some fun icons to our site and experimented with colour contrasts, spicing it up in a very Small City way. But she didn’t just do our site - she also assisted in designing a website for a tech client of ours. So yes, her skills are super transferable across different industries!  3/ Photoshoot guru 📸 As Small City was going through their rebrand process, Sana suggested that the Directors should get some sparkly new photos to really showcase our personality. So that’s what we did. After putting together a mood board and ideas for video / stills, we think the end result came out pretty good, if we do say so ourselves.  4/ Animation 📹 Coming soon! Small City’s new website has a very fun video on the homepage. Sana not only filmed the footage, but added some text animations to the video once it had been edited by our Creative Director. It’s funky, it’ fresh, it’s very us. 👀 So, that’s that. As a business leader, if there’s anything you can take away from this - it’s that investing in young talent and trusting them to get the job done is 100% the right route to take. 🤝 Well done Sana, we’re so proud of all you’ve achieved during your time with us!  Big thank you to all the The Manchester Metropolitan University team and Kenny L. for helping us with this internship opportunity!  #InternshipProgramme #MMU #MMUIntern #RiseInternship #Internship #AgencyIntern

I recently put out an internship hiring post and the number of DM’s and volume of applications have been insane! Got me worried about the number of students out there looking for opportunities. Believe me when I say, I have been there too! From sending out 100’s of DM’s, mails, drafting resume & cover letters, interviews…I have done them all 🙃 But its just not easy due to the limited supply of these opportunities. Being in the creator economy for the last year, I have realized that there is a new market with tons of opportunities for college students. Creators are also businesses. After a point they also need smart people to run the entire backend operations. Here is what I would do if I was back in college :- (1) If I was into editing, I would offer to edit a few videos for the creator (2) If I was into marketing, I would offer to launch a new digital product (Course, book, resources etc) (3) If I was into copywriting, I would offer to write scripts for them for brand collaborations or viral content (4) If I was into photography/ videography, I would offer to shoot content (5) If I was into sales, I would offer to pitch brands for collaborations (Making brochures, doing sales pitches etc) (6) If I was into data analytics, I would offer to analyze the entire YT studio data and provide insights on what’s working well I repeat, creators are also businesses! Every creator’s email ID is publicly available. All you have to do is make a list and send out personalized mails with a solid pitch & proof of work. Don’t restrict yourself to just companies. Reach out to your favourite creators! — Follow Adithyaa Sriram (Me) for more such content on the creator economy. I will be posting a lot more insights & opportunities in this space over the next few weeks. #creatoreconomy #hiring #internship #college

WHAT HAPPENED?!?! It's been a whole two weeks since I posted here on LinkedIn and to be honest, that wasn't the plan. I had everything mapped out; from the day I'd batch create content, to editing, to creating images, to implementing SEO words to drive traffic, everything was planned. But what happened? I still don't know! All I know is, I was burned out, and still am, but I've refused to let that stop me from achieving my goals. During an eye-opening phone call with my sister Naomi Utere, we made a sort of life-changing pact that NEEDS to happen and that to be honest is my drive and motivation every day. So, for the past two weeks, what have I been up to: - I'm still taking my Virtual Assistant course with alx_africa though I'm behind schedule, I still plan on catching up. - Started my email management course with Acadium, hoping to get accepted for their apprenticeship program after - Got a paid graphics design gig - Got a client for a paid fashion designing job (yes, I'm also in fashion school 🤗 ) - A client reached out to be here on LinkedIn about a writing gig - I got a rejection letter for a content writing job - Applied for a job that turned out to be a scam. This one hurt the most but, guess who will personally reach out to the company to apply? Yes, me 😂 - I got an acceptance letter for another internship - For the first time, I submitted a personal essay for a writing contest. It's safe to say these past two weeks have been a whole lot! 😂 Regardless, thank you for sticking me with throughout this journey, this is just the beginning! Nice to meet you, I am Eniola Busari, your virtual assistant, editor, writer & voice-over artist. Boosting productivity & crafting engaging content. Let's collaborate!

When did the creative industry get rid of all its junior positions? 🤔 I am not one to write LinkedIn thinkpieces, but I feel no one is addressing the pressing issue of the complete loss of junior roles in the design industry. My name is Bianca, I am 25 years old and I have recently finished a Master's. During my studies, I was lucky enough to do two internships in creative agencies and work more than a year as a freelancer. With the internship I'm currently doing, my experience should add up to a solid 2 years within the six I've been actively studying and practicing communication design and art direction. This range of experience would technically position me as a sturdy junior (going onto midweight) designer and creative. However, during the job hunt that followed my graduation, I couldn't pursue that position, for the only openings I've seen were either for internships (often curricular), or seniors with 3/5 years of required experience. I know that studies proved that women are more likely to be subject to impostor syndrome and I'm aware that, career wise, I might have played some cards wrong. You live and you learn, right? Despite this, I strongly believe that this lack of opportunities to penetrate the industry and grow as a creative is a telltale sign of the structural problems that rule our sector. Internships are often just opportunities to get cheap manpower and do not necessarily imply a chance of being hired after the end of the period. Internships also very famously don't provide living wages, a very political issue that creates a competitive, toxic and elitist environment where the most fortunate, that perhaps already have the incentive of private and prestigious schools supporting them, remain favoured for being able to be severely underpaid. Work has always been the most political of issues and we, as designers, are severely underrepresented. Silence not only serves no one, but contributes to the poisoning of our professional lives.

Countdown to release date: 120 days (Stay tuned) The last couple of months have been an amazing journey and now I'm on the lookout for fellow travellers who'd be willing to join me on a long and rewarding trip. We're looking for highly motivated interns who want to be a part of a rocketship and are looking to up-skill themselves on the job. People who're looking to complete a "Mandatory" college internship, please don't apply. Prefer people who're in their final year/just graduated but kickass outliers are always welcome. All the internships have stipend upto INR 10,000 which depends on the skill-set and type of role ( Full-time, Part-time) 1. Social Media Intern: I'm okay with someone who's not technically very proficient with the tools but you have to be very creative in coming up with content ideas. Should know how to use basics of Canva. (Have a lot of interesting things planned for Socials) 2. Graphic Design intern: Turning ideas into reality will be your job. If you're passionate about crafting amazing art from content ideas, this is the job for you. Video editing will be a plus. 3. Content Creation intern: If you love talking in front of a camera, this is for you. Not necessarily looking for micro-influencers but if you have a decent presence on IG, that just adds to your credibility. Editing reels created by you will also be a part of your responsibilities. 4. Talent Acquisition intern: If you're looking to build out your career and HR and already have other internship experience, feel free to apply. It'll be quite different from your typical HR role. 5. Design Consultant: This is a one-time project where I'm looking to come up with basic building blocks of visual composition, line, shape, colour, texture, space and typography. If any of these roles are what you're looking out for, fill out the form in the first comment and I'll reach out to you! Feel free to tag relevant people in the comments. #hiring #socialmedia #design #graphicdesign #contentcreator