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Table of Contents Foreword Training week and first impressions Ahead of your internship First day Training Meeting your manager Meeting your team Office Protocol Relations Dress code Lunch Start and end time Time off Norms Working with your team Manager Guide to impressing your manager: Your team Meetings Team meetings: Phone meetings: Emails Slack Skype Deliverables Receiving work Deadlines Setting goals Mid-Term Evaluation Work over/underload End of summer Wrapping up your work Final thanks and goodbyes Connections Rehire and full time offers Appendix Best of luck ForewOrd Incoming interns, Welcome to QMA’s first ever internship guide! This is meant to help out marketing students of all years navigate a variety of different types of internships in marketing. We have tried to get a well rounded perspective from a variety of individuals that have completed marketing internships in the past, that being said these tips should be used more as a guide than a definitive how-to

model. Different firms will have different rules, therefore this guide is in no way the best practices for your particular workplace. The best advice we have is to work hard and maintain a positive attitude throughout! Best of luck, ˝ QMA team ˝ ŏDLQLQJ:HHN DQG)LUVW ,PSUHVVLRQV Training Week and First Impressions Ahead of Your Internship˝ It can be a good idea to map out where your office is ahead of time and how you will get there from your home for the summer. You should aim to arrive early for the first few days to ensure that you have sufficient time - especially if you’re taking the subway to work (you will learn this throughout the summer, but subway delays can be fairly frequent). Do a little bit of research into the company (i.e CEO, the HR team, your manager/team) and know them well. You may be asked about or introduced to these people in your first week and it leaves a really positive impression if you know who they are. Depending on the firm you are

working for, it may be best to save changing your LinkedIn profile until after you begin your internship. The first week is prime time for this because everyone has met you and are now able to recognize and connect with you. First Day˝ Your first day can be very overwhelming and nerve racking. Try to make a good impression on your co-workers and team. Connect with your fellow interns, who are likely going through the same motions as you and can help support you through the transition period. Make sure you give yourself ample time to get to work, as the last thing you want is to be late on the first day. If you arrive super early (over 15 minutes), grab a coffee or something locally before heading into the office, so as not to burden the HR team that is likely still preparing for you. Dress up slightly for your first day (and even your first week). Even if your workplace is not super formal, it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Most likely a suit and tie

won’t be required, but wearing a polished outfit will leave a positive first impression on your co-workers. Training ˝ Your office will likely put you through at least a day or two (often times up to a week) of training pertaining to different aspects of your job, office protocols and anything else they feel that you need to know over the summer. Training Week and First Impressions Be sure to bring something to take notes on, pay attention and ask any questions on items that you are not sure of. It is much better to figure something out now when you don’t need it yet, than to be pressed for time and unsure of how to do something further down the line. This is a great time to meet with HR again (as they are likely running the training) and show your gratitude. HR puts a lot of work into recruiting high caliber candidates and training week is another opportunity (besides over email) to thank them and build a relationship that can continue into the future. You may have a

lot of downtime during training week waiting for work to come in. Take this time to become familiar with your company’s processes and past projects. If your firm has a server where they store projects people worked or are working on, check them out. Ask your manager what your main projects are going to be for the summer and look through what has already been completed on these to prepare yourself for later. Meeting Your Manager ˝ Very early in your internship you will be introduced to the main manager that you will be working with throughout the summer. The first two weeks is the prime time for the two of you to go out for lunch or coffee and discuss your goals for the summer. If your manager does not initiate this, propose this yourself. This is a great opportunity to tell your manager what you’re hoping to work on throughout the summer. Don’t go crazy, you likely won’t get a chance to do a solo pitch to a client or upper management, but maybe you want to sit in on as

many creative meetings as you can or be able to own/manage one to two projects throughout the summer. Let them know this early on, and they will help as long as it’s relatively easy for them to do. If your manager does not choose to set up weekly meetings, ask them if they would be willing to sit down for a 20-30 minute meeting each week to go over deliverables for the week as well as provide a brief moment for feedback. This can be crucial to keeping you on track and ensuring you are progressing properly in your internship. Try to get to know your manager and what their background is. Finding some common ground or a point to connect on can really help build your relationship going forward. Meeting Your Team˝ Your manager or HR will likely introduce you to the rest of your team early on. These will be people who you will be working very closely with in addition to your manager. Take time to chat with each person a bit throughout your first week so they know who you are.

Additionally, if your team is familiar and friendly with you, they are more likely to give you work earlier on (something that can be a struggle in the first few weeks). You should try your best to know everyone’s name as soon as possible. Write them down in your notebook and memorize faces in order to avoid awkward situations. 2IĝFHĭRWRFRO OFFICE PROTOCOL Relations˝ Building relationships in your office can provide you brilliant insight into the company dynamic, your co-workers and their past experience, as well as make the summer a lot more enjoyable. Make sure you take time to build genuine relationships with people, not simply call them up when you need something (i.e help on a project, a reference, etc) Try to meet and become friendly with people outside of your team. Not only will you know more people around the office but it will give you some perspective into other teams and the projects they work on. Going into full time hiring, you never know if a spot could

open up on another team rather than yours or on a team that would be a better fit for your skills, therefore these relationships can be very valuable. Be friendly and kind to everyone in the office, whether it is your receptionist, the cleaning staff or the mailman, often times you will need something and having a positive relationship can be very beneficial. Even if you don’t necessarily know a co-worker, if you see them around the office, on the subway or at lunch, make sure to wave and say hello. Names can be difficult but start with your manager, team members and fellow interns and work your way out. If you forget someones name, simply apologize and ask again, most likely they will understand, just don’t forget it again. Dress Code ˝ This will vary depending on which firm you work for. For instance agencies can be very casual with employees permitted to wear t-shirts and jeans, whereas working in marketing departments at financial institutions could require you to wear

more formal clothing. The first week is an excellent opportunity to clarify what is acceptable to wear in your workplace. If it is not addressed in your training, ask your manager or HR You may be required to wear more formal apparel for events like client meetings, presentations or company events. Some offices also hold casual Fridays It can be nice to keep spare clothing like a sweater just incase the office gets cold or flats incase heels get uncomfortable. General dress code for industries: • • • • • • • Advertising agency: casual to smart casual Retail: smart casual to business casual Financial services: business casual to business formal CPG: smart casual to business casual Start-up: casual to smart casual Tech: casual to smart casual Do not wear: hats, short shorts/skirts/dresses, flip flops, leggings, ripped clothing, etc. (use common sense) Lunch˝ Lunch is a wonderful chance to take some time off and get out of your chair for a bit. Take this

opportunity to get outside, stretch your legs and build up relationships with co-workers. Try not to go out to lunch by yourself, start off by asking your fellow interns and once you get comfortable in the office, try to ask some full-timers (particularly on your team) for lunch or coffee. This can seem daunting at first, but hearing about their experience thus far and building a relationship can put you miles ahead later on. Ask around the office and your team about which restaurants are popular with coworkers, this is a good chance to find out good places to eat as well as speak with coworkers you haven’t gotten the chance to meet yet. There are going to be times where you will have to get lunch quickly and eat at your desk due to an excess of work. A great app (not sponsored) that will get you through these times is Ritual, which essentially allows you to pre-order food near your workplace and will tell you when to pick it up. Start and End Time˝ Most internships are

paid on an hourly basis, meaning that you probably know your start time in the morning and your end time in the afternoon. That being said, there may be some desire to arrive early or stay late in order to impress your manager. Many firms have become stricter on interns working overtime, with payment in lieu days becoming more of a norm. These firms typically try to get interns out as close to the end time as possible. A good rule of thumb is to arrive at least 15 minutes before your start time to prepare for the day, check emails and map out things you need to complete. Departure time will depend if you have extra work to complete. But if there is no work to do, leaving 30 minutes after your typical end time to finish things up, send out final emails and check things off your to-do list should be sufficient. Make sure if you are working overtime that you are communicating this to your manager. They can then decide whether the project and deadline warrants overtime Don’t feel as

though putting in overtime is a requirement to prove yourself. Time Off ˝ Conversations about time off can be awkward, especially when you are just getting to know your manager and want to impress him/her. That being said, these are not as big of a deal as you would think and your manager will be quite familiar with this situation. Be as transparent as possible early on (seriously, do NOT leave this talk until the last minute) and give a clear, valid reason for it. A wedding, funeral, conference or event should be fine, however a full day off for a cottage weekend or concert with your friends might not be as well accepted. A good tip for days off or even time off in general (i.e doctors appointments, etc) is to block it off in both yours and your manager’s calendar once you discuss it. Norms˝ Each office has different norms that will take you at least a week or two to clue in on. For instance, are headphones permitted when working, what apparel is appropriate or not? It

is best to play it as safe as possible during the transition period in order to remain as professional as possible :RUNLQJĢWK <RXU7HDP Working With Your Team Manager˝ Your manager is here to help and guide you throughout the summer. That being said, it is important not to bombard them with a million questions throughout the day. If you aren’t sure about something, try asking your fellow interns first, check the internet and even try asking some junior members of the team. Prioritize the questions or problems that you can’t solve and try to ask them all at once so as not to burden your manager during the day. Check in with your manager a multiple times over the summer to get feedback and advisement on how you can continue to improve. It is important that at the end of the summer, your team has been able to see you progress and grow in your position. During your one-on-one meetings, a great way to impress your manager is by bringing a print-off list of everything

you’re working on and your schedule for the week that you two can discuss in depth and they can keep. This way they can keep tabs on your capacity throughout the week and monitor what you’re up to. Guide to impressing your manager: Positive attitude Having a positive and team oriented attitude, even throughout hard and stressful times, leaves a great impression on your team and makes people enjoy working with you much more. There is a large value associated with someone that, when the team is working on a project at 7 pm and everyone is stressed, is positive and can get the job done. Good work ethic Going above and beyond and putting in extra work is a wonderful way to impress your manager. Showing your commitment to the team and the project at hand will allow your team to trust you on more difficult items going forward. Bring solutions not problems When something goes wrong it’s very easy to call up your manager with the problem and ask for a solution. Your manager will be much

more impressed if you come to them with the problem and propose 1-2 possible recommendations that can solve the problem at hand. Never make the same mistake twice It is common for interns to freak out when they make a tiny mistake. However, it is even more important that you take something from that mishap and learn not to do that same mistake again. Remember that internships are about learning, and at the end of the summer it is most important to show that you have the ability to grow and get better in this field. Communication Even if you feel like its overkill, keeping in close contact with your manager by letting them know what you have on your plate and how things are progressing is extremely important. Your Team˝ Working with a team is something that you’re probably very familiar with, however working with a team of varying positions, backgrounds and ages can be a new experience. Take the time to get to know everyone, as you will likely need each one of them for

different reasons. It will also allow you to clue in to which member of the team is best to ask for different things. Try your best to say goodbye to your team before you leave at the end of the day (or if you find that excessive, at the end of the week). Not only is it a friendly thing to do, but it also lets your team know when you are gone so they don’t email you or give you work when you aren’t in the office. Often if you are working on a large team or even two separate teams, you will get deliverables from multiple people. It is important to keep everyone involved updated on what you are doing so you are not overwhelmed. Communication is key when it comes to working with your team. When you receive an email with a deliverable, many people love to receive an email back acknowledging that you have received it and are starting on it. Let your team know when you’ve completed something and also keep them updated on your capacity throughout the week. Meetings˝ Team

meetings: It can be awkward or uncomfortable in your first few meetings with your team. Relax and take this opportunity to observe how the meetings work. Are the meetings more interactive with managers asking for opinions and ideas or are the meetings more so opportunities for different people to present what they are working on. Ask your manager early on what your job will be throughout these meetings. For many interns it will be to take notes throughout the meeting and share with the team. Even if this is not your job, it is nice to have a reference that you can look back on later. If the team is throwing out ideas and you have one, do not be afraid to say it. Or if you hear an idea that you really like from one of your team members, voice it! Phone meetings: Make sure to locate the mute button and USE IT, try out with your fellow interns first to be certain. Especially if you are taking a phone call from your desk, things can be loud and make you sound unprofessional. It

is often common for phone meetings to do a roll call at the beginning, do not announce yourself unless they ask whether there is anyone else on the line. Different companies have different policies on this one, but a safe bet is to leave yourself out. Arriving on the call early is good practice, 1-2 minutes is generally sufficient. As with team meetings, take notes throughout the call and save them afterwards. Emails˝ The most common way you will be communicating with your team is through email. A couple things to know how to do include: • Changing your email signature: this is one that you can figure out with the other interns. Looks much more professional when you are sending external emails • • Reply all and reply to sender: a crucial one to learn and differentiate between. • Categorize emails: this is optional, however it can be beneficial to put emails into folders depending on the sender or the project to keep yourself organized. Bcc and cc: many times your

manager or team will ask you to bcc or cc them. Make sure you have this one locked. When writing an email, double and triple check spelling, whether or not you included attachments and who you are sending to. It may help to remove the receiver from the email to avoid accidentally clicking send. If multiple people need to receive the email make sure that you are including everyone and the correct people (as sometimes there are different co-workers with the same first or last name). Slack˝ Many workplaces, particularly small to medium sized offices, have began using the platform Slack as a secondary messaging platform between teams. If you have not used Slack yet and learn that your workplace uses it, take some time to familiarize yourself with this. Will vary between workplaces, however most teams will use Slack for more casual correspondence. For instance, if you need to ask your manager whether she is at her desk for a quick question, you would send a Slack message rather

than an email. Despite the fact that this is more of an informal way of communicating, still keep it as professional as possible, even if communicating with fellow interns and friends. Skype˝ Many large offices use Skype as means of informal communication. This will likely already be downloaded on your computer, but, similar to Slack, its a great way of getting a quick message across that does not require an email. HOLYHUDEOHV Deliverables Receiving Work˝ As aforementioned, always acknowledge when you receive an email or request of a new deliverable. This is a good opportunity to check the priority of the deliverable You will likely be working on multiple things at once so confirming a date when you should be turning in the final product will be helpful in prioritizing deliverables. It is important, especially if this is a new or complicated task, that you discuss with your manager or the person that assigned you the task on exactly what they are looking to see. Take

notes on a notebook or laptop to reference later, as these details could result in less edits going forward. Rather than asking each question that pops into your head that instant, try to solve it as much as you can first and then jot them down to ask your manager. For example, when you’re building a powerpoint you can jot down each slide where you have a question or concern and compile them all into an email to your manager to take a look at quickly (ex. Slide 2 - has the client followed up with you on this item, Slide 9 - did the client want to use an updated logo here, etc.) It can be incredibly hard to say no to work, even when you’re overwhelmed. Be realistic with your team about what work you have on your plate right now and commit yourself fully to the projects you are already working on. It is better to take on a little bit less and do a stellar job than to be spread too thin and perform tasks poorly. Deadlines˝ You will often be asked when given a task what your

capacity is or how long you think it will take you. At least for the first month, underestimate your capacity and overestimate how long it will take you. If you know something is not going to be ready for the deadline, let your manager know as soon as you do. This way they can give you some help, assign someone else to help or take away some work you’re doing now to give you more time to complete it. It is not as big of a deal as you would think, as long as you give ample time for them to work out next steps. Setting Goals˝ Deliverables are going to be less concrete than at Queen’s, there won’t be a rubric telling you what good work looks like and some managers can be vague with what they are looking for. Take some time to define success in your role and talk to your team early on about exactly what they are looking for from you going forward. Mid-Term Evaluation˝ Your manager will likely organize an opportunity for the two of you to sit down around the middle of the

summer and talk a bit about your performance so far. Make sure you reflect on your summer leading up to this point and come prepared to vocalize what you think your strengths have been thus far and opportunities to improve and grow moving forward. This is also a great time to ask performance related questions. Make sure you’re open to feedback and pay attention to the advice your manager provides. Work Over/Underload ˝ Near the beginning of the summer you will notice that the tasks you are given are few and far between as well as minor in the grand scheme of things. Don’t be discouraged by this. In fact many managers use these as a test to see whether or not you are capable of being trusted on larger, more important projects. Take the extra time you have to really kill these projects, however don’t go overboard (ex. Make a powerpoint extremely flashy and obnoxious with your time). If you are seriously lacking work, follow up with your manager and other members of your team

to let them know that you have a large capacity at the moment and can help them out with anything they need. On the other hand, if you ever feel overwhelmed to the point where you can’t work through it (some stress is good and motivating, too much can take away from your work performance), tell your manager. It is a difficult conversation to have, but let them know how many items you’re working on and which ones you think you will be able to complete on time. They can then choose to extend the deadlines for the other items or shift the work to someone else on the team. To avoid being overwhelmed, make sure you are indicating your capacity to your team at all times and saying no to projects you don’t think you can do to your full ability. (QGRI 6XPPHU End of Summer Wrapping Up Your Work˝ Many projects that you worked on throughout the summer will not be finished when you leave. Putting together a doc with all the unfinished items, next steps and information that you

acquired throughout the summer and sending it to your team is a great final impression to leave on your team. Final Thanks and Goodbyes˝ Make sure to say a huge thank you to your team, this should be both via email (a detailed paragraph expressing gratitude, can include your end of summer doc mentioned above) and in person. Also take the time to say goodbye to interns, HR and people you’ve regularly seen around the office. No need to be super sappy or sentimental (as this could come off disingenuous), keep it simple and thank them for a great summer. Connections˝ Make sure you keep in touch with those that you connected with in the office. LinkedIn is a wonderful way to do this, so don’t miss out on adding your team and other co-workers while you are still fresh in their mind. Keep up with your company moving forward, if they launch a new project or campaign send congratulations to those involved or simply like/share it on LinkedIn. Rehire and Full Time Offers˝ Near the

end of the summer your manager should sit down with you to do an end of summer review. In this review they will talk about how you progressed over the summer and mention what your prospects are moving forward. For 1st and 2nd years, your manager will either offer you a return contract, express their interest in having you back again next summer or simply say thank you for the summer and leave it at that. Generally, 3rd years will have a contract prepared that they are able to sign at the end of their internship which guarantees them a full time offer or their manager will indicate that maybe another firm would be a better fit. Regardless of whether you receive a return offer or not, take a moment at the end of the summer to consider whether you enjoyed your experience at your office and if the work and the team you worked on will be beneficial to where you want to go with your career. Not every company and position is a perfect fit, despite how much you enjoyed your team and

excelled in your position. $SSHQGL[ Appendix Here are some random insider tips for having the best experience working in Toronto, apologies to those working elsewhere! Universal lunch spots˝ Freshii: one of the holy grails of tasty yet healthy lunches, Freshii is an informal and quick lunch spot that allows you to choose or customize various bowls, soups and salads. You can either do take away or have a nice lunch with friends and team members. You can also order ahead with their app! Pizzaiolo: if you are looking for a relatively cheap slice of pizza that can be found all over Toronto, Pizzaiolo is your best bet. With massive slices for everyone, even vegan and gluten free, you’ll seriously love Pizzaiolo. Also super quick! Fresh: more of a sit down place but they do pick-ups as well, Fresh is perfect for those of you looking for a healthy option and friendly atmosphere. From baked goods to bowls to finger food, a really great place to try. iQ Foods: if you can detect

a pattern, healthy foods are most often on the menu for internship lunches and iQ is the healthy lunch mecca. They have bowls, snacks, salads, smoothies, even chia pudding (whatever that is). What A Bagel: great for breakfast or lunch, What A Bagel comes through with bagels and other baked goods. If you’re lucky enough to have one of these close to your workplace, take advantage of it. Starbucks: this one needs no explanation, but it will be a good friend of yours this summer. Commuting 101˝ Taking the subway and/or GO train can be new for those coming from outside of Toronto. If this is you, here are some beginner tips to get by on the greatest metro system in the GTA. • Make sure you get a Presto pass ahead of your internship. This way when you enter the subway, you simply tap the card against the green presto reader and enter through the turnstile. It also works on the GO train or streetcar Register it online and you can reload it on your computer or choose automatic

reloads. • Always wait for passengers to get off before you get on. This may seem like a courtesy, but commuters take this one insanely seriously. • Bring something to do while you’re on the train/subway. Maybe a podcast, your daytimer/agenda or a book. • Take off backpacks when you get on the subway, whether you are sitting or standing. • Arrive early, especially if you have an important meeting when you first get into work. You never know when the delays will come up and how long those delays will last. Must Have Apps˝ Ritual: this app was mentioned earlier, but seriously! It is a huge lifesaver when it comes to times you have to work through lunch at your desk or even when you want to pick up something on the way home. Uber/Uber Eats: you know these already but you would be surprised how much they come in handy even at work since most companies let you expense your uber charge when you’re doing work related tasks. Transit: giving you real time updates of

any delays on all forms of public transport, as well as giving alternate Uber and Bikeshare options/prices, we don’t really have to tell you the importance of this one. Best of Luck To close the internship guide off, we wish the best of luck to all of you starting internships this summer. We hope you all took a little something from this guide and will wow your teams! All the best,˝ Your 2019 QMA Team ˝ *RRG/XFN $W<RXU ,QWHUQVKLS