Brendan is a senior studying Communication Studies at Temple University. Over the summer he worked with the general marketing team where he would work on website updates, social media campaigns, and writing blogs.
1. How did you find out about this internship, and what motivated you to apply for it?
“I came across the job randomly on Linkedin. I have previous experience working in restaurants and have always known that I wanted to work with food in some compacity, so it seemed like a great opportunity.”
2. How has this internship contributed to your understanding of the food industry?
“I feel like I'm still learning new things every day. There are so many fascinating intricacies that I would have never thought about if not for the internship. Not to mention the new perspective I have on products I find when I'm out at the grocery store.”
3. What advice would you give to other students or individuals considering the same internship or a similar role?
“Make sure to check the lobby at 4:00 for free food! But for real, talk to everyone you can, I know it sounds cliché but there is no such thing as a dumb question, everyone around you is so eager to help and talk about what they do.”
4. What areas did you grow in during your internship?
“I grew in a lot of skills during my time, most importantly I would say my organizational and communication skills. I specifically had many projects that required communication with multiple different coworkers where it was vital to stay organized and on top of things. On top of that leading campaigns without a lot of prior experience definitely helped boost my confidence.”
5. Could you describe a typical day as an intern in this role?
“Typical days constantly varied which I enjoyed a lot. I spent a lot of time working on the backend and user interface of our website, along with optimizing SEO. However, there were often new tasks that I picked up along the way, like creating blog posts and other content, along with social media campaigns. Somedays I would even get to work in the Innovation Center to film content with the Technical Advisors which was a great experience.”
6. Did you participate in any activities related to your professional growth during your internship?
“Beyond the great experience and education I received in my day-to-day tasks, my manager helped me throughout the internship, along with the entire marketing team. Not to mention the trainings put on by HR that helped polish up my Linkedin page and prepare myself for future interviews.”
7. What projects or tasks did you work on during your internship, and which one was the most challenging or rewarding for you?
“It was super interesting to work on the blog posts about chocolate. I really got to deeply understand the entire process that goes into chocolate production which gave me a whole new appreciation for the product. Along with that, a lot of the website work was super rewarding as you can see the direct impact being made, and the importance behind it.”
8. How would you describe the company culture?
“Within the marketing team specifically, and even working with other departments I could really tell that everyone around really wants to see you succeed. I never felt embarrassed to ask a question, and would always receive feedback from coworkers who constantly seemed extremely proud of the work they were doing.”
9. What was your favorite memory from the internship?
“Socially the outings with the other interns were a ton of fun, going to the board game cafe and just getting to try all the vegan food plus the Phillies game were great. Also, the hands-on experience of getting to work in the kitchen learning how to make the perfect baguettes and ciabatta rolls alongside the other interns was a great experience.”
10. What is your favorite Puratos product/ finished good you’ve had during your time here?
“Oh man I don’t even know where to start, I don’t think I had a single bad finished good during my time here, but I loved the chocolate babka bread along with the baguettes.”
