A Few Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Internship...

So you've landed your first internship. You are probably feeling a variety of emotions - You're excited, a little nervous, and perhaps feel completely unprepared. But do not worry, because I have left you with a few things I have learned to ensure that you have the best internship experience.

1. Do your best work on all projects, no matter how big or small they are: Everybody has to start somewhere, and if you are starting out with your hand permanently attached to a file cabinet, that's okay! It's important to learn that even the most menial tasks can lead to big results. As you get more comfortable doing the simple things, it's very likely that your employer will become more comfortable giving you more important projects.

2. Always ask what else you can do to help: Once you're finished with a task, ask what else you can do to help. You should be looking for things to do, that way you can take full advantage of the learning opportunities you have been given.

3. Don't have a panic attack if you make a mistake: It will happen eventually. There is no need to get upset because you are expected to make a few mistakes down the road, and it's these mistakes that will help you learn. So when it does happen, take a few breaths, and learn how to fix your mistake.

4. Ask questions: If you don't understand something, ask for some clarification. You're new at this and although you may think you know all there is to know, chances are - you don't. So don't be afraid to admit you don't understand something or may need more explanation.

5. Get to know your coworkers: Getting to know your coworkers makes the workday a lot more enjoyable. After all, if they are working in the same industry as you, chances are you may have similar interests. Also, forming good relationships in the office can lead to future business contacts down the road.

Hopefully these tips will help all those internship-seekers out there to have a better understanding of what to expect and how to react in different situations. It's been a great summer for me at Keating Magee - I've learned a lot and am leaving with a better understanding of the business I hope to one day be a part of.

Becoming Tech-Savvy

I spend an awful lot of time on my computer these days (both at home and in the office). However, there are some things I enjoy doing more than others. For example, I would rather play around on facebook than enter data in an excel spreadsheet - but who wouldn't?

In the past few days, I've learned how to do some pretty cool things on the computer here at work. Yesterday, I created email templates for various business needs. However, these weren't just your ordinary emails - they involved html code. It can be pretty tricky at first, but it didn't take too long for me to get the hang of it. Once I was done inputting all the different codes, I was suprised to see how professional and organized the email templates looked.

Erin and I have also been working on creating flyers for The House of Blues upcoming July Jingle contest. This was very exciting for me because I love art and getting to express my creativity. I created one part of the flyer's design using microsoft publisher while Erin created the other part using Adobe photoshop. Check out our final product!

Why are you proud to call New Orleans home?

Mara and I left the office around lunch in search of young New Orleans professionals who were eager to tell us about the many reasons they love New Orleans.

These interviews are the foundation for an upcoming marketing campaign to promote the city. Remember the bumper stickers, " New Orleans - Proud to Call it Home?" The Young Leadership Council is the organization responsible for that great slogan, and they are in the process of starting a whole new campaign!

We asked people to finish this sentence: "I am proud to call New Orleans home because..." We ran into a few camera-shy people, but for the most part, people were excited to share their many reasons for loving this city. I posted one of the interviews so that everyone can get an idea of what people had to say! So, why are you proud to call New Orleans home?

Introducing: Meredith

Hello! My name is Meredith and I am a recent addition to the Keating Magee Internship program. I was born and raised here in New Orleans, but will be returning to Athens, Georgia in the fall to start my junior year at The University of Georgia, where I am studying advertising and speech communication.

A little over a month ago, I took an elevator ride to the fifth floor of the JAX brewery building in the historic New Orleans French Quarter not knowing what was in store for me. This was my first internship, and after hearing stories from friends and families about their first job experiences, I can honestly say that I was a little bit nervous.

After my first few days here at Keating Magee, I was pleasantly suprised to find that I was quickly gaining the trust of my fellow employees. There will always be papers to file and a phone to answer, but there are not many places that let their interns lead their own marketing plan. Yes, we (interns) were given the opportunity to create our own marketing plan for the local House of Blues. It was not only a fun business to work with, but as a local New Orleanian, it was enjoyable to work with a company that I was familiar with.