How to: make the most of your internship with Bright Network

What are your top three tips for a new intern joining Bright Network?

When starting an internship, this might well be your first ‘proper’ job out of university – that was certainly the case for me!  

1.     Come with a willingness to learn and ask lots of questions – the first few weeks are always an adjustment, and there’s so much to learn and to get used to. Keeping an open mind and being willing to learn is key, so you can absorb everything about the company and your role over the first month and put what you learn into practice. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – it highlights your curiosity and means you can pick things up quicker if you confront what you’re unsure on straight away.

2.     Don’t be afraid of your weaknesses but acknowledge them and take steps to work on them. When you start an internship, there will be lots that you’re doing for the first time – some you might be great at and others might need work. Something I learnt early on is that that’s okay! As an intern, you’re in your early career and there’s no expectation for you to know everything. Understand what it is that needs improvement – whether that’s how to manage your time better, managing stress or managing expectations of those in your team and the wider business – and take steps to improve. Your team are there to offer their support and advice too, so make sure you’re open about anything that you need to work on and start making small changes in the right direction.

3.     Get involved! There’s so many opportunities to get involved in at Bright Network and my final tip is to embrace this and get involved as much as you can. Whether that’s showing your face more in the office to get to know your team and the wider business, or turning up to company-wide socials or events. It’s always easier to learn from those around you when you’re in the office, and it’s easier to build relationships by making the effort to turn up.

What was the biggest learning curve you encountered during your internship?

The biggest learning curve that I encountered during my internship at Bright Network was adjusting to being pushed outside of my comfort zone.

Being challenged and tackling problems that you’ve never faced before is never comfortable, but being pushed out of your comfort zone means that you’re learning and growing.

I learnt to embrace change rather than run from it – it meant that I could try new things and build my confidence, whilst learning how to better manage my time and stress.

What was your biggest achievement during your internship?

Throughout my B2B marketing internship, I got to work on a huge variety of projects and events which was hugely enjoyable and great to take on new challenges. A big highlight was being trusted to lead and work on some of our events, including our annual Research Breakfast where I got to lead on securing a high-profile guest speaker which was a big success!

Another big highlight was appearing on GB News with our Founder James Uffindell to discuss our annual research – something I would never imagine doing so early in my career but an amazing experience to say that I’ve had and a showcase of how far I pushed myself to grow in my role