What do you do if your brand development internship lacks clear objectives?
You landed a brand development internship at a company you admire, but you soon realize that your tasks are vague, your mentor is busy, and your goals are unclear. How can you make the most of this opportunity and learn valuable skills for your future career? Here are some tips to help you navigate a challenging internship and turn it into a rewarding experience.
The first step is to understand why your internship lacks clear objectives. Is it because the company is undergoing a major change, such as a rebranding or a merger? Is it because your mentor is overwhelmed with other projects or responsibilities? Is it because the brand development team is new or understaffed? Or is it because the company does not have a well-defined brand strategy or vision? Depending on the cause, you may need to adjust your expectations, communicate your needs, or seek alternative sources of guidance and feedback.
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Sadeesha Prabhashana
Brand Development | Start-up Ventures | Strategic Planning| Content Administration | License Management
Even if the internship itself lacks clear objectives, you can set personal development goals. By assessing your current situation in many angles you can tack some important decisions such as learning specific skills, gaining insights into certain aspects of brand development, or building a professional network.
Even if your internship does not have formal objectives, you can still create your own goals based on your interests, skills, and learning outcomes. For example, you can aim to develop a specific skill, such as market research, logo design, or content creation. You can also aim to complete a specific project, such as a brand audit, a competitor analysis, or a brand identity proposal. You can use online resources, such as blogs, podcasts, or courses, to learn more about brand development and get inspired by best practices and examples. You can also use tools, such as SMART goals, action plans, or portfolios, to track your progress and showcase your work.
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Sadeesha Prabhashana
Brand Development | Start-up Ventures | Strategic Planning| Content Administration | License Management
- Assess your current performance and identify areas where you can grow. - Pinpoint any self-sabotaging behaviors or limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. - Understand what truly matters to you. Align your goals with your core values. - Consider whether your current activities and tasks reflect what you value most in life. Adjust your priorities accordingly. - Physical and mental well-being are crucial for personal development. Prioritize sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress management. - When you're healthy, you can focus better on your goals. - Keep your goals straightforward and well-defined.
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Mary Carmen Colantuoni
Commercial Profesional with wide experience in marketing, trade marketing, corporate communication and digital
Además de establecer tus propias metas es importante comunicar esas métricas a tu líder, para que de esa manera, se valide si van ambos por el camino correcto.
One of the challenges of having an internship without clear objectives is that you may not receive enough feedback or support from your mentor or team. To overcome this, you need to be proactive and ask for feedback and support whenever you need it. For example, you can ask your mentor to review your work, give you constructive criticism, or suggest areas for improvement. You can also ask your team to share their insights, opinions, or advice on your projects or tasks. You can also seek feedback and support from other sources, such as your peers, professors, or online communities.
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Ana Juneja
Intellectual Property Attorney • Serving All 50 States
When you ask for feedback, you learn what you're doing well and where you can improve. This helps you focus on what's important. Also, getting support from experienced people gives you guidance and resources to deal with challenges. It's like having a team to help you learn and grow, even when things aren't crystal clear.
Another challenge of having an internship without clear objectives is that you may face unexpected changes, delays, or obstacles in your work. To cope with this, you need to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs and priorities of the company and the brand development team. For example, you may need to switch from one task to another, adapt to different styles or formats, or revise your work according to new feedback or requirements. You may also need to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty, or confusion about your role or expectations. To handle this, you need to be open-minded, curious, and resilient.
The final step is to showcase your value to the company and the brand development team. Even if your internship does not have clear objectives, you can still demonstrate your skills, creativity, and initiative through your work. For example, you can present your projects or tasks in a professional and engaging way, highlighting your achievements, challenges, and learnings. You can also share your ideas, suggestions, or recommendations for improving the brand development process or strategy. You can also express your gratitude, enthusiasm, and interest in continuing your relationship with the company and the brand development team.
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Lucas Van Natter
Brand Lead driving Can-Am's growth in APAC
If you're a young marketer with a growth-mindset, internship situations like this can be filled with opportunity to learn. Don't let the "lack of objectives" deter this. Showcase your value, yes. Stretch yourself, adopt a "yes" mindset. Get comfortable with making mistakes and learning from them. Meet everyone you can, expand your network. A strong brand manager has a pulse on everything impacting the brand and understands that the business's actions itself could effect the brand's value and vice versa. Reach out to internal teams (product & commercial teams, HR even) understand those connections to the brand, absorbing as much as you can. It will deepen your understanding of brand equity and better position you for next role 🤘
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