Sales Development Intern Review

This role is very fluid and demanding with a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. Daily tasks include keeping up to date with series running orders and communicating any changes to the wider team, creating and amending content deals in the system, contract analysis and running sales reports. This role requires communication and collaboration with various different departments including marketing, legal and finance. I also assist clients with screening room requests and queries. We have team meetings frequently and I am encouraged to share what I am working on and to contribute any ideas to others' work too.

Because of the the vast range of tasks and responsibilities, there are various skills that I have both developed and learned over the course of my internship. A few of the main skills developed include MS Excel skills due to the number or reports that I create, modify and analyse, some of the skills specifically include VLOOKUP, IF and COUNTIF formulas. I have also worked on a project that allowed me to exercise my presentation skills, both visually and verbally. Working from home has also boosted my communication skills as it is crucial to keep up with my team on the latest updates.

I was given increasing levels of responsibility as time went on during my internship. I had the responsibility of creating some useful documents for my team and it was then my responsibility to keep them updated whenever changes occurred. The team often relied on these documents for quick references and this could affect other tasks carried so it was a lot of responsibility to ensure that I was keeping these documents up to date and accurate for use. I also had the opportunity to heavily participate in an ongoing project that will have a big impact on the team going forward.

Because I was working remotely for my internship, support and guidance from my team was more important than ever, especially as I was learning a new role in an industry that was completely new to me. Training was via video call but still managed to be effective and the bulk of my tasks were able to be explained to me like this. There were times during my internship where sometimes I felt a little bit unsupported and forgotten about because of the virtual situation and it was hard to make social relationships but this improved over time.

The company culture was very inclusive and I was always encouraged to participate in discussions and share ideas and concerns despite being an intern. Diversity and Inclusion was not a taboo subject at the company either; we had thorough D&I compulsory courses that required reflection, active learning and open discussion which was a very refreshing attribute for a global company to have. It didn't feel like a checklist exercise. Regarding general atmosphere, working remotely made it difficult to get a sense for this but from what I could understand, the workplace is a very collaborative and open place to work.

I have undoubtedly enjoyed my placement thoroughly. It was extremely challenging at times and did push me to my limit on numerous occasions but that is what I was looking for from a placement. I thought I was interested in media when I joined the company but after working in the industry for 10 months, I have a complete new found passion, and appreciation, for the media distribution industry. My team were also a huge part of my experience and their support helped me to get the most of my time with the company.

Yes

My advice to anyone applying would be to ensure that you showcase all your interest and knowledge of the company and industry/business area you are applying to in your application and interviews. The last thing the company wants are interns who become bored and complacent in their roles so making sure that your genuine interest comes across is key to standing out. Before joining, I would have liked to know what programs and skills I would be using the most so that I could refresh myself before starting, such as Excel.