Erik Börjesson

What was your job title at your internship?

"I did my Internship in Stockholm, Sweden at the branding and design agency Rewir. I did not have an official title during my internship, as I worked on many tasks handed to me by many of the colleagues at the office. My supervisor was Art Director at the agency, and as I expressed my interests in graphic design and visual communication I was often seen as a part of that department." 

What were your main tasks and responsibilities?

"My tasks during my internship were relatively varied, both in the task itself but also the level of responsibility. Quite often I was handed smaller design tasks. This could be elements for PowerPoint presentations, or illustrations for rebranding projects. Other tasks could be research projects, conducting interviews or field trips for research purposes."

What is the most valuable thing you have learned personally as well as career wise?

"One of the most important things that I learned during my internship was to ask for help from the people around me. In the beginning I would be too shy, or think that people were too busy to care, but I came to understand quickly that asking for anything would always be the best option if anything were unclear. Reaching out to people around me would always help, but also shows that you are interested to learn. Career wise, the most valuable thing I learnt was to see how an advertising or marketing campaign develops through the different stages. In many of the projects I was present from the very start of the brainstorm session, to the finalized product."

How did you find your internship?

"As a start, I reached out to anyone that I thought could help me in finding an exciting internship within my field of interest. I also had a list of advertising agencies seemed interesting. After that I wrote a standardized email, and simply sent it out to 10-15 people. From experience, such emails are often ignored or have a very low priority. However, calling them to follow up often sparked an interest and either led to an interview if the positions were not already taken. For me it proved to be helpful to be a little ‘pushy’ to show that I was really enthusiastic and a little different from the rest."

What IBCoM courses proved to be most useful during your internship?

"For me, Communication & Organizations, Qualitative methods and Communication & Media Practice proved to be the most useful during my internship."

Do you have any piece of advice to current IBCoM students, who are just about to start their internships?

"My first advice in finding an internship is to check with family and friends if they might have anyone in their network that you could connect with. My personal network proved to be really important to me. Secondly, remember that you may be one out of many that are trying to get that internship, so show them that you are really enthusiastic and different from everyone else. Also, disregarding if you are looking for something in Rotterdam or abroad, offer yourself to go there and come by and introduce yourself (I guess Skype will do if it’s really far away…). Last but not least, during your internship: don’t be afraid to ask for help. It makes you look inherently interested and that you take the internship seriously. Also, try to connect with the people at your internship! They might prove to be useful contacts after your graduation."