Our Insights

Lewis Media hosted our first intern in 2006. This summer, we’ll welcome our 26^th and 27^th. Our amazing intern from two years ago will join us as a full-time Associate Lead of Ad Operations in June following her graduation from college. Two of our employees have grown their careers at LMP over the past ten years after starting as interns. Our internships serve as a launching point for successful careers in media and marketing, whether with us or another agency. 

The aim of our internship program is to introduce college students to the media industry and allow them to explore what a career in media looks like. We have a culture of giving back, teaching, and guiding. Devoting time to interns—including them in every part of day-to-day life at LMP for several weeks—aligns with our philosophy. We’ve all been given a helping hand at some point in our careers. We feel a responsibility to pay it forward and foster new media talent for our industry. The program is also a learning opportunity for our employees who train and work with our interns; they’re responsible for guiding and managing people, often for the first time in their careers.

Because we’re a small company, interns receive a lot of attention. They aren’t tucked away in mail rooms or going on coffee runs. We want to expose them to all aspects of what we do, the various disciplines within our company, and provide hands-on experience with real-time clients and projects. 

We look for interns who are curious, kind, friendly, and responsible—the same values we seek and respect in our employees. We can teach technical skills. We cannot teach you to be honest and conscientious, with a roll-up-your-sleeves willingness to learn and help. 

When we’re interviewing college students, we appreciate that they may not have professional work experience just yet. We’re interested in what makes each person tick—volunteer activities that show community-mindedness, hobbies or passions that reflect one’s values, sports that show discipline, leadership and understanding the importance of teamwork. How you’ve spent your time so far lends insight into how you’ll fit into our company culture. If applicants can show their willingness to learn, their tenacity when challenged, and their ability to be a team player, they’ll be valued anywhere they apply.

If you’re looking for a summer internship, below are tips on how to succeed during the application and interview process.

Summer Internship Dos and Don’ts

• Do research the company you’re applying to and prepare at least two questions to ask during an interview. Customize your cover letter to show some evidence of that research.
• Don’t send a form letter that could go to any company. From a recruiter’s perspective, a letter that’s obviously just had your name and company dropped in is disappointing and shows that little thought went into the application.
• Do a spell check on all correspondence. That should be a given but typos on resumes and applications are not uncommon and can be a killer. Read and re-read before sending.
• Don’t read from a script when interviewing. Learn how to tell your story—laying out your background, interests, and experience—in a conversational way. Practice your storytelling so that it comes off naturally to interviewers.
• Do send a thank-you note (an email is fine) after your interview. This extra step reinforces your engagement and interest. Good manners go a long way; please and thank-you are always appreciated and noted.
• Do remain professional if rejected. If you don’t land the internship, showing grace in rejection, even when you may not feel it at the time, can pay off in the long run. The world is so small. You never know whose path you’ll cross again for another opportunity to work together.