Are interns the answer to the industry-wide “digital distress”?
When graduates leave university ill-prepared for the digital-first careers of today, ntegrity’s Digital Marketing Mentoring program hopes to address this misbalance.
They’re the first “digital generation”; born into a technology-driven world of boundless possibility.
Having lived their young adult lives with broadband internet, through the rise of social media and the nexus of streaming entertainment, Millennials seem to possess an inherent adaptable proficiency that is ready-made for the ever-changing demands of the digital marketing industry.
Yet I regularly hear from companies that seek to hire digital-savvy graduates that they are disappointed by the lack of digital marketing acumen coming out of our best universities. I’m astounded by the revelation that very few universities have defined learning paths for students to prepare themselves for digital marketing careers. It’s a pretty dire circumstance; a recent study by FYA showed that 60%-70% of students are being educated for careers that will not exist in the future.
Meanwhile in agency-land, “digital specialists” continue to confound their clients with digital-agency doublespeak, relegating even the smartest of traditional marketers into new media noobs. Is it any wonder that many of our favourite home-grown brands are failing to adapt, to connect, to engage and to grow in today’s always-on economy?
ntegrity is on a mission to relieve this “digital distress”, and our approach opens with a commitment to find and guide the brightest talent towards becoming fearless and fresh-eyed digital leaders, thinkers and activators through our Digital Marketing Mentoring Program.
Fig 1. Digital Distress; a condition of the digital skills shortage in Australia, is felt acutely through all facets of the sector from education through to industry and the businesses that desperately need digital acumen to remain relevant and competitive.
An investment that works for everyone
Our investment in the Digital Marketing Mentoring Program is considerable. Intern hours are not billable to our clients (save a few who specifically request intern support), and are tailored to each intern’s strengths and career trajectory. Our interns are mentored by our leadership team and suitable externals to supplement new learning. It is a continuous process of perfecting our program to accommodate shifts in the digital marketing landscape.
Why do we spend so much time, energy and resources on interns?
Well, growth is in our DNA. Our entrepreneurial culture means we are conditioned to look for early and emerging trends, and our recruitment strategy is no different.
Our remuneration model is very different to most businesses. Our profits are shared and invested back into the business and our staff. The more they grow and the better they perform the better the business does. Inherently, our business model rewards client results, agility, teamwork, efficiency, quality and productivity; qualities we instil into our interns that enable us to test their resilience against the ebbs and flows of our industry.
It’s a worthwhile investment that has paid off time and time again.
#teamintern are an integral part of our success story
In 2013, we recruited Sally into the program: her razor-sharp focus and tenacity enabled her to accelerate her learning into a formidable social media strategist for ntegrity. After moving to the USA in August, we cheered as Sally was snapped up by one of New York’s finest online publishers, The Greatist.
Sian also joined us in 2013, a design undergraduate who impressed us with her multi-media prowess and hand-drawn illustrations. She became our first visual strategist at ntegrity until she developed the confidence to branch out into her own design business. We now enjoy being her client!
For our 2014/15 intake we were joined by Kevin. He caught our eye as a self-taught digital expert yearning for more. Without formal university training in the discipline, Kevin took to web-based learning and resources to fill in the skills gap. Today he brings his innovative, data-driven insights to lead client conversations with some of our biggest accounts.
Emily, a journalism major, first impressed us with her video application for last year’s intern intake. There’s so much to say about her incredible contribution to content marketing, PR, blogger outreach and NFP marketing – but did you know that Emily was also crowned Australia’s Biggest Social Media Geek of 2015? Ya-ha, IKR!
So there you have it – four of our most recent interns are now living their successes straight out of university. In fact, after running the gauntlet of our Digital Marketing Mentoring Program, they’re now stronger in digital marketing than many of their other agency counterparts. And the best part is, like all of our staff, those who continue with us get stronger – because you never stop learning at ntegrity.
But it’s not just the continuing mentorship, our unique professional development program, the high-performance team culture, or the deep, digital playpit that we offer that makes them so successful; it’s their attitude, their gutsy determination and their preparedness to take on board any and all challenges that have hardened them into infinitely employable, digital all-stars.
This year, like every year, we will run our Digital Marketing Mentoring Program with the hope that we’ll discover a new, permanent member to add to our growing family.
We have high expectations, but we know you’re out there – and we can’t wait to meet you.
So don’t wait for your future to play catch up – bring your future forward today.
Ap****ply for the 2016 Digital Marketing Mentoring Program now.