The content production internship at Tink: an intern’s vision
My name is Claudia. I'm in my second year of a bachelor's degree in applied communication (writing profile) at the University of Sherbrooke. I've always been a fan of the French language and grammar, so I've never had any doubt that a future job in writing would fit me like a glove. But one question remains: what field do I want to work in? Not an easy question to answer given the infinite number of possibilities... Luckily, my university program includes three co-op placements. In other words: the perfect opportunity to align my career choices! In my first 15-week internship, I delved into the digital world, a world with a bright future. And let me tell you, I have no regrets.
Why Tink specifically?
To be honest, Tink first caught my attention because of the 100% work-from-home formula it allowed its employees. Flexibility, work-life balance, it's important to me. What better way to meet these needs than working from home! I must also say that while researching Tink, I was really impressed by the variety of its clients (and the size of those clients!). It's not every day that you get to work for giants like Metro or Desjardins. In fact, I was already imagining my sense of accomplishment copywriting for great local companies like these. Finally, I had a friend working at Tink who had been telling me about the human side of the agency since she arrived. She kept telling me how different Tink was from other agencies, how employees were really listened to and cared about. I embarked on the adventure of my internship a little skeptical, but still optimistic.
What was my perception of the agency when I arrived?
When I arrived at the Tink offices on my first day, it was the first time I got to see "real offices". I just had this vision of what it would be working in an office: people tired of their 9 to 5, glued to their chairs all day, like you see in the movies. But on that day, I saw people smiling, happy to be there. I knew I was in the right place. I must say that I saw the human side that my friend was talking about from my very first days. The managers were open and welcoming, they considered that I had a life outside of work. Whether I needed time off for a medical appointment or wanted to get some extra sleep one morning, they understood. "As long as you put in your hours and don't miss meetings," they would tell me with a smile. It was a nice first impression.
What were my tasks like?
During my internship, my main task was to produce content for the company Brunet. It was mostly writing weekly newsletters as well as health and beauty articles. In fact, writing articles was one of my favorite tasks, as I learned a lot about various topics. In addition to newsletters and articles, I also participated in writing projects such as Hub pages and FAQs for various clients (Metro, Jean-Coutu, VIA Rail, etc.). I really appreciated this variety in my daily life, as it is personally impossible for me to work on the same task for hours in a row without having my brain turn to mush. I can't be the only one! It's important to mention that during my internship, I learned that content production is more than just writing. In addition to copywriting, I had to coordinate the work of many people in the content production chain. This meant communicating with SEO specialists, editors/translators, integrators, and other professionals to ensure timely uploads. It was great to see the whole process behind publishing an article or sending an email. Also, between two newsletters and a creative workshop, I sometimes had the chance to help other teams with their projects. For example, I did quality control of Web pages for the company Abbvie and even product sheets for Jean-Coutu. This not only allowed me to explore the tasks of other digital professionals, but also to meet some very nice teams.
My experience in brief
I would absolutely recommend this internship. Not only did I handle challenging projects, but I was also super well supervised and mentored. My internship supervisor was only a text away and was always there to answer my questions. If needed, I even had daily calls with her so I wouldn't get stuck on my writing. I was never left to my own devices! And yet, I was allowed a lot of freedom and autonomy in my projects. For me, that’s the perfect internship!