- Graduation Year: May 2014
- Major: Media and Cinema Studies
- Concentration: Media Studies
- Focuses: Informatics & Communication
- Hometown: Oak Park
Campus Activities
Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
Internship | Qualitative Intern at C+R Research
Duties
As the qualitative intern, every day was different. I assisted all analysts with their own projects. Whether it was collecting data, scanning for trends, programming or creating visuals, I was always doing something different. I had “down-time” projects as well. These were projects that I could individually work on to practice my skills as an upcoming researcher.
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
The company never made me feel like “the intern.” Whether I was working with an employee that had been with the company for 2 years or 10, I felt that my insights and ideas were always taken into consideration and encouraged.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
The internship wasn’t so much difficult as it was challenging. Qualitative market research requires a unique type of thinking, which either comes easily or needs to be learned. There were times where I had to push myself to think outside of the box in order to come up with organic ideas.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
Concepts from the media courses I have taken at Illinois came up in conversation more than I had expected. Things as basic as media literacy and media effects allowed me to be able to understand what certain studies were concluding. Without this prior knowledge, I would have been much more unclear about certain findings.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
This internship gave me all the tools I need to enter the field of qualitative market research. I now know the step-by-step process of how to produce an effective qualitative study. From the initial interaction with the client, to proposal, discussion guide creation, and moderating (both in person and online) to reporting and key findings analysis. I have samples of discussion guides that I have generated, creative visual representation, and framework for focus groups that I can refer back to along the line.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Be a go-getter! You can either make or break an internship for yourself. Take notes of everything you do throughout the day, it may seem silly but it’ll be a point of reference someday. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions means you are interested and care about the work you are doing, which shows. If there is something you want to do that hasn’t been presented to you, ask your manager if it is a possibility: you want to see how something is done, ask to shadow someone!
Companies want to hire people that want to work and want to create GREAT work, don’t wait for a project to come to you, cruise around the office and find it!