Employer
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Internship Title
Corporate Marketing Intern
What were your duties?
-Answer customer inquiries about restaurants; provide recommendations
-Take gift card orders over phone
-Provide restaurant assistance with gift card questions and redemption
- Observe and contribute your thoughts/ideas as we begin preparing for the 2017 Holiday Promotion
-Learn the principles of Loyalty Marketing
-Make decisions concerning the handling of customer's accounts
-Review campaign results and gain an understanding of campaign analytics
-Work as part of a team to create profitable campaigns
-Tracking the marketing done by the restaurants to promote the Scratch Off promotion
What did you most enjoy about your internship?
My favorite part about my internship was having the opportunity to be exposed to the Lettuce Entertain You culture. Working for such a well known and respected company in the city of Chicago was a huge experience on its own. I loved getting to know and understand the concept of restaurant and hospitality marketing and I was able to see how the company works as a whole and how dedicated each individual is to Lettuce Entertain You.
What was the most difficult aspect of the internship?
It was difficult at times to focus on one project at a time. As a corporate marketing intern, I took on several daily responsibilities that required a lot of patience and learning. I worked on promotional campaigns and had to track and monitor the success of these campaigns while also being responsible to assist with other marketing tasks and gift card sales. After a few weeks of learning to adjust to the very busy culture and responsibilities that I was given, I was able to manage my time much better.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your internship?
Being a part of the College of Media definitely put a positive impact on my experience at my internship with Lettuce Entertain You. I feel that I have had countless networking opportunities in the classroom and outside of the classroom where I have learned to communicate with professionals. With my internship, I was in constant communication with partners of the company, business clients, divisional marketing managers, and customers. I feel that I was given more responsibilities as an intern due to my professional skills that I have gained from my time in the College of Media.
How has your internship prepared you for a career?
This summer, I had the chance to work in the sales, advertising and marketing department for my internship. I Feel that I now have a much better understanding of my skill set and what I need to work on in this next year in order to be ready for a career in a similar industry. I feel that I have gained many skills this past summer and have discovered certain areas that I am very passionate about which has allowed me to have a better idea of what type of career I hope to pursue.
What recommendations do you have for other students about doing an internship?
Stay in touch with your coworkers/clients and get to know them outside of the office! I have been able to land several interviews over the last 2 years after an internship due to connections that I had made with my coworkers and it has really allowed me to get my foot in with this indust.
