WVU :: Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism

Student Spotlight

Rheadrea Walker
Major Sequence: Advertising
Status: Senior

“The School of Journalism really gave me the foundation to go out into the world.”

Where did you intern?
I had a summer internship at Global Business Group. I found out about it through Craigslist.org .

What was the process for applying for the internship?
It was really fast. From the Web site, they ask you to send a resume. They call you and schedule an interview. The first interview was really short. The second interview was a day-long excursion with an account manager. It gave me the chance to see the business and get a feel for it. They ask a lot of questions during that.

Was the internship a paid position or learning experience?
It was a paid internship that was commission based. The job did itself for you. Money came extremely easy. A bad day for me would be $150. The most I made in one day was $583. It was business-to-business marketing. The company takes on a client for a year. This year’s was Verizon. The commission was based on how much we helped them.

What was the most important lesson you learned during the internship?
I learned so much. I learned about impulse factors, which was really interesting. There are four impulse factors that no matter who you are, one will be a button to help persuade your decision. There are the Jones’ effect (keeping up with the Jones’. Your neighbor has this, you need it), indifference (this is the best for you, if you don’t want it, it’s your loss), fear of loss (limited number of these (present a sense of urgency) and this offer won’t last long. Classes kind of cover it, but seeing it in practice was really interesting.

I was thinking a marketing internship would help with advertising a little bit, but it helped me a lot more than I thought.

What was a typical day was like during your internship?
I had a very long schedule. I would travel an hour from my home to my office. I would get to my office about 7 in the morning. It was a very high-energy office. We had a conference call once a week with CEOs of fortune 500 companies. After the morning meeting, I headed out to my territory, another hour drive. Then, I would visit a rundown list of clients, going to see each one face-to-face. I would give them a pitch, short and sweet, and we would make changes if necessary. When the day was over, I would take the paperwork and head an hour back to my office for an evening meeting.

What advice would you give a SOJ student interested in pursuing an internship?
I would say start looking early. I had one lined up, then there were some issues, and I lost it. January is a good time to start looking. Make yourself known. Try to do it in your field or as close to your field as possible and stay in contact with the people you work with.

How did the School of Journalism prepare you to succeed in your internship?
The School of Journalism really gave me the foundation to go out into the world.

If given the opportunity, would you do another internship? Why or why not?
Absolutely. My internship was so much fun. I know that shouldn’t be the first thing. It was so much fun, and I loved the people I worked with. Of course, the next reason would be for the experience. You can never have enough new situations to deal with. It’s a great learning experience.

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	Student Spotlight Rheadrea Walker Major Sequence: Advertising Status: Senior “The School of Journalism really gave me the foundation to go out into the world.” Where did you intern? I had a summer internship at Global Business Group. I found out about it through Craigslist.org . What was the process for applying for the internship? It was really fast. From the Web site, they ask you to send a resume. They call you and schedule an interview. The first interview was really short. The second interview was a day-long excursion with an account manager. It gave me the chance to see the business and get a feel for it. They ask a lot of questions during that. Was the internship a paid position or learning experience? It was a paid internship that was commission based. The job did itself for you. Money came extremely easy. A bad day for me would be $150. The most I made in one day was $583. It was business-to-business marketing. The company takes on a client for a year. This year’s was Verizon. The commission was based on how much we helped them. What was the most important lesson you learned during the internship? I learned so much. I learned about impulse factors, which was really interesting. There are four impulse factors that no matter who you are, one will be a button to help persuade your decision. There are the Jones’ effect (keeping up with the Jones’. Your neighbor has this, you need it), indifference (this is the best for you, if you don’t want it, it’s your loss), fear of loss (limited number of these (present a sense of urgency) and this offer won’t last long. Classes kind of cover it, but seeing it in practice was really interesting. I was thinking a marketing internship would help with advertising a little bit, but it helped me a lot more than I thought. What was a typical day was like during your internship? I had a very long schedule. I would travel an hour from my home to my office. I would get to my office about 7 in the morning. It was a very high-energy office. We had a conference call once a week with CEOs of fortune 500 companies. After the morning meeting, I headed out to my territory, another hour drive. Then, I would visit a rundown list of clients, going to see each one face-to-face. I would give them a pitch, short and sweet, and we would make changes if necessary. When the day was over, I would take the paperwork and head an hour back to my office for an evening meeting. What advice would you give a SOJ student interested in pursuing an internship? I would say start looking early. I had one lined up, then there were some issues, and I lost it. January is a good time to start looking. Make yourself known. Try to do it in your field or as close to your field as possible and stay in contact with the people you work with. How did the School of Journalism prepare you to succeed in your internship? The School of Journalism really gave me the foundation to go out into the world. If given the opportunity, would you do another internship? Why or why not? Absolutely. My internship was so much fun. I know that shouldn’t be the first thing. It was so much fun, and I loved the people I worked with. Of course, the next reason would be for the experience. You can never have enough new situations to deal with. It’s a great learning experience.