Interning at JenRus Freelance these past 11 weeks has been incredible. It was not what I expected, but it was exactly what I needed; a fact to be grateful for. During my classes at Kansas State I learned how to write press releases and conduct research, the bread and butter of public relations. I practiced organizing campaigns, setting goals and objectives, and coming up with strategies and tactics to meet those goals. The projects we do at K-State are always done with the intent of gaining real-life experience and I came to JenRus Freelance fairly confident in those skills.
However, some things are only talked about in theory in the classroom. For example, search engine optimization, or SEO. Of course I knew what it was and why it was used but had never once actually practiced it. At this internship I learned specifically what tools can be used to gauge how beneficial certain keywords can be for your websites and advertisements. Google AdWords and Analytics opened my eyes to a whole new world of measuring success.
Another aspect of the job that I had zero experience in was website building. I learned an exceptional amount about how to use online tools like Hostmaster and WordPress. While I am still nowhere near professional, I am so proud to have learned these new skills and be able to say that I stepped out of my comfort zone.
The greatest thing I learned from JenRus Freelance this summer is that it doesn’t matter how big your business is. The Internet has opened up the world of possibilities for small towns and that’s exactly why I wanted to work here in the first place. This tiny team has dozens of clients, makes time for all of them, and does it all in a town of less than 300 people. That was unheard of 10 years ago. When I get back to Manhattan this fall, many of my classmates will be talking about their internships as well, but my experience will stand out from the rest because I didn’t go to Kansas City or Dallas. I came home and got all the marketing, advertising, and public relations experience that I could have gained at a larger agency. I want to thank Jenny Russell for giving me that opportunity and for answering all of my constant questions!
