How to win-tern: turning an internship into a job
Over the years we’ve had many interns come and go but only a very select few have knocked our socks off and become permanent members of the team. Here, Josephmark’s Marketing & Content Assistant Jordan Kadell opens up about how she went from intern to a fully fledged member of the JM family.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin
In April 2016, Josephmark offered a content internship. This wasn’t something I’d have considered myself qualified to apply for, but things changed after their people & culture director approached me with the encouragement: “You’d be good with words – I’ve heard you say things…” It was such a boost to my ego that I might as well have been headhunted. I applied immediately, practically spear-stapling my resume to her back as she walked away from me.
Intern the beat around
Most internships will involve you fetching or making coffee – coincidentally I got that out of the way before I started at Josephmark. At the time, I worked at a cafe just down the road from their studio, and got to know the team every weekday morning over their daily dose of caffeine. Much like a lepidopterist uses a net* to catch a butterfly, I’d like to think the addictive morning brew we served helped secure their attention, friendship and future employment. (*I do not recommend networking with an actual net.)
I say this like I was plotting some grand scheme to infiltrate an industry, working incognito to gauge the right moment I would strike and secure my dream job – I was definitely not doing this. I wasn’t looking to “get ahead” or on a mission to change my career path. The only pivoting I was doing was in pursuit of finding the entrance (the JM studio at the time was a cool, but disorienting labyrinth). I was, however, very excited by the company, curious about what they did and was eager to further my skill set in the hope I’d be useful to this enigmatic, motley crew of tech-savvy babes. They knew what they were doing and I wanted in.
“Stepping into an industry without having any experience in that field is actually one of the biggest favours you can do for yourself.”
Treat chances like sexy people and jump at them
I was on holiday in Kyoto when I had my interview via (and my first ever) Google Hangout, and in Tokyo when I learned I had secured the internship (security footage of me ‘whooping’ through Harajuku yet to be obtained). I prepared for my internship by familiarising myself with the studio’s projects like Undrtone and Design of the World, hyperventilating my way through the creative director’s guide to the ultimate intern, and poking tiny holes into my brain, readying it to absorb as much as possible over the coming month. Basically, I was inexperienced, unprepared and had no idea what I was doing – in other words, the best position imaginable.
Stepping into an industry without having any experience in that field is actually one of the biggest favours you can do for yourself. It’s terrifying – and the urge to slowly peel yourself away covered head-to-toe in post-it notes that read, “I don’t know what I’m doing” is overwhelming – but you get past it. Be prepared to ask a lot of obvious questions, but also go in knowing as much about the company as Google allows. This will save everyone time and show how serious you are about the opportunity.
Less faking it, more making it
Most how-to guides will tell you to ‘be a sponge’. While the crucial nature of the sponge hits home for any Seinfeld fan, there’s so much more you can do than simply absorb. You’ve been welcomed in because of your potential, your talent, and the way your ace personality makes everyone else feel just a bit more ace. So absorb, but also regurgitate and contribute – not like you know what you’re doing, not like any of us KNOW what we’re doing, but (Yoda cover your dried nashi ears) try. An internship is a time to learn and teach (crazy, I know). Perhaps the rawest, most exciting moments of collaboration happen during internships – between people speaking slightly different languages, trying to stabilise their collective gyroscopes in the direction of design.
“As an intern, your job is to immerse yourself in the company as much as you can in the short time you’re there. You no doubt applied for the role because you want to work there – so act like you do.”
As an intern, your job is to immerse yourself in the company as much as you can in the short time you’re there. You no doubt applied for the role because you want to work there – so act like you do. Another intern-turned-JM adoptee is Hamish Snow, who smelt opportunity on the wind and interned with the attitude that he already had the job. Hamish gave such a convincing performance that he was offered the position of designer before his internship was up. This was also the beginning of Hamish’s reluctant acting career when JM featured in a UNIQLO video. When I learned this, my eyebrows went up so quickly I had to throw my feet out in front of me so I didn’t topple back in my desk chair.
I had been so overwhelmed with learning the language of design, and pulling new skills out of my belt faster than LeeLoo eats chicken, that it hadn’t even occurred to me that if this 30-day internship turned into a permanent position, it could be because I’d asked it to. It wasn’t until a few days before my month was due to wind up, when a Producer asked me, “Are you sticking around, mate?” then a beat. A moment. An age passed while synapse rubbed synapse before the bulb was lit. I very confidently answered, “Maybe.”
So I asked for the job and they said yes. Moral: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE JOB. If you fit, that’s the best news ever! If there isn’t room or enough work for you at that moment, don’t flip a table. Flip a frown if you must, and stay in the good books – referrals and freelance work are a life-giving cocktail for any creative.
“So I asked for the job and they said yes. Moral: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE JOB.”
Let’s talk about text, baby
As an intern, and now assistant to the content and marketing teams, I’ve learned a lot about writing – for editorial, the press, and lovers of pretty things. I’ve learned lessons about strategising my time and skills, like how to monetise your potential for schizophrenia, which is what I call running the social media accounts on five different projects at one time.
What I’ve learned on the job has helped me expand outside of my initial content role, and put me in the position to learn even more. I’ve found that it’s important to be malleable, and open to learning anything and everything because this is when you’ll surprise yourself. A good impression is only as good as the attitude you use to sustain it, so remember: internships have the potential to be a marathon, not just a sprint.
Who the f#@% is Josephmark?
That’s a good question. JM is a synthesis of venture-inclined, sharp-dressing, love-loving souls – a barrel of monkeys if that barrel was a perfectly balanced negroni and the monkeys were good times. They’re everything from a field of dreams to a penis scroll bar. They’re prone to rage, and born for the world stage.
Because JM is such a go-getting studio (with fingers in more pies than there are digits in π), it’s not a place for the faint-hearted. As industry leaders, JM operates at a standard that can be extremely challenging, lasting a sprint or going long-distance. But without pressure, you don’t get diamonds. No heat, no tasty lobster. To work at JM, you have to be versatile and prepared to wear a lot of different hats (even if you don’t have the head for it). Problem-solving is thirsty work, which is why we balance it out with awesome company culture – it helps when your bosses own one of the best bars in town.
“Yeah, you could be a sponge, but I’d rather be spaghetti, throwing myself at the wall and seeing what sticks.”
My transition from intern to JM family member was a total dream come true. Yes, I turned an internship into a job – a damn good one too – but I don’t have a secret recipe or ten foolproof tricks to do it. There’s a lot of power that comes from saying ‘yes’ – I’m a big believer in good timing, making yourself available to unexpected opportunities, and appealing to people’s better nature (coffee is definitely a key contributor). Yeah, you could be a sponge, but I’d rather be spaghetti, throwing myself at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Now it’s your ‘tern’. Keep an eye on JM’s career page for when internship spots open up. Or, if you can’t wait until then, show them how great you/your work is right now.
Josephmark is a design studio and venture lab based in Brisbane, Los Angeles, Sydney and Stockholm. We design, develop and launch meaningful digital products that change the way we work, play and connect. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
