MyPunchbowl marketing intern: the final verdict
This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager
It’s been about six weeks since we first started looking for a marketing intern and trust me, I had no idea what we were in for when we first started this search. I mean, how hard could it be to find a marketing intern? Seriously.
Well, many resumes, several interviews, and a handful of blog posts later, we’ve come to our decision. Or as Matt would clarify, I’ve finally come to a decision.
Here are the factors that I used to come to this decision:
1) Thought-process — how does the candidate think? We use our 24-hour test as well as interview questions to try to gauge this.
2) Drive — how much does the candidate want the position? Obviously in this tough economy jobs, including internships, are very competitive. As a start-up, we need people that have the drive needed to thrive in this type of business.
3) Personality fit — will the candidate get along with the small group we have in the office? This might not seem to be a big deal but we like to have fun at work, joke around, and just be ourselves. Having someone who fits with our personalities just makes the transition a bit easier.
4) Resume/Experience — do they have any relevant experience/coursework? I originally put more emphasis on experience and as someone who went to school for marketing, did marketing internships, and now actually has a job in marketing maybe you can see why. But Matt is the first to give me a hard time about the number of people who get a degree in one thing but end up actually doing something completely different.
So you’re probably wondering about the elephant in the room…the girl with “spunk and fight” and how she fits into all of this. Obviously there was something about her — the aforementioned “spunk and fight” — that Matt liked. I’ve been on the fence, trying to stay neutral and not make my decision based on the hype.
What sealed my decision about whether she would become our marketing intern was her blog post response. While some still criticized her, others thought we should hire her. I guess you can’t ever make everyone happy.
But I’ll probably make some people happy because I’m excited to say that I’ve decided to take a chance and hire her!
I’m really looking forward to bringing her on. With passion, spunk, dedication, and a willingness to learn, I really think she can bring a lot to MyPunchbowl. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll prove the haters wrong in the process.
Stay tuned for updates from the intern herself…
February 19th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Although not a hater, my approach against hiring was based on the young lady mentioning wanting to be able to add this job to her resume as though she saw it simply as a stepping-stone or door-opener to better things.
It is easy, on the other hand, to see the attributes that helped you decide to hire her and it is to be hoped that this story will have a happy ending or, preferably, no ending at all.
Perhaps you, and she, will keep us all posted as to how things are going?
Best of luck to both sides of the equation
February 19th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Congratulations all around! The process was challenging and fascinating and I am grateful to have been able to see it all unfold (and “contribute”). It raised all kinds of issues that many of us found chewable. At the end of the day, making a decision is kind of an irrational act. I even wrote two blog posts about decision-making here (yes, I am shamelessly plugging my blog): http://blizzypea.blogspot.com/2008/12/do-something-scary-anyway-its.html and here http://blizzypea.blogspot.com/2009/01/two-indespensible-decision-making-tools.html
Taking a risk is a good thing. So is failure. It’s all grist for the learning and growing mill.
I wish everyone the best and thank you all for sharing this process. And if there really were “haters” out there as you suggest, I was never one of them. I only expressed concerned about professional behaviours, but never had personal feelings about this person I don’t know. I’d probably love her! She certainly demonstrated a great deal of courage throughout this ordeal.
Cheers and thanks!
Scary Liz Phillips
February 24th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Glad to hear you’re moving ahead. Best wishes to all of you for a great experience and growth all around!