My Intern Experience @ ArcLab
Editor’s Note: Joanna is our first marketing student intern from Singapore Polytechnic School of Business. Her internship period coincided with COVID-19’s escalation, so she had to work-from-home a mere 2 weeks after she started her stint with us. While some may have found it hard to work without closer guidance & supervision, Joanna took #WFH in her stride (read her thoughts here), adapted quickly and was productive for ArcLab very quickly. Here’s Joanna’s story:
Like every other intern on their first day in their new workplace, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. Interning at ArcLab is nothing like I had imagined interning would be like — but in the best way possible.
Since ArcLab Upskills the World’s Deskless workforce through Nano Learning, I have condensed my entire internship journey into an ArcLab module.
Here is the longer version:
The atmosphere in the office was always welcoming, warm and lively. Both the interns and full-time staff were always willing to help one another out. However, sadly due to COVID-19, we had to start working from home just a few weeks after internship started. Despite not seeing everyone in the office face to face, we had weekly Zoom “stand-ups” to update one another on new projects we were working on and its progress throughout the week.
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to work on several projects, and help ArcLab create & distribute new content to educate prospective users on how digital & mobile learning can help their organisations.
Being new to the Marketing/ EduTech industry, I definitely learnt a lot from the 5 short months that I have been here so far (with the help and guidance of Nicholas, who intern-ed in the preceding 4 months and extended for an additional 4 months to overlap with my stint, as well as James, my supervisor).
The first project I had been tasked with was co-writing a “Guide to Nano Learning” ebook with the Learning Design team. Being someone that loves to write and design, I thoroughly enjoyed this entire project- seeing how it progressed over the weeks, and eventually how it came into completion. You can download it at: https://www.arclab.io
One thing about interning at ArcLab is the endless number of hands-on experiences. James is always open to any suggestions that I have, saying that “as long as the idea is supported with research and reasoning”. This could mean proposing a certain way of doing things, or even coming up with new content for ArcLab. In terms of new content, I was able to help co-create 3 new ArcLab Nano Learning series: 1. “Split Teams & Remote Work” to help organisations ease staff into WFH arrangements with the COVID-19 onset, and multi-lingual training modules for “Domestic Workers” and “Migrant Workers”.
For me, proposing a new ArcLab module series and creating modules was always a fun process. Although it involved a great deal of research, it was always interesting to read up on new topics and take a break from the more routine aspects of work. Under James’ guidance, I also had the chance to design ArcLab’s “COVID-19” solutions page (which listed all the efforts ArcLab undertook to help companies during the COVID-19 situation), a “Solutions” page, as well as a “Products” page on ArcLab’s website. Through this experience, I was able to pick up basic elements of web design and Photoshop and learnt how to create beautiful GIFs.
Working at ArcLab has also given me vast insight into the marketing science that helps B2B to grow. I helped design and create ArcLab monthly subscription newsletters, plan our content strategy and manage ArcLab’s social media accounts, write ArcLab blog posts, as well as help improve and revamp ArcLab’s website.
In school, we mainly focus on B2C marketing, which I came to learn was a stark contrast to how B2B marketing is. For example, B2C marketing relies heavily on social media such as Instagram to promote their brand to consumers, as compared to B2B marketing where brands are more heavily reliant on LinkedIn social media.
Another aspect of B2B marketing is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Having minimal prior knowledge in these areas as well, working on both SEO and SEM helped me gain deeper understanding in the “technical” aspects of marketing. A key takeaway that I had from experimenting with SEO and SEM is that, it has no one fixed method — it requires several rounds of trial and error to find the optimal method which is best suited for your company and its target audience.
Conclusion
I’m very grateful for the chance to intern at ArcLab, as it has been an experience filled with countless number of opportunities, and gaining new exposure to several aspects of B2B marketing that I did not have the chance to learn in school. While the current COVID-19 situation has not been the most to intern in (having to work from home), it taught me a lot about discipline, and the importance of regular communication.
With more and more organisations coming to recognise the convenience and benefits brought about by Nano Learning (Mobile Learning) due to the recent COVID-19, it is no doubt that Nano Learning is here to stay even after this pandemic.
