Written By: Zoe Kahle

Everyone wants experience, but not all experience builds skills. Some internships build up your resume, while some roles mainly build coffee orders. The key difference between an impactful internship experience and a time-waster comes down to one thing: skill optimization.

Brand names have become overrated and the internships provided within are often riddled with a lack of autonomous work and real-world implications; instead, you may be found running lunch orders back and forth to coworkers with little time to actually learn. When a hiring manager analyzes a resume, they want to see measurable impact: rather than just acknowledging your general proximity to big decisions, managers want to see how your hands were involved in the action.

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During your internship search, utilize this 4-Part Evaluation Framework:

1. Look at verbs in the job description!

Within a job description, the verbs reveal the power that is given to the respondent. In order to discover which job will provide you the most actionable responsibilities, highlight every verb that initiates growth: examples include, “Analyze, Optimize, Lead, and Own.” Some verbs to avoid include, “Help, Support, and Assist” since these signify a passive internship role. If over 75% of the responsibilities are “assisting” verbs, you are likely not going to build strategic skills, but rather proximity to the action. Proximity is nice to see, but ownership makes you stand out.

2. Will you have ownership over impact?

Ownership creates problem-solving skills in a way that solely observation never could. While exposure teaches you how something looks, being an owner in the process teaches you how to think when the scenario returns. Some phrases to look for in this category: “own content calendar, manage email campaigns, and run weekly reporting” vs avoid: “support brainstorming, or sit in on meetings.” To solidify your understanding of this category ask yourself, “if something goes wrong, will I be involved in fixing it?” If your answer is yes, the skills gained within this internship will grow fast.

3. Is there a mentor structure mentioned?

This one matters because skill-building requires constant constructive feedback. Without a mentor, an intern may repeat mistakes and do “busy work” without understanding the broader impact to the business. A great internship job description will mention “a direct supervisor, training sessions, and structured reviews.” A sufficient guidance system allows for real education to take place.

4. Are measurable results being provided through integrated tools?

Tools often signal a technical exposure to a deeper understanding of marketing. Some tools to look out for include: “GA4, Hubspot, Salesforce, Canva/Adobe.” These skills matter because hybrid roles are in high demand. The future of jobs blend creative, analytical, and technical skills to produce market value. Marketing is increasingly data-driven. Entry level candidates that can speak in metrics will stand out immediately. Having the cognitive ability to engage with numerical results and show specific impact from an internship role will put your resume to the top of the pile.

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Don’t forget to watch out for these Internship Warning Signs:

• Vague Responsibilities

• No metrics mentioned

• No clear supervisor

• “Fast-paced environment”, but no defined roles within

Once you’ve found the perfect internship to launch your career, remember that it should feel slightly uncomfortable. Growth lives in places where we hold responsibilities that we aren’t quite sure how to fulfill. Failure to complete a task should not mean termination in a valuable internship, it should be an opportunity to build skills to show for a lifetime. By the end of a position, you shouldn’t just know the lunch orders of all your superiors. You should be able to prove you have learned the knowledge necessary for success.