NATASHA HENRIKSSON
Content Marketing Intern
What brings me to Japan
I am a currently a student participating in a study abroad program at a university located in the Kanagawa prefecture. I arrived in the fall of 2018 and plan to head back home to finish my degree around the summer of 2019, so about 1 year. I really like how different Japan is from back home, it’s like living in a new world. But there is also plenty of things which remind me of home when I feeling homesick.
Why did you choose a marketing internship at BFF Tokyo
I was very attracted to the bright and international community which BFF Tokyo promotes. It looked like a very welcoming environment and through my time here I have been proved right! Their main business, One Coin English is a fast growing English school with over 7 locations and was even featured on national television on a show hosted by one of my favorite Japanese celebrities. I was really happy to have the opportunity to ask Tyson about his experiences of seeing his company appear on national television and I also learned a few things about my favorite Japanese celebrity. I also wanted to do my internship at a company that seems interested, but also seemed like they knew what they were doing and I would learn from them.
How many hours do you commit to your internship a week and how long do you plan to be an intern?
I am currently in my six month as an marketing intern. I commit roughly about twelve hours a week to the internship and around 12 - 16 hours during my school breaks. I I plan to be an intern for the foreseeable future. This internship has been a good opportunity for me because I am able to learn online and saves me a lot of time on commuting. During school breaks, I have the chance to come in and visit the main office.
What did you want to gain from your internship?
I wanted to gain valuable experience to help me develop my skills which I could take with me to whatever career I choose. I had some extra time during the week so I wanted to fill it with something useful.
Now that you are three months into your internship, what would you like to gain
I think I need to be more consistent with my projectss. This being, doing a little bit everyday opposed to finishing something in one night. As I receive more varied assignments, I would like to concentrate on doing chunks of it everyday. I would also like to stretch out into different areas of marketing such as brand management and public relations.
What have you learned most from the internship?
My background isn’t necessarily in marketing, but I feel like I have learned so much since starting my internship. Before, I thought I understood how to write an email or a blog post and I was pretty proud of my communication skills because I get decent grades results in university, but I never realized how deeply great marketers think about in targeting an audience and how to discover your target and write specifically to them. During the internship I received feedback over and over again about improving my targeting skills and I thought I got it, but I still kept getting the same feedback again. Although it was frustrating at first, I have learnt how to realize the framework for understanding our audience.
What has been the highlight of your internship?
I feel like the highlight has been the direct support I have gotten from my boss and co-workers which has been really vital in my growth. Since it is an unpaid internship, I have noticed that they have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable and ensure that I gain some valuable marketing skills and even though it is unpaid, I still feel the need to stay and learn more and improve my skills, so I think it has been a really good trade off for me. Since they are rapidly growing, this internship has provided many opportunities develop marketing content for the school.
Knowing what I know now, what is the a good tip to help others to get the most out of their internship?
Don’t be afraid to ask for criticism! It can be a bit hard at first, especially if you are not used to getting feedback on your projects. However, it is really important to push aside your ego because it is the only way to grow. It is also really helpful to create checklists on how to do things like creating a blog post. That way, you will be able to streamline tasks and make assignments more easy to accomplish. I’ll also be able to take the checklist with me when I go to other jobs. One last thing, remember to take detailed notes!
What is your portfolio for the internship?
So far, I have completed a few blog posts for the internship. I was really excited to see my name in the author’s section, it really gave me a sense of accomplishment.
Here are samples of what I made
