Marta Dias E SeixasContent Strategy and Social Media Intern
An internship is a great way to learn about a company and pick up a new set of skills. But for me, it was also an opportunity to learn about myself. Since the pandemic, most people have been working from home, which made it challenging to find companies that offered quality virtual internships!
My name is Marta; I’m an international student from Amsterdam currently studying in California. In the summer of 2021, I was among 24 other students selected to participate in a 12-week internship program at Herbalife Nutrition. Working remotely, I served as the intern for Global Corporate Content Strategy and Social Media, where I had the opportunity to learn more about the role this department plays in communicating to various audiences while also collaborating with other interns.
Diverse Projects, from SEO Writing to Hand Modeling at a Recipe Photoshoot
I met a lot of amazing people on the Content Strategy and Social Media team, which is part of the larger Global Corporate Communications department. In our virtual meetings, we would get updates from every team about their projects. I learned about the complexities happening in external and internal communications, and it was also a nice way to see everyone, especially since it all was online. There was a great team spirit despite not seeing each other in person.
I’d like to mention a few highlights and memorable experiences from my internship:
- I dove into the world of search engine optimization (SEO) where I learned how to edit, revise, and optimize existing web content, in addition to writing new articles and recipe posts. I gained valuable feedback from the team’s lead writer and managing editor, and I also learned about our blog and recipe publishing process.
- I participated in a recipe shoot and served as a hand model. These recipe assets will be edited and turned into content for our global social media accounts and websites. I also met a professional food stylist for the first time, and I felt inspired to style my own food as a future hobby!
Here’s me working with a professional food stylist at the Recipe Photoshoot. - I conducted research on the latest social media trends, came up with ideas on creatives, and presented visual proposals to the team during monthly planning meetings. Working with the social media team, we also presented new video proposals to a panel of experts.
- I interviewed a renowned expert and professor in health and nutrition to help develop a comprehensive guide on vitamins and minerals. Needless to say, I learned a lot about healthy eating and the science of nutrition!
Working with Other Virtual Interns and Sharing Their Experiences
In addition to these responsibilities, I collaborated with other department interns to develop and present a unique idea for Herbalife Nutrition. We came up with a new product line and presented this to around 100 people.
We also attended a meet-and-greet with the executives during a Q&A session where all the interns were able to ask questions.
The other interns had great experiences within their departments, too. Here are some of their highlights:
Jakob Perez, Intern, Global Sports Marketing and Corporate Alliances
Jakob worked with the Sports Marketing team to plan sponsorship activations such as trips, meet and greets, and videos. He also collaborated with the Creative team to put together assets for sponsored athletes and worked with the Branding intern to design a vehicle wrap to be used at events. His favorite moment was helping put together a photoshoot with one of our sponsored athletes, Chicharito Hernández.
“This internship has exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience I’ve had!” Jakob said. “I’ve learned how important it is to be able to collaborate with others to complete a project. In working with those around me, I have also seen how valuable it is to create good relationships with those you work with both in and outside of the brand.”
Naser Loubani, Intern, Global Tax
Naser’s role involved different projects, such as preparing a statement of cash flows and preparing a loan performance summary. Naser mainly learned how to use macros to automate repeated tasks in Microsoft Excel.
“I’ve enjoyed working alongside other interns on our group presentation for Herbalife Nutrition’s executives,” Naser said. “Hearing the opinions of every group member alongside their passion and dedication to supporting the idea we came up with is an experience I will never forget!”
Claudia Chu, Content Creator Intern, Worldwide Creative Services
As a content creator, Claudia’s daily tasks included assisting Product Marketing, working on a Sports Marketing storytelling project, as well as a distributor recognition project. This enabled her to develop a diverse set of skills on the job, such as graphic design, copywriting, storytelling, and presentation. Her best experience was being exposed to video production, where she learned how to shoot from different angles, apply lighting, and use other production tools.
“Observing such a large-scale company and its daily routine gives me the ambition to work hard in my career journey,” Claudia said.
Varun Krishna Pappusetti, Business Process Analyst Intern, Global Technology Services
As an intern for the Company’s technology and development operations department, Varun worked on data analysis projects on Excel and finished a Splunk dashboard project. He learned a lot about the uses of data mining and worked on employee accessibility for the Splunk dashboard.Â
“I chose Herbalife Nutrition because they had a great IT opportunity which put an emphasis on business,” Varun said. “Herbalife Nutrition is a great company and offers many opportunities for growth and for interns to gain new knowledge.”
What I’ve Learned from My Internship
During my internship, I learned a lot about the different processes of optimization – how to make content better for web, social media, and more. Also, being on set and learning about the different steps it takes to create high-quality content was impressive to see!
Besides putting things into practice, I also learned about communications strategy and great initiatives within the Company. I felt welcomed by everyone that I met during my time, and it was amazing that we got the opportunity to work closely with other interns and share our experiences.
Something I learned about myself is that I really enjoy the creative side of social media. Doing research and finding ways to jump on trends was an interesting process that I enjoyed doing. I also learned that, even though I came from a different country where English is not my primary language, I didn’t have a problem fitting in.
Obviously, here and there, I was not able to come up with the correct words, but I could always deliver my message. I was always welcomed, which also contributed to the great success of my experience. These learnings will help me in my future career now that I know the things I enjoy and having more confidence in myself.Â
If you ever get the opportunity to do an internship with Herbalife Nutrition, I will highly recommend this! You not only get a great experience within your department, but you also get to meet and work with your fellow interns.