What It’s Like to be an Intern for Renzoe Box

Entering my final year of college, lacking the professional experience I wanted upon graduation, I was on the lookout for an opportunity that would be beneficial for learning skills in social media, an industry I’m very interested in. Furthermore, I also sought a company that I would be a great fit for, and that could provide a meaningful internship.

Renzoe Box has structured their internship program to have many different positions available. During my time as a Social Media Management intern, some of the positions of other interns that I worked with include, Graphic Design, Social Media Content Creator, Front-End/EComm Developer, Email Marketing, Influencer Relations, Data Analyst & Google Analytics, and more. 

Application Process

I applied to be a Social Media Management Intern for Renzoe Box in September of 2020. After seeing their post online in search of many different types of interns, this was the one I thought would be the best for what I was looking for. I was hesitant at first because not only did I not have any prior internship experience, I had never applied to an internship before and didn’t know what to expect. However, after having a virtual interview with Renzoe Box’s CEO René Graham, followed by receiving and signing my invitation to join the internship program, I was ecstatic to get to work.

Day-to-Day as an Intern

Each week, all internship participants meet with René and Special Projects Manager, Silvana Nasreddine, in a weekly meeting. Here we showcase what we have been working on for the past week, as well as what our plans are for the following week. This is always such a fun meeting, getting to know more about what fellow interns are working on. In addition, I have the opportunity to share the skills and programs that I am learning. I am also able to get feedback and suggestions from other interns.

I was able to work with two teams, one where we worked on a barcode scanner that would determine if a product would fit in the Renzoe Box and another that focused on creating a product recommendation quiz. I was able to work with people from different skill set backgrounds, ranging from media to data. I love this internship because I get to learn about the start up culture and work on the first generation of products for a company! 

-Sonya Pieklik, Front End Developer Intern 2021

On top of the weekly team meetings, each intern has one-on-one work sessions with either René or Silvana. These meetings include personalized feedback and help on the tasks I have been assigned. As a Social Media Management Intern, I create captions for the Renzoe Box Instagram and schedule them for posting. Therefore, one of the things that I went over in these weekly individual meetings was whether or not the captions were ready or if they needed some tweaking.

Some of the duties I was responsible for in this position included:

• Helping manage and schedule posts for Renzoe Box owned social media channels
• Developing content strategy and brand aesthetic for social media
• Brainstorming and strategizing campaign ideas with the Renzoe Box team
• Creating social media content such as Instagram posts, Instagram Stories, email marketing templates, blog posts, and more
• Drafting social media copywriter for Renzoe Box owned social media channels

Team Projects

Another opportunity myself and the other interns participate in is a group project. There are three projects that last the duration of the internship. The first project,  Does it Fit? project,  focuses on creating a barcode scanner that can determine whether or not a product fits within the Renzoe Box by simply scanning its barcode. Another project group is the Guide Me project. Those in this group focus on creating an in-depth quiz to give personal recommendations for makeup products. Last, is the Tik-Tok group, who spend their time researching and creating Tik-Tok videos that resonate with current trends on the app and capture the brand of Renzoe Box. 

I was a content creator at Renzoe Box who focused on photography and videography. Photography has always been a passion of mine, but this was the first time I was able to have my passion be my work. Rene pushed my creativity to new levels and taught me to be proud of my own work. I loved my internship at Renzoe Box because the people on my team were amazing and it was the first time I was really excited to show others the things I was working on.

-Chris Enriquez, Content Creation Intern 2020

WFH

Having an internship in 2020 also meant dealing with the obstacles of working remotely. While I had spent the beginning of the year taking classes remotely, it was very different having to adjust to doing it in more of a professional, working environment. I began spending a lot of time at my computer and having to adjust. It became very important to me to make sure that I was forcing myself to stand up and take a break, even if I was in the middle of doing something. The breaks I take allow me to clear my mind for a little bit and then come back to work, able to accomplish the things I need to. 

It was also an adjustment having to work with multiple other interns, in multiple teams and groups, while being solely online. Because I am unable to see everyone each day, I spend a lot of time communicating with others through Zoom meetings. I have at least three meetings each week, which last anywhere from 30 minutes to sometimes even an hour and a half. It is very important to plan these meetings and get things done at them because lots of tasks have to be passed on between multiple people before they can be completed. 

A Great Experience!

It’s no surprise that an internship can be the start of something new. Whether it’s in a field you’ve been studying, or simply for wanting to learn a new skill, internships hold endless possibilities. I had such an amazing time working with Renzoe Box in this internship, while learning so much about social media management, social media engagement, and also branching out into the basics of email marketing. The experiences Renzoe Box provides interns with is very different from a classroom setting at a university. Everything is much more hands on and active, as the tasks we are given are directly put into use. This allows you to feel like what you are doing and learning actual matters and you can feel ownership of the tasks you complete when you see the results they produce. Renzoe Box is always searching for new interns to hire on for a few months and, with so many positions available, there’s almost something for everyone.