A perfect fit is how Lily Darold describes her summer internship with AgCareers.com. Darold, a graduate from Hudson High School and a student at Iowa State University, is working as a marketing intern for the agriculture human resource company.
“It’s really close to what I want to do as a career and it seems to be the right fit for me,” she says. “Plus, I really like the people I work with at AgCareers.com so that makes my job even more enjoyable.”
Darold will be a senior in agriculture communications and journalism and mass communications at Iowa State University this fall. She says that while she enjoys school, her internship has allowed her to gain hands-on experience outside of the classroom.
As an AgCareers.com intern Darold is responsible for assisting with company newsletters, planning for trade shows, completing publication designs, compiling competitive reports, collecting data and conducting research, updating company statistics, and contributing to other marketing efforts.
Darold says the variety of tasks makes the internship different than any other position she has had in the past, and she appreciates the challenge.
“I have a lot more responsibility with this position than I have had with other jobs or positions in the past, but I like that,” she says. “It’s nice to be able to direct something instead of just being one small part of it.”
Erika Brandt, director of marketing and communications, says Darold has brought a lot to the AgCareers.com team.
“From a marketing standpoint, she contributes exceptional design, creative element, and a young fresh perspective.”
According to Brandt, the AgCareers.com internship program has been implemented for four years. She says the purpose of the program is to give students and young professionals the opportunity to learn about careers in the agriculture industry. Brandt says interns also learn about the company’s role as the leading supplier of human resource services to the agriculture, food, natural resources, and biotechnology industries.
Darold says so far the internship has been an excellent learning opportunity and she encourages others to participate in some type of internship experience.
“Internships are essential for your future career,” Darold says. “If you want to be seen as a valuable employee it’s important to get experience and internships are the best way to do that.”
