A Starcom Internship! How Do I Apply?

 By: Erica Kahler, Media Planning Intern

Erica Kahler

When I began my ‘search for the perfect internship,’ I knew I wanted to work for a big player in the advertising industry. I genuinely believe you can learn more by being thrown into the industry for a summer than in all your college classes combined. 

I was familiar with Starcom because of my internship at a digital creative agency in 2010. Several times throughout my time at the agency, I was on conference calls with Starcom. After talking with others in the industry, I discovered that Starcom is a media powerhouse and an incredible place to launch a career. Not to mention, the agency would give me a different perspective (media vs. creative) and a chance to explore a new city. 

I decided to apply for a summer media internship.

Start to finish, the Starcom application process was about 3 months. I applied online December 7^th.  It was a pretty standard application, plus a few short answer questions. A week later an HR rep contacted me to schedule a 15-30 minute initial phone interview. I was surprised the process moved so quickly. 

This first interview only took 20 minutes and was conducted by an HR rep. She answered my general questions (timelines, number of interns, internship location, etc.) but suggested I save media based questions for later interviews. I answered a few typical behavioral questions (“Tell me about a time when…”), then solved a few mental math problems.  Math isn’t my favorite, but the problems were pretty easy.  

A few weeks later I had another email from an Associate Director (AD) at Starcom. The “Congratulations” note asked me to come to Chicago for a final interview, or if a trip to the city wasn’t possible, a second phone interview. I go to school in Ohio and a mid-week trip wasn’t an option because of busy classes. I was assured I would be given the same consideration, regardless of my interview format. We agreed a phone conversation during the last week in February was best. 

I interviewed one morning in my apartment at school, conveniently right before a huge finance exam. I had been up super late the night before studying so I was tired and extremely nervous. Even though I almost forgot Chicago is in a different time zone, the ‘312’ call was right on time. We talked for about 45 minutes and the entire time I paced around my apartment. The questions were preset and mostly behavioral. My interviewer, Amanda (who ended up being the AD on my account), was very nice and made me feel comfortable. Not to mention, she answered my many questions patiently. 

I didn’t want Amanda to become bored listening to examples from my professional/academic life, so I shared a more personal, funny story. I think that helped me connect with her. I also made sure to ask questions that showed genuine interest in media, curiosity about the future, and my existing experience. 

I wasn’t expecting an answer until April, so I was stunned when Starcom sent me an offer on March 16^th. The HR recruiter gave me two days to accept or decline, which wasn’t much time to make such a big decision. Taking the internship would mean moving to a huge, new city alone. Not to mention, I didn’t know where to live or how to start looking. 

I contacted everyone I knew in Chicago, and the industry. I even emailed Amanda, the AD who did my final interview. After hearing the advice from everyone I spoke with, I realized an internship with Starcom was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. 

I decided to take the leap and come to the city for the summer. I emailed Aileen (the HR rep) with my acceptance and filled out paperwork the next day.

I’m now a media intern at Starcom on the Jim Beam account (awesome right?) and I LOVE being in Chicago. Needless to say, the process was completely worth the wait.

Here is the link to the Starcom Careers page: http://www.starcomworldwide.com/careers/jobs.php