Article written by: Andy Sandine, SEO Intern
I volunteered to write this post because I felt that a public thank you was in order after my semester working here. Not out of obligation, but because everyone should be able to hear about the value that Mavidea has added to my life and why I think using any competitors of Mavidea might be a mistake.
First Impressions
I came into my internship with very limited knowledge of SEO or online marketing, similar to a lot of clients hearing about online marketing for the first time. As someone who had never had an internship before, I had no expectations other than what I’d heard from friends or seen on television (fetching coffee and doughnuts). Although it was for class credit, I was at their mercy for what they chose for me to do. They easily could have given me the worst work every day and scared me away from this profession going forward, after meeting with the team on the first day, I found out they genuinely cared about what I wanted to get out of the experience. For example, If there was a concept I was interested in or an area I was confused about, there was always someone willing to take a few seconds away from their desk to point me in the right direction. Quite honestly, if they cared that much about me, an unpaid intern, imagine how much further they are willing to go for a client.
Do What You Love, Love What You Do
Moving up into management, I was given the opportunity to have lunch with Erik Barnlund, the CEO. He offered a lot of wisdom and food for thought. He preached developing your passions and your sense of self. What makes you happy, what can you do now that will let you look back and realize you lived a great life? Once you have that figured out, go do it. This company is filled with people who would just as happily see you succeed as themselves. If I were a prospective client, that’s what you want to hear from a company whose job it is to see you succeed. It becomes this joint experience where they’re happy to see you do well.
I remember feeling a bit sheepish for being impatient with how long the hiring process was taking when I heard from Brandon that it took almost 3 months of interviewing before he joined Mavidea. As he explained, they want to be meticulous and certain that every hire fits well for both sides. This leads to almost no turnover. People don’t want to leave. They want to work hard for their superiors, themselves, and most importantly the clients.
So thank you for everything; Web Team, Erik, Jake, Mikie (returning my wallet was a life saver), Anyone who I talked to. I wanted to come through with my work because you all were so supportive every step of the way. These are a great group of people and you should be using them for any Internet Marketing or IT needs.
Sincerely,
Andy Sandine, SEO Intern
