Experience Reflection by Sarah Selcer
Who I am
I am a senior studying International Relations in the Middle East at American University, and this summer, I was a intern at Wix. At school, I do little writing aside from research papers, so, needless to say, an internship with the Writers’ Guild at Wix was a step out of my comfort zone, but it has been an incredibly rewarding and beneficial learning experience.
How I Got to Wix
Wix is an Israeli cloud-based website development platform that allows users to create web sites for free. I’ll start with how I ended up interning at the Wix Headquarters in Israel. First, I was chosen to be a TAMID Fellow. This position meant that I would live and intern for an Israeli start up company for two months, rent-free. Most fellows were put in contact with various companies looking to hire TAMID interns. I, on the other hand, did not want to work for one of those firms; I wanted to work for Wix.
I had used Wix for years and was interested in what went on behind the scenes, but I had heard from several friends and fellowship coordinators that Wix did not hire interns. In my typical fashion, I did not take “no” for an answer. I made it my mission to intern at Wix. So how did I land an internship at a multinational, publicly traded, hi-tech company that did not hire interns? And how can you land your perfect job in hi-tech, marketing, writing or anything else? Be bold. I got there with 50% qualification and 50% persistence. Long story short, I submitted applications for a few (11) full-time positions at Wix, and there I was a few months later as the first Writers’ Guild intern!
What Was Surprising
As a college student in America, I have had many internships. While they have all been insightful, most have had a stark, professional atmosphere. When I started at Wix, I was amazed by how warm and laid back everyone was; people there have fun. It was inspiring and nothing like the companies and organizations I have worked for in the past. For instance, there were dogs everywhere. Employees brought their furry friends to work and they would roam freely greeting everyone in their path! The office rooftop offered views of the sea that can only make you feel peaceful, refreshed, and ready to conquer anything (not to mention the unlimited amount of beer and popsicles that we enjoyed every day).
What I Learned
After just two short months, I learned so much across a variety of disciplines. The world of writing is completely new to me, and I fell in love with it one project at a time. I worked on a number of exciting tasks, but my biggest project was helping execute an event for 200 writers across Israel in order to promote the launch of the Writers’ Guild Words Matter blog. Through this event I interacted with Israelis, practiced communicating in Hebrew (a totally foreign language to me), problem solved, and most importantly learned how to stay organized! Aside from event planning, I was taught the ins and outs of how the Wix website is written and localized into different languages. I also did market research for the Writers' Guild blog and proofread blog content. By the end of it, I picked up critical skills, which will impact the way I approach writing, research, and business in my future endeavors.
Why I Loved It!
Aside from the amazing and talented people that work at Wix, I loved the atmosphere, the freedom, and most importantly the work I was doing. Unlike any other company where I’ve worked before, Wix trusts its employees to do projects the way they want while still instilling a sense of accountability. This system allows for creativity and maximum output, which makes for a successful company.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Internship
Here is some advice on things I learned as an intern at the Wix HQ...
Be open minded! You never know what you can learn until you explore new opportunities. Build relationships and make friends. Yes, for a lot of people, an internship is a resume builder, but it makes the experience all the better if you get along with your coworkers and feel comfortable in the office.
Give it your all, and remember that no job is beneath you. Sometimes this can be hard if a task doesn’t seem worthwhile to you, but in my experience, it’s important to complete each assignment with nothing less than your best so you can be proud of everything you do.
Be resourceful. Remember that there are no stupid questions and that even if you can find the right answer on your own, looking to others for advice can only help you.
Be flexible. Things might not always go as planned, but it is important to keep calm, eat a popsicle on the roof if you have to, and figure out the best way to handle the situation.
Be persistent. After all, if I had not been persistent, I wouldn’t be writing this blog!
And most importantly, be outgoing. I’ve noticed that the friendlier I am, the better relationships I make and the better experiences I have. Plus, it makes it so much more fun!