Success Story: Casey Hopkins
Who is your current employer?I am an SEO Analyst for Dealer.com in Burlington, Vermont.
What are your daily activities?
I am responsible for updating the meta data and refreshing the keyword rich content of our current clients. I also write new content for new SEO clients and set up their meta data to match their products and geographic location in order to help them attract business. Currently, I've been working on a long-term website project for the SEO department along with a fellow intern.
How did you get your current job?
I applied for the internship during the Champlain College Career Fair and they called me back for an interview a week later. This was in the Spring of 2007. I was hired on as an intern in the Summer of 2007 and have been with them ever since.
What traits and skills did you possess that helped you land the job? Was there anything in particular that impressed the interviewer?
I had taken classes on SEO and SEM before with Champlain College so I had a basic knowledge of the dynamics of these channels. I think that my huge interest in the subject and learning as much as I could about it helped me out. Also, the two awards I had won from Champlain College for outstanding teamwork and dedication to my future in addition to my background in Web Development/e-Business proved that I could easily learn how SEO worked.
Briefly describe your internship with us...the work environment, our industry, and what you worked on during this time:
The work environment at Epikone is one that is ideal for an internship in the online business world. Everyone there is very friendly, laid back and always willing to help whenever you need it, but will always challenge you to get the most out of your real-world assignments and projects. During my time at Epik I worked on SEO audits for both local and international companies that were actually delivered to clients. I also worked on AdWords campaigns for an array of clients, which was pretty cool because I was able to see the results of the campaigns and then optimize them to maximize their performance. Overall, it was a great experience that I'll always remember.
What did you value most about your experience at EpikOne?
Without a doubt it was the real-world projects. It was really amazing to know that you're not just doing meaningless work as an intern, and that what you pour your heart and soul into actually gets seen and reviewed by clients. It makes all the difference in the world when it comes to having a worthwhile internship. I'll always look back on my experience with Epikone as one that really jump-started my life in the business world.
Success Story: Jon Day
Who is your current employer?I am an Adwords Account Manager with Google.
What are your daily activities?
I am a dedicated account manager. I specialize in working with new high potential clients, which are brought in by our sales team. Day to day, I work with my client base, helping them to understand how to manage their account. I also help to optimize their online campaigns, interpret their data, and also identify possible opportunities for growth/improvement.
How did you get your current job?
I applied for the position during my last semester of college, and began a month long interview process.
What traits and skills did you possess that helped you land the job? Was there anything in particular that impressed the interviewer?
In my interviews, I was able to convey my interest in marketing, the ability to quickly learn new strategies and implement them, and also ability to work as a team. Also, my background with Epik showed previous AdWords and Analytics knowledge, which helped to demonstrate that I had a solid base from which to build on. Working with Epik, I had a good idea of the client side of AdWords, which has enabled me to help to manage clients.
Briefly describe your internship with us...the work environment, our industry, and what you worked on during this time:
While I was at Epik, the environment was very relaxed and open. Everyone who works there was a great resource, and whatever I wanted to know was easily accessible. During my internship I did a lot of shadowing and learned a good deal about Google AdWords and Analytics through hands on experience with Epik's accounts. I was also was included in office meetings discussing strategy and shared responsibility. Epik was/is quickly growing, and there were constantly new ventures and ideas to discuss. Combined with the open environment, the office had a decidedly "entrepreneurial" mind-set. Interns are expected to learn by being hands on through assigned tasks, but also are encouraged to branch out with independent interests.
What did you value most about your experience at EpikOne?
I valued the "work hard and play harder" aspect of the office. Epik did a great job of showing how rapidly the online industry is growing, but it also showed that this can be hard and rewarding work, and having a good group of people together can make work a lot of fun. Waking up on Monday morning to go to work doesn't have to be that bad...
Success Story: Mike Gargalowitz
Who is your current employer?I am a Web Developer with Boston Interactive.
What are your daily activities?
I am responsible for maintaining our client's websites, as well as developing new web sites, emails, and templates. In my downtime I have the opportunity to learn new technologies, programming languages, and more.
How did you get your current job?
Originally the position was posted on craigslist.org. I scheduled an interview soon after applying and was called back in shortly after the interview. In our second meeting I was offered the position.
What traits and skills did you possess that helped you land the job? Was there anything in particular that impressed the interviewer?
My problem solving skills, knowledge of web development, and interpersonal skills impressed the interviewer. However, I think the interviewer was most impressed by my composure and how well-spoken I was during the interview.
Briefly describe your internship with us...the work environment, our industry, and what you worked on during this time:
I spent my final semester at Champlain as a development intern at EpikOne. The atmosphere was a relaxed, open office atmosphere. I had two main projects during my internship, which involved the slicing/coding of an internal EpikOne site and and a site for Somalabs Nutrition. Other than that, I performed regular maintenance on a couple of other sites such as HerbanStylz, Urban Liberty, etc.)
What did you value most about your experience at EpikOne?
Getting accustomed to a professional work atmosphere, brushing up on my practical skills, as well as learning some new ones.
Success Story: Rick Cedrone
Who is your current employer?
I am the Internet Marketing Coordinator at TIE Commerce, a B2B Software Company. I also worked at Bose Acoustics in their Web Strategy Division for a short time.
What are your daily activities?
My daily activities include internet marketing strategy, graphic design, search engine optimization and a laundry list of other web development initiatives. The site just got handed over to the online marketing team, which includes myself and another colleague. As the site becomes finely-tuned, my focus will include identifying and implementing progressive internet marketing trends to our web properties.
What traits and skills did you possess that helped you land the job? Was there anything in particular that impressed the interviewer?
My past experience with search engine optimization, web analytics and web development created a valuable competitive edge for my resume. I didn’t get any direct feedback, but I got the job so I guess I did a few things right. If I were to give any advice, be passionate. Show your excitement and let people know how eager you are to, “get the job done”.
Briefly describe your internship with us...the work environment, our industry, and what you worked on during this time:
My internship was during the Spring of 2007. I worked with Paul and the rest of the crew at Epik. Over all, it was one of the best internships I had ever had. Everyone was professional, informative, helpful and, most of all, just a good group of people. I can’t stress how hard it is to find a team of people who, “just get it”. If someone is looking for a progressive marketing or web related internship, check out EpikLabs.
I held five main focuses at EpikLabs; internet marketing, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Email Marketing and Search Engine optimization. In parallel with my internship, I also took the 1 credit courses (SEO, Google Analytics, and Google AdWords) online at Champlain College which were also taught by Dave and Alex from EpikOne.
What did you value most about your experience at EpikOne?
Whenever I talk about my internship with EpikLabs, I usually find myself saying words like, “fun” “professional” and “hard work” all in the same sentence. Sometimes I hear stories of people with horror experiences during their internships. People cramped in a small basement somewhere making millions of copies and filling envelopes. With EpikLabs, I got the experience I needed to succeed in the job market.
