The following post is from Marketing associate Erik A., who got his start with Reynolds during a summer internship. He describes how his experiences across the company helped set him up for long-term success.

My journey with Reynolds has taken me a lot of places over the last seven years. It started when I applied to work as an intern for Reynolds’ Marketing department while attending The Ohio State University to study that same profession. I didn’t get that role, but I did get an internship in another department working on a special document scanning and archiving project. Though it wasn’t my first choice, I was still thrilled to have my first “real world” job that didn’t involve making or delivering pizzas.

The internship that summer wasn’t glamorous, but it did teach me about professional norms and how big businesses work. I soaked in as much as I could before I had to head back to school in the fall.

The next year I applied again for the Marketing internship, and this time I got it. I quickly found  even though it was a Marketing internship, I worked on a lot of things I didn’t consider to be “Marketing.” For example, I worked with graphic designers and web developers to create icons, similar to the ones you find in your computer’s toolbar. I wasn’t entirely sure what the icons were for, but I put in the necessary work and did what I was asked. At the same time I learned some new skills I still use today, including how to work in Photoshop. I left that summer having met many new people and having learned a whole new set of skills.

During my senior year, I attended a career fair at Ohio State sponsored by the Fisher College of Business. I visited the Reynolds booth and spoke to the Director of Recruiting about my internship experience. I also mentioned I would be interested in a full-time Marketing position. I handed off my resume, and a few weeks later I received a phone call asking me to interview for a Customer Support Specialist position. It wasn’t what I really wanted to do, but I knew I had to get my foot in the door. I came in for the interview, and eventually received a job offer.

I spent the next two years in the Technical Assistance Center as part of the Parts and Service team. As much as I wanted to work full-time in Marketing, I’m glad I got my start in the support center. I was able to learn the details about how Reynolds’ software works and really improve my product knowledge.

I eventually became one of four subject matter experts on
ERA-IGNITE, a new software system for automobile retailers. And wouldn’t you know it, as I was learning ERA-IGNITE and taking a closer look at the system, I noticed it contained all of my icons I worked on as an intern! The internship work that I didn’t really understand at the time ended up having a huge impact on the company.

My work as a support specialist eventually opened more doors for me at Reynolds. In 2012, I heard there was an opening in Marketing, my dream job. I applied and landed the position! One of the main reasons I got the job was because of my knowledge of and involvement with ERA-IGNITE. It ended up being the main piece of software I was tasked with promoting when I joined the Marketing team.

I spent the next two and a half years promoting ERA-IGNITE and various other solutions. My hard work eventually paid off as I received several awards, including Outstanding Associate of the Year in Marketing, and was promoted to supervisor in March 2015. It goes to show that if you put all your effort into your current work, you never know where it will take you.

Reynolds has given me many great opportunities over the years across multiple departments. I have learned a variety of new skills that I will be able to take with me wherever my career path leads. These past seven years have been a fantastic start to my career, and I am excited to see where the next seven take me.