Rising Marketing Star: Meet Ali, Our Marketing Intern

From Intern to Shortlist: Ali Byrne’s Journey with WeddingDates and Munster Technological University

Ali Byrne first started with WeddingDates in January as part of her industry work placement for college and is continuing to expand her skills with the company over the Summer before she returns for her final year. As part of the marketing team, Ali has played a role in creating content for the B2C channels along with working on a variety of projects associated with SEO and blog writing. Ali has also been chosen as one of the shortlisted students in the Munster Technological University Marketing Intern of the Year initiative. This nomination is a testament to Ali’s hard work and dedication during her time with WeddingDates as an intern.

WHAT IS YOUR TITLE/POSITION?

Marketing Intern

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH WEDDINGDATES?

I have been an intern since the start of January and I will be working at WeddingDates until the end of Summer.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE CARRIED OVER TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE FROM YOUR PREVIOUS JOBS?

This is my first Marketing job as I’m still in college and my previous jobs have all been in retail. I think the biggest lesson I’ve carried over from my previous jobs is trying to be more comfortable with speaking up if I am having trouble with tasks and trying to ask as many questions as possible if I am unsure about something.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT WITHIN THIS ROLE TO DATE? (WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?)

My biggest achievement in my role so far has been seeing the content that I make go on the company’s social media platforms and seeing blogs I have written go on the websites. I also think my skills have improved from when I first started the internship and I’m looking forward to improving them further over the next few months.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR JOB AND WHY?

My favourite part is getting to experience what a marketing job entails because it’s different when you go from studying it, to actually doing the job. I have enjoyed getting to work with social media, doing content writing and working with the team.

WHAT IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING PART OF YOUR JOB AND WHY?

The most frustrating part is that sometimes there isn’t enough time in the day for me to get everything I want to finish. I can find it hard to figure out what are the most important tasks to prioritise but this is something that I am still working on.

WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

I changed my mind a lot when I was growing up because it’s difficult to choose which career path is right for you. I have wanted to be an author, a criminologist and part of a cabin crew, just to name a few of them. I ended up deciding to go into Marketing because I was always good at business in secondary school and I was interested in learning more about it.

IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM FOR THIS JOB?

My dream for this job would be for me to learn as much as possible and expand my skills as it will benefit me for the future and for when I go back to college. I would love to keep developing my writing skills during my time here at WeddingDates because sometimes I would struggle to find the right words to say.

WHAT IS THE COOLEST THING YOU’VE SEEN AT A WEDDING?

I think the coolest thing I’ve seen at a wedding has been sweet tables and I remember before when I was at a wedding, the bride and groom had hot dogs organised for the guests at 4 in the morning which was a pretty good idea since everyone had started to get hungry around that time.

WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST/WORST THING YOU’VE SEEN OR HEARD OF AT A WEDDING?

I have only been to a couple of weddings over the years but I haven’t seen anything too crazy or bad in person. I have seen wedding videos online where there have been really cool group dances from the groom and groomsmen or wedding pranks for the bride and groom’s first look and the groom’s best friend would pretend to be the bride instead.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WAYS TO SPEND A WEEKEND?

I mostly like relaxing on the weekend, I do like going into town and doing shopping and having some food out too. Whenever I can, I try to meet up with my friends for a catch-up because it can be hard to organise a time when we’re all free to meet up.

HAVE YOU ANY PARTICULAR HOBBIES/INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I have always loved reading from when I was younger, everyone used to call me a bookworm. I don’t have as much time as I would like to have to read anymore but whenever I can, I try to pick up a book to enjoy. I used to love thrillers but my taste in books has changed to more light-hearted romance ones.

HAVE YOU ANY GUILTY PLEASURES?

I do love watching a good rom-com movie every now and then.

IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT, WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD BUY?

I would love to spend the money to go travelling and see the world because there are so many countries that I want to see!