Hello everyone, my name is Yifei. Today, I’d like to share what a typical day looks like for a Philips marketing intern.
At Philips, we have a hybrid working schedule, so I usually go to the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are designated as “office days” for most employees. On these days, I wake up around 8-9am, have a quick breakfast, and take the subway to the office, arriving by 10am. Upon arrival, I pick an empty desk, as we operate on a first-come, first-served basis with no fixed desks. I usually choose a spot by the window.
Once settled, I browse my email and Teams to check for any new tasks from my manager and to review my schedule for the day, including meeting times and locations. I tackle the most important tasks in the morning, as they require the most concentration and brain power. After completing my work, I head to the company cafeteria with a fellow intern. The Philips cafeteria offers great hot dishes and sandwiches (though the salads are not recommended). Since many employees come to the office on these days, the cafeteria tends to be crowded, and finding a spot can take some time. After lunch, my friend and I usually get a dirty chai from the cafe next to the cafeteria to energize ourselves for the afternoon. Although Philips provides free coffee, the quality of the coffee is poor, so most of us prefer to buy our own.
In the afternoon, my schedule varies. Sometimes, I have back-to-back meetings. If I don’t, I focus on long-term, repetitive tasks, following my manager’s advice to work on them for 30 minutes each day rather than several hours at a stretch. If it’s a quieter day, I sit in the coffee area with friends to work on smaller tasks. On busy days, I use the focus room, which is soundproof and provides a private space to concentrate.
Office days are generally busy, making the time fly by. Before I know it, it’s 5 o’clock, and I head out with friends to find an interesting restaurant to catch up. Since I tend to stay home on non-office days, I make the most of these outings. The balance of working in the office twice a week and from home the rest of the week provides me with a great work-life balance.
Overall, my internship at Philips has been a fantastic experience. My manager has been incredibly supportive, particularly during my onboarding month when she met with me twice a week to teach me the necessary tasks and software applications. This guidance allowed me to learn a lot, and as I became more independent, I felt a great sense of achievement.
This internship also helped me clarify my career interests. I discovered that I am more interested in running marketing campaigns than in data analysis. Additionally, I realized that I prefer the atmosphere of smaller companies to that of larger ones. This insight has given me a clearer direction for my future career development.