Each year, Audible welcomes students into their community via the Future Leaders Program, an initiative that pairs local Newark high school students with Audible employees to help foster the next generation of innovators and changemakers. As part of intern Ibukunoluwa’s internship experience on the Editorial team, she interviewed other interns about the lessons they’ve learned from their teams at Audible, and what advice they have for future interns.
Ibukunoluwa, Editorial
Why am I writing this blog post?
I have had the privilege of working with the Editorial team for about seven months now. We conduct interviews with authors, create podcasts, write newsletters, and craft features such as Voices of Audible (i.e. what you’re reading right now), and more.
Throughout this experience I’ve learned to never limit my mediums of creative expression but rather to explore them. Alongside work experience, Audible interns receive the opportunity to network, build professional skills, gain high school credit, strengthen résumés, and build lasting relationships with fellow interns.
What audiobook really impressed you and why?
If I had to pick one it would be Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It tells the story of a woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery, which is something I can relate to as a future college student. When listening to this title, I realized how okay it was to make mistakes, learn, and grow from them.
What advice do you have for incoming interns?
This internship is what you make of it. So whatever opportunity you’ve been given, don’t take it for granted. But don’t just take my word for it! Let’s hear what the other interns have to say as they give us the ins and outs of their internship experiences.
De'Travius, Content Marketing
What’s something you’ve learned during your internship?
Through my experience at Audible I’ve learned that everyone is human. When you’re first starting a new job, it’s easy to be intimidated by others—especially your manager. But everyone is living in an invisible movie that you’re a small character in.
What audiobook impressed you?
This is going to sound really nerdy, but The Darth Bane Trilogy: Path of Destruction from Star Wars. I started listening to this last summer as I commuted back and forth from Newark to New York. It really taught me the power and entertainment value of listening to books.
What advice do you have for future interns?
Balance work and personal life! Work hard, but also find time to relax and unwind.
Oseahu, Product Analysis and Data Science
What’s something you’ve learned throughout your time at Audible?
Through Audible, I've learned how to properly communicate and ask questions with people in a professional setting. There were times when I would hesitate to ask questions because I was afraid of sounding incapable or immature, but it was never that serious! I learned that asking for help can only help me do my job even better.
What’s one audiobook that impressed you and how so?
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky made an impression on me because I was expecting to feel as though I was in the book alongside the characters, and it truly felt like that. It is a horror book, so the feeling of reading it while listening to the audiobook made the experience even better. I felt as though I was truly connected with the characters and living their story.
What advice would you give future Audible interns?
I would tell future interns to find a way to organize their time effectively, because that is something that helped me a lot when I first started. Without a proper time management system, you could fail to complete your work on time, which could be detrimental to the way people view you on your team.
Sanaa, Customer Service Learning and Development
Why did you want to join the CSLD team?
On the Customer Service Learning and Development (CSLD) team, we constantly find ways to create a more accessible and inclusive learning environment for employees, such as those with disabilities or visual impairments. I chose to be a CSLD intern because it caters to my interest of developing new ways to care for new hires with disabilities.
What have you learned from your experience at Audible?
I learned how hard it is for some employees with disabilities to navigate working online. I have been working to review training materials to make sure they meet accessibility standards, and documenting anything that needs to be updated. For example, font size and color coordination. As a result, I hope to help people with disabilities such as ADHD, autism, and epilepsy navigate training materials more easily.
What audiobook did you like and why?
I was impressed by Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It was narrated with so much clarity that I found myself drawn to Hassan. I was placed in his shoes and it felt as if he, too, had gone through similar situations I’ve faced.
Amber, Content Marketing
How would you describe your department?
Content Marketing is engaging, exciting, and fun. I chose these words since marketing is about being engaged to what your audience is engaged in—like the latest trends, celebrity news, and shows.
What audiobook made an impression on you and why?
Jennette McCurdy’s memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. This listen really impressed me because she was an actor I remember from my childhood. She told her story really well. I learned that everyone always starts from somewhere; there is always room to grow.
What words of encouragement would you give to future Audible interns?
As the new wave of Audible interns comes in, a piece of advice I have is there is a lot of adjustments you make when you are an intern and a student, but do not give up. Throughout my internship, I’ve learned how to be more organized and social. Before I would say I was quiet and antisocial, but now I’ve met a lot of new people and come out of my shell.
Tracy, Legal
What drew you to your team?
There are so many aspects to the legal team that I find enriching and interesting. For example, there are people who work on employment law, content rights, and then some people work on copyright and the social media aspects of Audible.
What’s something you’ve learned from the legal team?
I learned in the field of law there is no one particular path to follow. There are so many different types of law, and there are so many opportunities to explore them once you get out of college.
What words of encouragement would you give future Audible interns?
I want to let them know not to be shy. It can be very nerve-racking to work in a professional building with adults whom you don’t know, but everyone is really open and wants to help the interns out.
Sage, DataX
Tell us about your team.
I work in the DataX department. Fun fact about DataX is that it stands for “Data Excellence.” We are constantly making sure we’re up to date on data that can help provide a more convenient experience for Audible users. Through data management and processing, we work to provide Audible with customer and business data to enhance our data-driven culture.
Do you have a favorite listen?
Right now, my favorite is Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I love how the book is inspired by African culture, something I don’t know much about. This listen helped me learn about African culture and connect more with those around me.
What advice do you have for future Audible interns?
I would tell future Audible interns “give it time.” At the start of the internship, I was feeling slightly overwhelmed and it felt like I was in way over my head, in terms of my actual department work and just being around so many other adults in the office. However, you really have to give yourself time to adjust to this new environment. It’s important to keep working and find new ways to manage your time and responsibilities to get through the initial rough patch, which is inevitable! Nothing new is going to work out perfectly right away so you have to go easy on yourself and give yourself room to be a little overwhelmed and make mistakes. Give it time!
