Hey there, I’m Allison P, the Community Intern for Yelp Orange County! Here on the Community team, we wear many hats: marketing, event planning, and business education. We’re behind all the unboring Yelp Events you see popping up and if we spy that you’re five-star Elite material we might even nominate you to join the squad!
Because of my passion for marketing and community building, I enrolled in a Social Media Marketing class in college. One week, we had a guest speaker from Yelp who happens to be my current manager! I could feel the genuine love and excitement from hearing her share more about her role, and I immediately became interested in the intern position and Yelp. Never in a million years did I think I would go on to work with her in a dream role at a dream company alongside a dream team!
When I first joined Yelp, the intern program was still in the process of being built out. I was part of the second class of Community Interns and there was a lot of learning left to be done on both sides. Today, the program has grown and expanded to so many markets!
This role has been incredibly formative for me, both professionally and personally. Every person that I’ve encountered and every project that I’ve worked on has impacted me in more ways than I can imagine. I still can’t believe that my very first Yelpiversary is coming up! Here’s a look into what my #LifeAtYelp has been like this past year.
My typical day
No two days are the same! The role and its responsibilities are super dynamic. Our schedules are flexible and dependent on upcoming events, marketing campaigns, and any issues or needs that arise from our community. Some days are entirely remote. I’ll support my manager with tasks like curating content for our Instagram page, brainstorming collaborations with local businesses, or piecing together Community Collections. Other days will be spent in the field helping host events, filming content, or visiting local businesses. Event days tend to be the craziest, but they’re my personal favorite. There’s no better feeling than getting to connect with your community through creating unforgettable experiences.
My favorite part of the job
You’ll never go unappreciated working at Yelp. The community that Yelp has cultivated is so welcoming and warm. After an event, you’ll always find your inbox filled with Compliments from happy Yelpers. After a stellar win, you’ll always find your inbox filled with Yelp Love from your team. You can say that words of affirmation are definitely a huge part of our company culture!
The biggest challenge
Being remote is simultaneously a huge challenge and a huge perk! While it provides a lot of flexibility, it also creates room for things to slip between the cracks. Communication and effort are key! Prioritize learning how to best work with your manager. Everyone has a different working style. I have weekly check-ins with my manager where we recap accomplishments from the past week and discuss priorities for the upcoming week. This helps us with planning and ensures that our goals are being met. Meeting in-person also does wonders for team building. The Yelp team here in SoCal has plenty of co-working days, supports one another at events and will even host collaborative events from time to time!
Projects I’ve worked on
Each quarter, interns are tasked with a host of fun projects. These are aimed to support our internal teams and we get to contribute to campaign initiatives with fresh new ideas. We’ve actually seen a number of ideas from intern projects come to life! In one of my personal projects, I proposed having silhouette portraits as an unboring event element. This went on to be a popular activation at an event we hosted later that year! It’s amazing to see how our voices and ideas can make an impact.
My most important learnings
Would you believe me if I told you that being at Yelp transformed me from being a Type A introvert into a Type B extrovert? On the Community team you are always making new connections and rolling with the punches. Learn to be open to embracing your community! I’ve gotten the privilege to meet so many amazing Yelpers, business owners, and the absolute best coworkers. This role really brought me out of my shell and now I gain so much joy from giving back to the community that fuels us. Being adaptable and understanding is also a must! Working collaboratively comes with a lot of unpredictability. No successful event, campaign, or project launches without some hiccups along the way.
My advice for someone just beginning their career at Yelp
Always be open minded! Whether it is a new opportunity or a connection, try to approach everything with this mindset. Don’t feel limited by your role or department. Want to learn a new skill? Communicate with your manager and work together to develop new tasks and set new goals! Interested in another department? Reach out to connect! Everyone here at Yelp is always happy to chat and has your best interest in mind. Don’t ever be afraid to explore. Take on new tasks and talk to new people. Make the most of your experience!
