DMi’s Internship Program Helps Create A New Group of Future Industry Leaders

In an era where agency employee turnover is rampant, particularly among younger workers, DMi is breaking the cycle, reporting that employees who join DMi right out of college stay with the company for an average of six-plus years. DMi credits this strong employee retention rate to finding opportunities for growth for every single DMi employee and ensuring their path at DMi strongly relates to their interests and their skillset. This approach to growth coupled with a robust training program and an atmosphere of recognition, community, and comradery has led to DMi hiring 6 interns into full time positions.

“We seek out intern applicants that show that they have a strong desire to learn and grow within their respective roles, are competitive, and will go above and beyond to ensure success for our clients, our publishers, our vendors, and our team. Additionally, every intern we’ve hired into a full time position has embodied DMi’s core values of Pride, Wanting to Win, Do The Right Thing, Do It Now, and Succeeding Together” says Kristina Nolan, VP of Affiliate Marketing, “Moreover, the way our team is structured lends itself to mentorship. Senior Managers with over 5 years of experience spearhead a pod of Managers, Coordinators and Interns, passing on years of industry knowledge while also teaching new strategy tactics and allowing entry level employees to feel comfortable on executing with the oversight and feedback of an industry alum.”

Like a winning sports team, success in the agency world equates to developing talent in the farm system. DMi has been successful at identifying young superstars who are passionate about digital marketing and who demonstrate unique talents as they enter the workforce. “Our training was the most informative, intense, and rigorous process, but also from day one I was welcomed, encouraged, and felt comfortable to ask questions,” says Cailyn Hankins, who has been with DMi since January 2020.

“During training and onboarding, we had a number of meetings throughout the day with various teams within DMi. We were able to ask questions and review struggles, but moreover, we got a front row seat to the team members in a live environment,” says January 2020 Intern to full time Account Coordinator in October of 2020, Olivia Beck.

DMi ensures that all interns are well-integrated into the DMi team. From there, DMi provides them with the mentors and tools needed to succeed as they grow with the company and build their careers at DMi.

The DMi team is made up of big personalities who have a creative spark for the industry, and DMi fosters that passion with challenging and rewarding work from the very beginning of its employee’s careers. “The best part of being on the DMi team is not just how nice everyone is, but how smart everyone is. I have learned so much since I have been here. I am now able to drive industry conversations from just absorbing everyone’s expertise on a day-to-day basis,” Claire Potosky, a DMi employee who started in the Summer of 2020.

“Even though I have not met any of the team in person and my experience has been completely remote… I have asked them all an endless number of questions. I cannot wait for us to all get into the office and start building on the already remarkable environment we have established from home,” says Margo Derham, who was hired during the pandemic.

Whether it is their first or 15th year with DMi - happy employees lead to happy clients. DMi’s people are what separate them from their competition, so keeping them engaged and excited to come to work is a must, and DMi is committed to stoking this enthusiasm about work from the very beginning.