Setting Yourself Up for Success: Your CampusLife Start Guide

3 Feb

Starting an internship can feel like standing at the edge of a diving board, exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking. Will I know what to do? What if I mess up? Am I really ready for this?

Here's the good news: at CampusLife, you're never thrown into the deep end alone. From day one, you'll have a clear structure, supportive training, and a whole community cheering you on. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to kick off your internship with confidence.

What Makes CampusLife Different

Unlike traditional internships, where you might be left to figure things out on your own, CampusLife is built around one core belief: we're here to help students. You're not just joining an internship program; you're joining a community where you'll connect, work, and play alongside other motivated marketing students who are on the same journey as you.

Now that you understand what makes CampusLife unique, let's dive into what your week-to-week experience looks like.

Your Weekly Rhythm

Consistency is key to growth, and at CampusLife, we've designed a weekly structure that balances hands-on client work with learning and community. Here's what your schedule will look like each week:

Intern Weekly WIP (~30 minutes): A supportive space where you and fellow interns share wins, swap ideas, and learn from each other's experiences. This is also when Pearly or Andrew delivers training on essential marketing skills, such as content creation in Canva, ChatGPT techniques, and client communication.

BYOB Program (~1 hour): Here's where you get access to a $9,000 business training program, completely free. You'll sit in on weekly sessions where real business owners learn how to build and grow their businesses. This isn't just about watching from the sidelines; you're learning the core of how your potential clients think, operate, and make decisions. Understanding businesses from the inside out means you'll conduct more effective marketing activities, create more relevant content, and build stronger client relationships throughout your internship and beyond.

Weekly Client Meeting: Once you're matched with a client, you'll have regular weekly meetings with them to receive briefs, present your work, and get feedback. This is where you build your client communication skills and learn to navigate real business relationships.

With your weekly schedule mapped out, it's time to clarify what you'll be doing during those client work hours.

Your Scope of Work

What You WILL Be Likely Doing:

Social media content creation (posts, blogs, EDMs, etc..)
LinkedIn outreach and brand support
Content planning and scheduling
Graphic design/ video editing

What You WON'T Be Doing: Sometimes clients might ask for help with marketing strategy or technical work, tasks outside your scope of work. If this happens: acknowledge politely ("Thanks for sharing! I'll pass this on to Andrew/ Pearly"), don't take on the task yourself, and escalate to the CampusLife team.

Knowing your scope is essential, but understanding how to deliver quality work consistently is what sets great interns apart. Our review process ensures everything you produce meets professional standards before reaching the client.

The Internal Review Process

Our internal review process is designed to support strong outcomes for clients and help you build confidence as a marketer. It ensures work is aligned with client expectations and gives you the chance to learn through feedback from experienced team members.

Receive the task brief
Take time to understand the client’s goals and context. Ask clarifying questions early so you’re clear on what success looks like.
Create a task file in the Intern Work folder
This file should capture your understanding of the brief, your approach, and your draft deliverables. It helps reviewers follow your thinking and give more useful, targeted feedback. A template will be provided.
Share with your buddy
Peer review is a chance to sense-check your work, refine your thinking, and strengthen the final output before it goes wider.
Send to the CampusLife team
Email your work to hello@campuslife.com.au and allow 2–3 days for review. Feedback at this stage is focused on alignment, clarity and professional standards.

Challenges and roadblocks are part of the process – especially when you’re building new skills. This framework is here to help you think independently, take ownership of your work, and grow through considered feedback, not just corrections.

Your Secret Weapon: The 1-3-1 Method

When you hit a roadblock, use the 1-3-1 Method:

1 Problem: What is the challenge you're facing?
3 Solutions: Pause and think "What are the three potential solutions to solve this challenge?" These could involve asking your buddy for perspective, doing your own research (including AI tools), or reviewing comparable work. This approach builds problem-solving confidence and resourcefulness, which is a critical skill for developing autonomy and confidence as a marketer.
1 Best Solution: What is the option you believe will work best? Reach out to the CampusLife support team if further guidance is needed.

Example: Need to create a client brief but have never written one? Use ChatGPT for templates, review the client's previous work, have your buddy review your draft, then submit to CampusLife for approval.

Beyond solving day-to-day problems, tracking your progress over time transforms a good work experience into a great one.

Tracking Your Growth

Your Development Plan & Weekly Reflection spreadsheet is more than just paperwork, it's a strategic tool that helps you set goals, track progress, and build a portfolio of achievements. This system ensures you're always moving forward with intention.

Development Plan: At the start, you'll map out your 6-month goals, both big goals and monthly milestones. This is your personal roadmap and motivation boost.

Weekly Reflections: Each week, document tasks completed, challenges encountered, and how you overcame them. Submit to hello@campuslife.com.au by week's end.

Why This Matters: You'll have an organised portfolio for future job applications, visible proof of your week-by-week growth, and develop the habit of learning from your experiences.

You now understand all the systems, processes, and frameworks that support your success at CampusLife. But beyond the structure, here are the practical mindsets and habits that will help you thrive from day one.