The First Content Developer Intern At Rocket Innovation Studio

When I think back to when I applied for the Rocket Innovation Studio Content Developer internship, I remember having multiple tabs open, trying to wrap my head around what Rocket Companies^® and Rocket Innovation Studio was. In Canada, Rocket Companies is not as well known as it is in the United States, so it came as a surprise to me when I realized how many companies fall under its umbrella. From first learning about the company to interning and then becoming a full-time team member, it was quite a journey which I would like to share with you.

Since I did not know much about Rocket Companies at first, I got a lot of my initial knowledge from the Rocket Careers website which is where I was first introduced to the ISMs. I’ve never seen a company lay out their values so meticulously before. Reading through the ISMs for the first time was such a unique experience because of how straightforward and thoughtful these philosophies are. I think that company culture is one of the most important aspects of a business and it’s something that I always look into before applying for a position. Companies spend a lot of time showcasing certain elements of their business, such as profits, awards, benefits, etc. And while all that is very important, for potential new team members, seeing something like the ISMs and Altru videos (where current team members of the company share their experiences) portrays an authentic and sincere image of what the company has to offer.

The company culture and values that Rocket Companies so proudly promotes were some of the main reasons that I decided to apply for the internship and later, the reason why I decided to accept the offer for Content Developer Intern at Rocket Innovation Studio. Furthermore, the team members who conducted my interview for the internship were warm, welcoming and asked great follow-up questions, letting me know that they were listening to my responses and that they cared about this position and who they hired. I left that interview knowing that if I was offered the Content Developer Intern role, I would accept with no hesitation.

The first day of my internship was filled with a mixture of nerves and excitement but that quickly evolved into just excitement as the weeks passed. Being the first Content Developer Intern at Rocket Innovation Studio meant that I did not have a mentor to guide me through certain tasks and projects. However, my team leader, Sanela Stefanovski, made up for that and more by being a beacon of information and support throughout those 3 months. Along with frequent check-ins, she was always available to answer questions or just talk things out. She made me feel at ease and provided feedback about all projects which reassured me that what I was doing was valuable and appreciated.

Sanela encouraged me to reach out to team members across Rocket Companies because working from home meant that I had the opportunity to network with people who I would normally not have a chance to connect with. I reached out to multiple people and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to set up time to chat as everyone was so open to connecting and answering all the questions I had for them. Most of them even went beyond that and advised me to reach out to other team members who they thought would be a helpful connection. This solidified the image I had of the company culture as it was apparent that the people around me wanted me to succeed and were willing to help me throughout my journey.

A significant part of my internship consisted of attending virtual events led by the Intern Journey team that was designed to guide, motivate and educate interns on topics such as networking, public speaking and managing goals. These events helped me tackle the projects that I was working on and provided useful information that would assist me in my future career development.

Rocket Companies and Rocket Innovation Studio far exceeded the expectations I had for my internship. Although I was interning, I did not feel like an intern. I felt like a full-time team member, and it all had to do with the way Rocket Companies treats their interns. I always felt that what I was doing was valuable to the company and what I said genuinely mattered.

At the end of my internship, I was offered a full-time position as an Associate Content Developer at Rocket Innovation Studio. Similar to earlier that year, I didn’t have any hesitations about accepting that offer. After my intern experience, I knew that Rocket Companies and Rocket Innovation Studio was the right choice for me, mainly because the company’s values and culture align with mine. I can’t wait to continue learning and growing in the Associate Content Developer role and assisting Rocket Innovation Studio in all the ways that I can.