InternshipRatings.com

By Nancy Sterling
Senior VP, Strategic Communications
ML Strategies

What attributes does a great intern possess and what pitfalls can he/she easily avoid?

I have experienced internships from all angles.  At Boston College, I was a teaching assistant to the Chairman of the Communications Department which meant that I had a voice in internship assignments.  Then I was an intern myself, first at the NBC station in Boston and then at its ABC counterpart.  I never would have been offered my first job in television, right out of college, if I had not had that experience.  At the latter job, I was in charge of managing the TV news internship program.  Finally, in my current position, we utilize interns in our crisis communications practice.

Let me offer five rules that may seem basic, but I have personally experienced interns who did not follow them and seen the impact on a professional environment.

1. Always have a notepad and pen at a meeting, whether it is a client gathering or a one-on-one with your boss.  I had one intern to whom I gave a pen and notebook during a session and she still showed up without those basics the next time!

2. Let your boss know your schedule and any changes as soon as possible.  He/she is trying to run a business and will likely be amenable to a change with enough notice.  However, the boss does not want to find out the week before the semester ends that this will be your last week!

3. Proofread your documents before you present them.  A supervisor is going to think a lot less of an intern whose one page document has one or more errors!

4. If in doubt, check it out!  No matter how proactive you are trying to be, if you are uncertain about how to handle an assignment, do not just plunge ahead.  Wait and double check.

5. Act like this is your real job.  Whether you are working for course credit or money, be the best all around employee that you can be.

These tips to the top will give you the tools to move from being an intern to being a valued member of the staff.

By Ian Spector
Entrepreneur and Bestselling Author
IanJSpector.com

Always take advantage of your situation. If you like where you’re at and might want to work there again, get to know the fully-employed people you work with, get to know their boss, get to know their boss’ boss if you can. If you do good work, and that’s the underlying assumption for all of this, these people will want to work with you again! Ask them questions, get deeply engaged with the work you’re assigned. Be (appropriately) fanatical. Impressive dedication to your work will make a long-lasting impression upon your superiors. You should also stay in touch with those people occasionally throughout the academic year after the internship ends. If you play your cards right, you might just land yourself a full-time gig when the time is right!

By Aviya Slutzky
International Relations Major
Tufts University 2010
@aslutzk

Just a few months ago, I thought a PR person was the stereotypical short-blonde-go-getter-party-thrower. It was easy to confuse publicist with public relations and assume any publicity was good publicity.

Despite those negative stereotypes, I decided to intern at a top PR firm this summer – DKC. And with the summer coming to an end, all prior misconceptions have been thrown out the window. I am finishing my internship at DKC and I am hungry for more.

One of the reasons I decided to intern at DKC was my curiosity and desire to learn and work at an innovative firm. My past internships have ranged from translating Hebrew Holocaust survivor testimony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage to editing and updating programming at the Center of Women and Enterprise. Though they range in industry and field, the internships were challenging and demanded my commitment and creativity. DKC is no different.

I have sat in on several new client meetings and pitch presentations, several brainstorming sessions, and helped with a press conference for the launch of Climate Week NYC headlined by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As technology continues to evolve, today’s media requires more attention. A key point that I’ve learned in my time here has been that firms can’t ignore bloggers, Twitterers, Facebook users, and rely solely on traditional media to market their products and services. PR is vital in navigating through the onslaught of communication outlets.

One of the tasks I have, as other interns can attest, is to compile media lists. For example, I searched through green bloggers and reporters to find appropriate contacts to pitch the USTA’s major green initiative at this year’s US Open. While the task is not as grand as attending the Open, I know I am a part of one of the most basic – yet important – details of a successful campaign. And I gained a better understanding of just how significant it is to connect clients to consumers.

In my mind, PR is no longer exemplified by a publicist trailing Lindsay Lohan’s escapades, but a powerhouse who networks, pitches stories, and navigates media coverage.

And while I may not be blonde, I have learned that PR holds a place for me.