InternshipRatings.com

By John Sternal

Co-Founder

Understanding Marketing

It’s no secret that an internship can do wonders to launch any college student’s career. As I mentioned in a previous article here on InternshipRatings.com, internships provide a chance to take what is learned in the classroom and apply in a real-world setting.

However, not all students get selected for an internship for a variety of reasons. Besides the fact that there are many more PR students than internships available, today’s economic conditions have forced many companies to cut back on their internship programs, further reducing the number of opportunities available.

If you fall into this category, don’t fret. There are still lots of ways to make use of your summer to gain PR experience outside the classroom. Always keep in mind that “where” you spend your summer isn’t nearly as important has “how” you spend your summer.

Volunteer Organizations

Are there any local or community organizations that have a special place in your heart? Maybe there is a local organization that helps underprivileged children paint or go on recreation activities? These types of organizations are always in need of additional help on a shoestring budget. You could ask to follow along on a few trips getting to know the organizers and a few of the children. Learn their stories. Take photos of their interaction and experiences. Your goal is to package together a story that documents these experiences and then pitch the story to your local newspaper.

Summer Sports Leagues

Summer is a time to get outdoors and have some fun. Many people enjoy playing outdoor recreations or in sports leagues. This is a great opportunity for you to also play the “Team Publicist” role. Even if your team doesn’t win that often you can still find the story behind the team. Learn more about the background of your teammates to see if someone has an amazing or inspiring story. Is your team planning any kind of fundraising initiatives? Package some of these stories up and again pitch it to your local newspaper or television assignment desk.

Local Small Business

Just because you aren’t interning at Microsoft doesn’t mean you can’t get a valuable internship experience at a company. Get to know your local small businesses to see if you can offer to publicize them this summer. It will give you a great experience in an “agency setting” since you will be publicizing multiple companies all at the same time. When you graduate you’ll be able to mention this experience and it will impress any senior-level executive at a PR agency.

Community Newspaper

PR is more than just pitching stories to the media. It’s also about writing well in a very compelling way – either in hard news format or feature “evergreen” stories. Get to know the editors and publishers of your local community newspapers. Tell them you’d like to write some stories this summer. Make sure you have a few school writing assignments handy so that you can show them you have the skills and ability to write for the paper. The stories you write will impress a future hiring manager in any PR department. 

Your Family

If you can’t seem to find any opportunities with the above areas, do PR for your family. Are you going on any exciting vacations? Document them and write a family feature story that may be of interest to a lifestyle newspaper reporter or a community newspaper editor. Remember to take lots of pictures and tell the visual side of the story as well.

Always remember that it’s more important that you end up doing something this summer that accentuates your passion, desire and ability to practice pubic relations. The persistence and drive you demonstrate in documenting these experiences will go a long way towards giving you a leg up on your competition when it comes time to interview for the real job after college.

Editor’s Note: John Sternal is the co-founder of UnderstandingMarketing.com, and the author of The PR Toolkit. For more information, email jsternal@understandingmarketing.com.