By Karla A. Stevenson
PhD Candidate
Department of Communication Studies
The University of Iowa

Sometimes a career in something you love could be right under your nose! It’s ok not to know what you want to do with the rest of your life right now – but interning is a great way to explore career options while not making huge, life-changing decisions. A good place to start is thinking about the brands you like, media you consume, and non-profits you support.
If there is a company you like, a product you use, a brand you can’t get enough of, or a cause you donate your time to, you might want to think about interning there. Even if it is not in the exact field you are getting your degree in, it’s a foot in the door and may give you the option of doing a second internship or getting an entry level job in your chosen field with that organization. After all, they will know you, know your work ethic and know that you have already acclimated to their company’s culture. So explore different possibilities within the same organization – it might lead you down a new career path!

For example: Say you’re a Marketing major and HUGE Miami Dolphins fan. You might want to explore possibilities with that organization, but even if all they have open is an internship in Sales, you might want to consider taking it. While you are there, give 110% to your sales internship responsibilities but also make friends with the staff in the Marketing Department while you’re at it. When the time comes for applications for Marketing interns for the next semester or summer, you will have contacts AND a knowledge of the organization that other applicants won’t have.

Plan of attack

1. Look on the company’s website and see if they have an internship program. If they do, follow the directions and apply. If they don’t, then call the human resource department and ask if they take applications for internships and if so, in what areas of the company. Also ask who the person(s) is that you address your cover letter.

2. Assuming you’re on Linkedin – you can search by company and see if you have any mutual contacts. If you do – ask them to arrange an introduction. If you don’t, spend some time looking closely at employee profiles. Find out where they went to school, what their majors were, and what groups they are members of. It’s ok to be nosy! There’s even a Linkedin application that allows people to post what books they’re reading. Use all this info to figure out what qualities you possess that they value!

3. Taylor your resume to the intern position in question, tweak your cover letter to argue that you are a great fit for interning there, proofread your resume and cover letter, convert both docs to a PDF and send that baby off! If you are mailing it in, remember to use nice, thick, expensive feeling resume paper.

If you don’t hear back in a week or so, follow up with an email or phone call.

Nancy DeCrescenzo
Director
Office of Career Service
Eastern Connecticut State University

Students seeking internship should always attend campus career fairs. With rising recruiting costs, it is fair to assume that if an employer pays to attend, and releases human resources to such events, they have positions to fill. Most companies who participate in campus career fairs do so to meet prospective interns, as well as entry-level candidates.
Simply attending a career fair, however, is not enough. Students should be well prepared to take full advantage of the opportunity. Below are suggestions for what should be done before, during and after the event.

Before:
• Examine the list of participating employers and research, in advance, those that you will target. Most student schedules do not allow time for meeting all of the representatives in attendance. Moreover, meeting bankers and accountants when you are a social work major is an ineffective use of time. Know about the company and positions available before engaging with the recruiters.
• Update your professional resume and have it reviewed by a Career Services staff member.
• Invest in professional attire. Students should dress for job fairs as they would for job interviews.
• Attend pre-fair events sponsored by your Career Services staff. Alleviate any anxieties you may have about attending career fairs by getting some last minute coaching from your career counselors.

During:
• Navigate the fair alone. Do not attend with a group of friends, your parents or your puppy! You can portray confidence, initiative, and ambition by doing so.
• Turn off your cell phone, take off your coat and hat, and leave your book bag at the door.
• Be friendly and professional. Offer a firm handshake, maintain eye contact during conversation and smile.
• Introduce yourself to everyone you meet. Career fairs are networking events with many opportunities to interact with new people. Prepare a brief introduction that includes your name, major, career goal and purpose for attending the fair. Collect business cards.

After:
• Organize the materials you collected at the career fair.
• Send an electronic resume to any recruiter who requested one accompanied by an email message that references the conversation at the fair.
• Complete on-line employment applications as requested by recruiters.
• Send thank-you notes to any representative that gave you extra time, advice or guidance.
• Design a follow-up strategy based on important dates and information gathered at the event.

Career fairs are one of the many recruiting events hosted by your university. Your participation offers you the opportunity to explore new industries, assess hiring trends, and expand your professional network. These events are a great way to learn about internship and other employment options in the comfort of your own campus. Get to the fair and get hired!

By PR Couture: Fashion’s Haute Spot
www.prcouture.com
@PR_Couture

For many eager fresh-faced fashionistas, a career in fashion PR can offer an opportunity to work the business side of fashion; fashion writing, fashion show production, in-store events/sample sales, branding, website development, all while helping fashion designers, boutiques, and fashion labels find the success they deserve.

As with any industry, fashion public relations is concerned with building and maintaining relationships with different target publics - media, prospective customers, vendors, investors, and deals with reputation management, serving as the conduit between those different groups and those in charge at your company - whether that is the CEO or the designer herself.

Fashion Schools, a portal web site designed to help students find the right fashion college, describes the role of the fashion PR as follows:

Fashion Public Relations Specialists and Publicists help apparel companies and retail stores build and maintain a favorable public image. Because they do not pay for publicity or media coverage, Public Relations (PR) Specialists must find creative ways to keep the company’s brand name in the public eye. PR specialists select information that they want to share with the public and write up press releases or conduct press conferences to distribute the news through television, newspapers, radio and direct mail. They are also responsible for interacting with media when questions or crises arise from outside sources. As such, PR specialists must maintain strong professional relationships with media personnel.

Now, while that definition is slightly out of date - I would argue that le grand internet is has fundamentally shifted the way both industries (fashion and PR) operate, it does give a broad overview of the profession. Of course, PR isn’t free,

The magic wand the fashion PR appears to wield over the editor’s picks section in your favorite fashion magazine is, in fact, the result of hours of work coordinating, emailing and overseeing.

Most fashion PR agencies operate on a retainer basis, meaning each client pays for X amount of hours a month, based on individual practitioners hourly rates. And yes, even if you are an intern making zero dollars, you might still be billable in the eyes of your agency.

To get started in fashion PR and land that first fashion PR internship, know that you are facing a competitive industry where who you know and a great pair of boots will get you noticed a lot faster than a carefully constructed resume. Still, there are several things you can do to position yourself in the brightest light possible, at least long enough to secure that internship at before being relegated to the back office and sent on seemingly impossible errands on extreme deadlines.

Network

Online and offline, who do you know and who could you get to know? Ask around and see if anybody knows anybody and then get in touch for a brief informational interview. Don’t even worry about a job, just focus on getting to know people in the industry and making a good impression. Once that is done, I almost guarantee you that when a position does open up, you will get an email. Online, Twitter is a great place to begin to develop relationships with PR Practitioners and show off your smarts. Do a quick search to find people talking about things you are interested in, or check out Twellow to find PR professionals on Twitter, then introduce yourself and contribute to the conversation! PR Couture recently did a post on fashion PR and fashion industry ladies and gents tweeting away.

Work on your portfolio

Do you have any creative friends? A photographer, a stylist, a local band? Offer your services designing a press kit - include basic info like a bio, sample work, contact information, and testimonials. Print it all out, save a digital copy and bring it with you to your next interview. No friends? Don’t worry, see if there are any local fashion shows coming up for charity and offer to write a press release. None of those either, get creative on your own and develop a media kit for a mythical company or for your favorite designer.

Start a fashion blog

What about fashion truly inspires you? Are you obsessed with shoes, your own daily outfits, or a full on label whore? Set up a blog - the onsugar platform makes it super easy and start blogging! As you develop more content, outreach to other fashion bloggers you admire (many work in PR) and start commenting and building your blogroll. The blogroll is the modern fashion PR 2.0 gal’s rolodex to start making friends ie contacts. The next time you apply for a fashion PR Internship, include a link to your blog in your cover letter. It will show that you are truly passionate about fashion and be an insider’s look at who you are. Great working relationships are all chemistry, baby.

Fashion PR Internships

Check the Fashion PR Job Board, run by PR Couture for fashion internships and PR positions
Fashion and fashion PR internships abound at Free Fashion Internships
Join the Fashion Jobs and Networking group on Facebook

Once you land the gig

Be prepared to work!

By Dixie R. Crase, Ph.D., CFCS
Director of Academic Internships
The Washington Center Campus Liason
University of Memphis

Internship experiences vary from relatively insignificant work opportunities to highly competitive internships sought by “the best and the brightest.” What should you do if you are interested in landing a first class internship?

Weigh the “costs” versus the “benefits” of such an internship. Consider the financial and personal costs involved if you must move across the country and leave family and friends behind. Take into account the expenses associated with relocation and being on your own in a new place for several months. Will you receive academic credit and/or compensation for the internship? Will the academic credit fulfill a degree requirement? Will the internship delay your graduation? If you continue to be convinced that this is your dream internship which will enhance your résumé, create new networks, and open doors to your professional goals, then prepare to do your homework.

Start early. Many top notch internships have early submission deadlines that require you to plan months and, in some cases, more than a year in advance. The early deadlines may be associated with complex background checks for some types of internships. Prior to completing your application and preparing your résumé, take time to research the sponsor of the internship. Clarify the basic requirements of successful applicants and the general responsibilities to be assumed by the intern. Are you confident that you have the academic preparation and professional expertise required to complete a successful internship? Are the reviewers of applications looking for specific knowledge, skills and attitudes? Make sure that your résumé and application reflect your competence in the areas of greatest emphasis. By starting early, you will build in time to thoughtfully review your application and correct any errors or omissions.

Ask for assistance. Request contact information for previous interns in the organization. Gain their suggestions regarding your preparation for a successful interview. Go to your campus career and employment unit and schedule a mock interview. Strengthen your interview skills as recommended by the internship and/or career counselor. If permissible, contact the members of the screening committee. Invite them to offer recommendations based on their experience of reviewing multiple applications for the internship. If you are asked to provide references, give faculty, staff or previous employer’s ample time to develop and submit their letters of recommendation. References from family members or contacts from high school experiences may be excluded and will generally be considered less significant than more professional and recent sources. Provide a current transcript and other information which will provide substance to enhance reference letters.

Follow directions. Carefully study the guidelines for the development of your application for the internship. If the directions ask you to explain why you are interested in the internship, develop a succinct and compelling case clarifying why you will bring specific talents to the organization. Invite a friend, classmate or colleague to review your application for any errors or oversights. Finalize your application and submit as directed by the organization.

Thank those who contributed to your application. Inform faculty, staff and previous employers of the status of your application. Remember that they are an important part of your network and you may need to request additional recommendations as your pursue another internship or a position after graduation. Recognize that the experience of developing a first class application is a valuable educational exercise which will be useful in your future professional development.

By James Soble
Managing Partner-Tampa
Ruden McClosky

A summer internship program can be a unique intellectual and social experience for both the employer and the aspiring intern. A typical internship, particularly at a medium to large size law firm such as ours, provides an array of opportunities to learn first hand about the day to day functions of a professional office but also gain valuable insight to the various personalities that, together, create a successful business enterprise. Our internship program attempts to create an atmosphere to stimulate interest in the law as a discipline and law as a career.

A well-planned summer internship program is designed to be an essential ingredient in the overall formal recruitment policy. Our hiring process focuses on a long term perspective rather than just place for a “summer job.” As such, a candidate must possess all of the qualities of a prospect for a full time position. These qualities must first be exhibited in the candidate’s resume, again in an on-campus interview and finally at a full day meeting with partners and associates in our firm’s offices. To begin this process, receipt of a carefully crafted resume is critical. Resumes should be concise and informative; a reflection of the candidate. Spelling should be accurate. It is remarkable how many resumes have typographical errors and cover letters with misspelled names and out dated information; resumes with these simple errors rarely, if ever, get past my desk. A resume is always a case of first impression.

Hiring criteria is fairly typical among major law firms but similar criteria can apply to every employment situation. Scholastic performance in undergraduate school and, where applicable, graduate school is a key factor; high class standing and receipt of academic honors is demonstrative of personal intelligence, a diligent attitude towards work product and the ultimate desire to succeed. Of equal importance is personality. A candidate for an internship position must exhibit character, enthusiasm and the ability to verbally communicate. Be prepared to engage in discussion and answer questions that highlight your ability to think independently and responsively; it is not always what the answer to a question might be but how you answered the question. We also inquire of a candidate’s involvement and interests in extracurricular activities; we seek out individuals with balanced and diverse backgrounds. Do not hesitate to offer an interviewer insight into and a perspective of your personal history and how that history brought you to that day’s meeting. We want to learn what makes you someone we want to hire.

During the interview process we observe a candidate’s demeanor, their eye contact and body language. While nervousness is expected, we look for that elusive aura of self-confidence. Appearance and presentation is crucial to the success of an interview. Being properly dressed, well groomed and neat makes a remarkably positive impact on a prospective employer. When we sit at a table with a candidate we ask ourselves whether this individual is a person we would want to work with, have dinner with and introduce to our clients. Go to an interview with those thoughts in mind.

Identifying a great candidate for a internship program can often be summarized by a well known adage: you know one when you see one. Take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate your skills, your personality and desire to excel. Whether looking for a part time job during high school, employment while in college or a professional internship position as a stepping stone to full time employment, observance of these criteria are meaningful and essential elements of a positive approach to the fulfillment your employment goals.

By Christine Major
Account Supervisor
PerkettPR

I envy you. And by you, I mean all the young college students and graduates who are just starting to figure out where they want to begin their career. See, I went to college when nobody had cell phones and the internet was just an idea in Al Gore’s head. You have so much information at your fingertips and social media has literally changed the world. I often think how cool it would have been to go to college with all these things that most take for granted. Like instantly knowing where the best party was, who was dating who…oh, I mean, knowing where the next study group was taking place and what the extra credit assignment was.

Not only is technology on your side, but there are so many amazing opportunities out there in the “real” world for you to take advantage of. Not only that, sites like InternshipRatings.com are an amazing resource that I could have only dreamed of when I was in college. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to intern anywhere. My family owned their own business so any free time I had was spent working for them (they were slave drivers). I eventually broke free and found my way into the world of technology public relations and have since made it my career.

Starting out at the lowest possible rung on the ladder within the company (they call this entry level) I learned a lot about the business and working within a corporate environment. I looked for every opportunity to learn and grow and was very quickly promoted up the ladder. Throughout it all, mistakes were made that I have definitely learned from. That is really what life is – a series of mistakes that you eventually figure out how to avoid again in the future. As many of you are taking internship positions or just graduating, I would like to share with you a few of those mistakes I have made (and maybe you have made already) to keep in mind as you are entering into the big bad world.

Speak only kindly of people and you need never whisper
I got this verse from a fortune cookie years ago, but its message has stuck with me throughout my career and life. Too bad I didn’t get that little bit of advice before I actually made that mistake. But I guess I might have disregarded that fortune it if it hadn’t been for that mistake. If you are in a situation where you are upset about a coworker, speak to them directly and address the issue professionally or go to your manager and call a meeting. Try to avoid talking behind someone’s back because chances are they will hear you and it doesn’t lead to a happy work environment.

Don’t get mixed up with office cliques
Hey, connecting with coworkers is one of the best parts of the job (that is, if you actually get along), but if you are part of a clique that likes to complain and bitch about what they don’t like about the company and the boss, then its time to run. Believe me, nothing ever good comes from being part of that and their negativity is like a cancer that grows throughout the organization and brings everyone down. You don’t want to be a part of that, do you?

Email is great, just think and review before you hit reply
I am sure anyone that has worked in an office and used email will tell you some horror story of a mistake they made, or a mistake “someone they know” made (yeah right), using email. We all know that email is a great communication tool, but it can be dangerous. For example, I recall one time (and it was really only one time) when I made a grave error of judgment and decided to make a not so nice comment about someone (come on, we all do it) in a reply email to some coworkers. What I didn’t know at the time was I also hit reply all and the email was inadvertently sent to that person. I realized then that recalling an email doesn’t really work. I have not made that mistake again, in fact, I try to avoid putting anything negative in writing for fear of it coming back to haunt me. You just never know.

There are probably several other mistakes I could add here, but these are the ones that I have kept in mind (and have haunted me) as I continue on my career path. If I can help others avoid them from the onset, then I have accomplished what I set out to achieve. So as you are entering into your next internship program or starting your first real job, keep these few tips in mind. If you do happen to make mistakes, and I am sure you will, embrace them and learn from each and every one. With that, I wish you the best of luck to all of you as you are finding where you belong in this world. Boy, do I envy you ☺

By Darlene S. McDaniel
www.interviewchatter.com

Let me begin by saying there are jobs available despite the turbulent fluctuations in the economy. Organizations are still hiring! If my opening statements are true, than you can land a great internship.

First, you have to know what you are looking for. What type of job are you looking for? Then you need to consider your skills and abilities. What do you know how to do? I am not talking about what you “think” you know how to do, but what will you actually bring to an organization that says, “YES, we want you?”

If you know the job you are looking for and you have some skills and abilities that you can clearly articulate in an interview, than the next step is creating a resume and cover letter that will communicate this information. The Career Center at your University can assist you with developing a targeted resume from the various jobs you’ve held over the last few years. You will also want to begin to prepare for your interview. That may seem somewhat presumptuous, however, waiting until you get an interview to begin to prepare is a mistake – it’s too late once you have the interview. Take some time to do research on the organizations that interest you. Know who they are before you walk in the door. Know as much as you can about the product or service they offer.

Once you have identified your target job and your skills and abilities, you can begin to identify questions a hiring manager may ask. Write down the questions and your answers. Work with a friend who will help you practice interviewing. Let them ask you questions and you answer them as though you are actually interviewing.

Landing a great internship in the turbulent times we live in will come down to networking. The traditional way of looking for a job will not serve you well in the current climate of our nation. Your ability to tap into the unseen job market only comes through networking. Who do you know that knows someone that is looking for a great intern? One recommendation I have seen work time and again, is just talking to professionals in your sphere of influence. Who do you know that knows someone you need to know?

A good resume and cover letter will only unlock a potential opportunity. But if you know how to network, your network will get you in the door. The interview and your ability to connect with the people will get you on the short list of potential candidates!