InternshipRatings.com

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.

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.

By Danny Brown
Managing Director
Press Release PR
Blog: www.dannybrown.me
Twitter: @PressReleasePR

The public relations industry is in a state of flux. Its reputation, while never having been immensely popular to begin with, continues to take knocks from both the public and corporate markets. The public sees PR as being full of shady characters that’ll say anything for a fast buck while businesses are tired of high monthly retainers and questionable results.

Additionally, many PR professionals and agencies are stuck in traditional PR practices and refuse to accept new avenues like social media. According to leading digital analysts comScore, more than half of US public relations agencies don’t have an online strategy. This is even worse in the UK, where figures show 79% of UK PR agencies aren’t utilizing the Internet properly, whether for themselves or their clients.

This needs to change, and it’s the PR professionals of tomorrow that have the greatest opportunity to lead the way.

Encouraging Ethics

One of the most encouraging aspects that I’ve seen both firsthand and via sources is the education that PR interns are receiving. Students are being taught that transparency is key – honesty to themselves, honesty to the industry and most importantly of all, honesty to the clients.

Yet they’re also being taught the value of utilizing every tool at their disposal, from traditional media contacts and promotion to the use of social media. For example, on my Twitter account I’m probably being followed (and following in return) over 300 PR interns. It doesn’t stop here. Many of these interns have blogs that are fantastic reads, and show an insight and knowledge that put many seasoned PR professionals to shame.

I also hear of interns being encouraged to only work for agencies that fit their moral and ethical viewpoints. Or, if they’re at an agency that does something that makes the intern uncomfortable, morally or ethically, to walk away.

While this could be easier said than done, especially when the economy is in the mire it currently is, it’s also something that should be the norm as opposed to a radical mindset. Why should anyone have to work at agencies that work in a less than ethical manner? Why should these agencies be allowed to work in this manner at all?

Tomorrow’s Vision Today

Today’s new breed of PR interns/professionals are going to be the bosses of PR agencies tomorrow, whether it’s their own or a corporate agency. This is where the change will really start to take effect.

In the meantime, we need to be improving our own ethics and encouraging our interns to speak up with theirs if we ever want to move forward as an industry. Our reputation may be tarnished, but it’s not irreparable – shouldn’t we be working together to repair it?

Danny Brown is the owner of Press Release PR, a boutique agency specializing in search engine optimized press releases and social media PR. He is a blog partner of the iEntry and WebProNews business network and a contributor to the Dad-o-Matic project.