The Right Internship for YOU
If you’re like me, you’re still on the hunt for an internship. As public relations students, it’s imperative that we have experience under our belts prior to graduation. Without this experience, we won’t know what really happens in firms or corporate PR. As experience-hungry students, do we just take any internship we can get? Or do we have some say in it too?
While at a tweetup in San Diego, I had the chance to talk with Sarah Evans. She mentioned something about how, even though we are students, we should still take control over our internship hunt. It shouldn’t be about getting placed anywhere, but rather being somewhere that you want to be. I guess it goes with the quality vs. quantity argument.
TO SEND OR NOT TO SEND
One thing that I think works best is sending out custom cover letters and resumes.
I know this gets talked about often, but it isn’t utilized enough.
We all want the best internship out there, but what makes one better than another? Yes, a huge corporation might look great on a resume, but you might get more experience at a smaller company.
In internship postings, companies write down what they are specifically looking for by asking candidates to meet certain requirements. To make it easy, if you don’t meet the requirements don’t apply. Save your time and theirs. Instead, focus on writing an awesome, custom cover letter for a few internships rather than every posting.
RESEARCH & STUDY, NOT LIKE AN EXAM
In terms of public relations internships, anyone can memorize the client list and the services provided. What might work better for the position and your efforts are with in-depth research.
Once you’ve found one or two internships that you want, study. Figure out how large the organization is. Does it have hundreds of employees or just a handful? How much money does the company bring in per year? Who are the bigwigs, where did they go to college, what is their image in the community and industry?
SOCIAL MEDIA AT ITS FINEST
When you search for all the information listed above, there isn’t a one-stop shop. You’re going to have to dig. It might take a long time before you hit oil or you could strike in 30 seconds.
Search the company, figure out the basics: company info, bios, CEOs, clients, etc. Don’t stop there. Use that info to help you dig further. Also, use sites like Hoovers to figure out the size, gross income and additional information about the company.
Search the contact person provided on the internship listing. Understand their previous employment. Are they are new to the industry or someone that has previous experience? Search their co-workers and their bosses. See where you might have commonalities with these people. It all helps to get the internship.
Search the company and their employees on Twitter. They may be hugely into social media or not at all. If they are on Twitter, read their tweets. Who do they converse with? Who are they following and who is following them? Just because they have less than 100 followers certainly doesn’t mean you cannot benefit from the position. If you are into social media, then offer it as experience you can use to assist the company.
Blogs
With an increase in bloggers, every one has a voice; or at least the opportunity for one. This is your chance to dig for the dirt. You can find out what people are saying about the company. This will help you figure out the nitty gritty and find out if you really want to be an intern at that organization.
You are probably thinking, “How can all this help me before I even get the job?” It can, it all goes back to what Sarah Evans said about your fit. The more you know about an organization the better you can write a cover letter and resume for that position. Ultimately, you don’t want to be at an organization you don’t like.
If you don’t like the organization, don’t apply. When you do find one you really like, the additional research will help you land the internship and succeed while you’re there.
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