Public Relations Matters Podcast
It’s the time of year when many public relations students are scrambling to secure an internship for summer or are thoughtfully planning their internship search for fall.
As I was driving home from Georgia Southern University today, I listened to an episode of the Inside PR podcast. One of the big topics for conversation from this podcast was interns. It was interesting listening to the five hosts of Inside PR share their tips and pet peeves about interns; their discussion about interns starts almost 10 minutes into the podcast. (Hint: If you are interviewing for an internship, do not express your disdain for all tasks administrative. There are administrative aspects of virtually ALL PR professionals’ jobs.)
If you are a member of PR OpenMic, check out Kaye Sweetser’s tips on finding an internship by using Twitter. Dr. Sweetser warns, if you discover an internship opportunity on Twitter, odds are good that the company will “probably look at your Twitter to get a feel for you before the interview.”
Once you’re involved in your PR internship, India PR Blog’s Palin Ningthoujam suggests 10 things you should learn before finishing it. Pay special attention to the number of times he mentions the importance of effective writing skills.
And, as I discussed earlier this week. be sure to sweep clean your digital dirt before you begin your internship (or job) search. Your future employer will likely be doing as much research on you as you do on the employer.
This is such a helpful post, because I feel many college students wonder what’s considered productive and beneficial while participating in an internship. Another thing I would also recommend is to get to know as many people in the agency/organization you are working with. What I often do is look at staff bios and find out similarities and things that I may be interested in. I tend to look at their job history, college degrees, and what PR practices they currently work in. When you set aside time to get to know colleagues and supervisors, they will be more likely to help you in the long run. As well, if they know personally what PR industries/clients you enjoy, they will also keep you in mind if ever in contact.
Thank you for the advice.