An Internship Soapbox

In attempt to not sound preachy or assume myself to be more knowledgeable than I am, I want to reflect on the life of a college student seeking a professional internship.

As a college student, I was constantly searching for summer internship opportunities that might give me an upper hand entering into a tough job market upon graduation. I even worked for several weeks doing PR out of some guy’s house to try and get traction for his homemade floppy disk notebooks just so I could have some “experience” in the field, no matter how small-scale.

My most career-applicable internship was one I had working for the University of Idaho and the celebration of Constitution Day.  My classmate and I worked from May to September to generate campus awareness, increase community involvement, pull off the event, and get our first taste of media relations. For novices, I think we did all right. We even got news coverage and I had my first on-air cameo.

My point is this: the experience I had on the Constitution Day account was one that prepared me for what would eventually become my career. I saw an account through from beginning to end and performed many of the same tasks and tactics I implement here at Red Sky.  In essence, my experience as an intern was invaluable.

Many college students work part-time along with carrying a full academic load. Others are involved in collegiate athletics. Even more have extra curricular obligations. These responsibilities can make seeking out an applicable internship an unnecessary, additional time commitment. That is, until students are facing graduation and a grim job market.

With thousands of Communication, Public Relations, and Marketing majors graduating from American colleges every year, and not nearly that same number of jobs available, it is important to ask yourself what you are doing to set yourself apart.  If you take nothing else away from this soapbox, take this: get an internship, and cling to it for dear life.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while pondering if you should or shouldn’t pursue an internship:

1. Make sure you allot the time required to do a good job. If you truly don’t have the time, and can’t make the time, don’t apply.
2. As much as you want your resume to look good, an employer needs a job done. Many companies want to help college students, but they also need a job completed. Be mindful of the work that needs done, and realistic to if you have the skills to accomplish those tasks.
3. If you are lucky enough to land an internship, and it’s not for you or your circumstance changes and you are unable to fulfill the tasks, be professional. This is not an entry-level college class you can drop and take another semester without consequences.

According to College Magazine, 70 percent of interns who graduated from college in 2008 were hired at a company where they had previously interned, compared to 57 percent in 2001. This is also true here at Red Sky, where college intern, Gloria Miller, was hired on full-time after her graduation and now works as an Account Executive and leads her own accounts.

Especially if you are working in the communications industry, it is safe to assume the people you are working with and for have access to and use numerous channels to sing your praises, or otherwise. After landing that internship, whether you’re promoting floppy disc notebooks or working for a full-service agency, see it through and be professional. No matter what, these are the people who may eventually give you or get you your next job.

-Amanda Watson