Mission Possible: Obtaining an Internship

Our professors repeat one word to us public relations students over and over: experience, experience and more experience. But how do we get that experience?

Internships.

All PR students are encouraged to get internships. This gives us much-needed experience, opens up our job prospects and widens our professional network.

Of course gaining experience seems a lot simpler during a lecture. All students easily envision being able to write that dream internship on their resumes. However, obtaining that internship seems like a very daunting task.

If you are stuck in that internship rut, here are some tips that helped me in the past.

Google

Don’t be afraid to use Google or your favorite search engine. Have a city in mind? Just type in “PR agencies in Washington, D.C.” or “PR internships in Chicago,” for example. You’ll be surprised at how much relevant information may turn up.

Network

Ask your friends, ask your family, ask your neighbors, ask your professors . . . ask everybody! We live in a 6-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon world and you never know who other people know. You could be one step away from the guy who gets drinks with the CEO of Edelman or goes golfing with the CEO of Ketchum. Just remember, it never hurts to ask.

Direct Contact

Don’t limit yourself to filling out only the general internship applications for big name PR firms. A lot of small, cool, independent agencies are easily found on the Internet. Contact their human resources staff directly. Send a short, professional e-mail inquiring about internships. You never know who will reply!

Think Outside the Box

All PR majors don’t end up working for PR firms and agencies. It’s the same case for internships. All companies, big and small, look to become more visible and marketable. Search within your community. Any non-profits? Family-owned shops? Walk into local businesses and offer your services as a PR major. You may be surprised at the responses.

Work for Free

An unpaid internship is better than no internship. If you’re having trouble finding that paid internship, work for free. Experience can be worth so much more than money.

Regardless of how you decide to go about finding the perfect internship, remember above all to be confident, be yourself and be open to new things.

By Karissa Bursch

PR: The Experience

When I chose public relations as my college major, I honestly didn’t know what it meant. I’ve always enjoyed writing and knew communication was the field for me, but I didn’t really know what direction to take.

Once I began to take my PR courses, I thought attending class and making good grades would be enough for me to find a job. However, I started to realize PR requires much more. In the introduction course, we learned the definitions for most PR terms; however, memorizing definitions only got me so far.

I didn’t actually understand everything PR entailed until I took upper-level PR courses. I found the best way to learn is through hands-on experience. I was lucky to have the opportunity to gain knowledge and a better understanding of PR through three significant classes.

Practicum
This semester, I worked as a student intern in The University of Alabama’s media relations office. The internship counted as a class, but I also had the chance to gain experience and learn more about media relations. I was responsible for writing press releases for the UA Web site and pitching the stories to local, state and national media in order to gain coverage. The writing samples allowed me to develop a complete portfolio of work.

Campaigns
I’ve never done so much work in one class. My team and I were responsible for planning and executing a media campaign to promote UA’s LIFE Project. We conducted primary research to engage our target audience in order to produce a successful campaign. Although it was a lot of work, I learned a great deal about what goes into the planning and execution of a campaign.

Platform Online Magazine
As a member of the writing team, I was responsible for writing and editing articles and blogs for the magazine. I had the opportunity to write and approve text additions, such as changes to the PR terms quiz and the AP style quiz, for the online magazine site. The class was a great experience because I not only wrote for this magazine but also learned a little bit about what it takes to run a magazine.

Through these three classes, I had the opportunity to gain experience writing media plans, press releases and blogs; planning and executing media plans to increase awareness; and conducting primary research to reach target publics.

As graduation approaches and I look back on what I’ve accomplished, I realize I’ve learned the most about PR through experience. It’s not about the definitions or tests; it’s about understanding the PR field and what it takes to develop a successful career.

Now that it’s time to find a job and transition to the real world, I am confident I have gained enough knowledge and experience throughout college to work any PR job.

by Haley Barr