Filed under: PR Practicum 3711
So far I have completed one internship, at Cumulus Q100 (99.7) in Atlanta. Needless to say it was a great internship with great people and great experience. Many internships consist on two or three interns that do a lot of work but this one had about 30 interns, which can make it hard to stand out when only working once or twice a week.
Internships can be great experience for a real-world job and also your time to be noticed. Depending on the company, they will sometimes hire interns for a full-time position. Many internships are unpaid but that hardly means that its okay to slack off. An internship is a time to show your full potential and what positive attributes you can bring to the company. Here are a few pointers for anyone looking for or doing an internship:
- Do all of the work asked of you promptly and with a smile– look like you are enjoying what you are doing and not bored
- Be grateful for the internship that has been offered to you– really, there are a lot of other people who would love to have your internship and the company thought you stood out and picked you for a reason
- Get to know people in the office– these are people you want to be on good terms with because they can give you some great advice and you can learn a lot from them. Also, if other employees know who you are then maybe they will put in a good word to the boss aka job opportunity!
- Get to know the other interns– I worked somewhere with 30 interns and worked in total with about 5 of them. Although I wasn’t able to meet all of them I friended them on Facebook so that I would be familiar with them if we worked in the office or an event together.
- Try and take on a little extra work– it will show your boss you are really interested in the line of work and know how to take initiative and go the extra mile. Extra work can also benefit you because you may learn something that would otherwise not have been so easily accessible.
- Pay attention- there is definitely a fair amount of busy work that goes on during an internship, but more than likely you will also experience some great career opportunities. For instance, if you are interested in event planning and one night you are helping some of the staff at an event (something outside of the office) it is important to pay attention to what they are doing and how situations are handled so that you can be prepared for your own career. Plus, it is always nice to have the extra help.
- Have FUN– internships no doubt require a lot of work, but enjoy what you are doing! There are so many opportunities that come out of internships like a job, job connections, new friends, etc. The options are endless and the experience is what you take out of it.
Check out these websites if you are currently looking for an internship:
http://college.monster.com/content/internships?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_n=olmsrchtrk&s_kwcid=TC|17516|internships||S|e|3414145249
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Marilyn's Life From East to West 
I thought this was a great topic to blog about. I am currently interning right now, and although I am the only intern at the organization, I still think it is important for me to make my mark. I have trouble sometimes showing the people I work with that I can take on extra tasks and be trusted to get the job done and in a timely fashion. It’s hard when you walk into a situation where people automatically look at you like incapable of doing something great, which is how some internships can be. I think it’s important for interns to remember that regardless of how small the task may be, you are making a difference. It’s also important to remember that the interning experience is for you. You are there to learn so learn all that you can. You are going to mess up, it’s okay because, as so many people say.. “You’re just an intern.” Great blog!
Comment by candicehall April 5, 2010 @ 1:46 am[…] 10. Comment on Marilyn Lintel’s Blog: How to Stand Out as an Intern April 5, 2010 I thought this was a great topic to blog about. I am currently interning right now, and although I am the only intern at the organization, I still think it is important for me to make my mark. I have trouble sometimes showing the people I work with that I can take on extra tasks and be trusted to get the job done and in a timely fashion. It’s hard when you walk into a situation where people automatically look at you like incapable of doing something great, which is how some internships can be. I think it’s important for interns to remember that regardless of how small the task may be, you are making a difference. It’s also important to remember that the interning experience is for you. You are there to learn so learn all that you can. You are going to mess up, it’s okay because, as so many people say.. “You’re just an intern.” Great blog! […]
Pingback by Blog Comments « Candice Hall's Blog April 5, 2010 @ 1:48 amI will be doing an interneship this summer before I graduate in 2010. And even though it is part of what I need to do to graduate, but I think it is a good point to make that while you do your interneship you have fun. After all, you are preparing for a job that you will spend the rest of your life doing.
Comment by brittany rollings April 8, 2010 @ 3:41 pmThis is good information about ways to stand out as an intern. As an intern, it is important to let your work speak for you. Do everything to your best ability and have fun while you do it. One thing I would add is to not be scared to ask questions. An internship is a learning experience. If you knew it all there would be no reason for you to be an intern. Use your internship as a time to learn things you don’t know. Don’t just do the things you know how to do. Try things you’ve never done and ask for help if you get lost in the process.
Comment by hhiggs87 April 12, 2010 @ 4:01 pmHi Marilyn! The tips that you shared are very beneficial. Last summer, I completed an internship with CNN. Along with my internship, I decided to get involved in an extracurricular project with a small group of interns. My supervisor was not only impressed with my quality of work, but was even more astounded when he saw the final product of the project I had been working on aside from my actual internship. If you can handle it, I highly recommend going that extra mile. This shows your employer that you have good time management skills. I promise it will pay off. Thanks for sharing your advice about internships!
Comment by kris10ly April 23, 2010 @ 5:49 am[…] Hyperlink: https://marilynpr.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/how-to-stand-out-as-an-intern/ […]
Pingback by Blog Comments « Kris10ly's Professional Makeover April 23, 2010 @ 5:49 amHaving fun is one tip that I think a lot of people forget. Even though it is a work experience it should still be fun. This is the opportunity where you have the chance to explore what you are interested in and learn as much as possible about the field. The worst part about an internship is that most of the time it is unpaid, but the experience and having fun with what you are doing makes up for it. Also, getting to know the other interns is important too. The person you are working beside can become the next big thing in public relations and they may need employees. Be nice and make connections that can help you out in the long run.
Comment by brittlindsay April 23, 2010 @ 2:15 pm[…] How to Stand Out as an Intern by Marilyn: Having fun is one tip that I think a lot of people forget. Even though it is a work experience it should still be fun. This is the opportunity where you have the chance to explore what you are interested in and learn as much as possible about the field. The worst part about an internship is that most of the time it is unpaid, but the experience and having fun with what you are doing makes up for it. Also, getting to know the other interns is important too. The person you are working beside can become the next big thing in public relations and they may need employees. Be nice and make connections that can help you out in the long run. […]
Pingback by Blog Comments « Brittney Lindsay: I Am My Own Brand April 23, 2010 @ 3:36 pm[…] How to Stand Out as an Intern by Marilyn: Having fun is one tip that I think a lot of people forget. Even though it is a work experience it should still be fun. This is the opportunity where you have the chance to explore what you are interested in and learn as much as possible about the field. The worst part about an internship is that most of the time it is unpaid, but the experience and having fun with what you are doing makes up for it. Also, getting to know the other interns is important too. The person you are working beside can become the next big thing in public relations and they may need employees. Be nice and make connections that can help you out in the long run. Comments RSS feed […]
Pingback by Blog Comments 1-15 « Brittney Lindsay: I Am My Own Brand April 23, 2010 @ 3:38 pmMarilyn, I loved your advice on how to stand out as an intern. It was very different from alot of the other blogs that I have read on the subject. reading all these blogs has got me so excited about doing my internship and I definitely plan on using some of your advice to help me stand out! Most importantly, as I have told the other PR majors, I can’t wait to get hands on into our field and learn learn learn! I’m ready to do my internship now!
Comment by Ashleigh Martin April 23, 2010 @ 3:44 pm[…] […]
Pingback by Talk Back: A List Of The Comments I Have Posted « a PR student at Georgia Southern University April 23, 2010 @ 3:49 pm