Summer Internship: Is It Too Late to Find One?

The simple answer is no. It is not too late to find a summer internship. Summer does not technically begin until June 21 so there is still time! While it might be too late to receive school credit for one, if you are looking to gain first hand experience in the PR industry, start searching today.

Here are a few tips to help get your internship search started:

1. Reevaluate your resume: Take a better look at your resume. Make sure you are highlighting things that are relevant to the PR world. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Switch up you "pitch" email. Updating and editing your resume should take place every few months to help ensure you resume is fresh and really speaks to your experience within the field. 

2. Check your school career center: This is a great way to find opportunities that is often overlooked. Reach out to your adviser.

3. Think outside of PR: Being able to get creative and take your search for an internship outside of the typical PR agency is a great way to find hidden opportunities. I once interned at an insurance company and had one of the best experiences to date. Consider other outlets and you never know what you'll find.

How did you find your summer internship? We want to know!

Exposing Myths About Virtual Internships

Last Summer, after securing one internship at a local public relations agency, I was offered another position as a virtual intern. The internship required me to log a certain amount of hours working from home, completing various projects, and being available for conference calls with supervisors and clients. Having one in-office internship and a work from home internship was a great way to gain two very different types of experiences. Many of my friends assumed that my virtual internship was less work, and didn't require much time or dedication, but this was absolutely not the case! That is only one of the myths about virtual internships or working from home.

Here 4 disproved myths from Ragan's list of work from home myths.

Myth: Working from home means you can relax more and not take work seriously.

FALSE! While telecommuting does mean you can often be more flexible about your hours, you still have to dedicate a set amount of time to getting work done.

Myth: If you aren't surrounded by other employees, you will not be as motivated to get work and assignments done.

FALSE! During my virtual internship, I had to communicate with other interns via email, Skype, and phone calls to discuss or progress with certain projects. Knowing that I would have to bring something to the table always motivated me to get my work done!

Myth: It is harder to find time to communicate with the client when you work from home.

FALSE! When I first accepted my position as a virtual intern, I also had to submit my availability  and commit to remaining available at those times. Knowing that I had to be around to be reached at certain times meant that my virtual internship always knew when they could get in contact with me.

Myth: Virtual interns aren't involved with brainstorming and planning.

FALSE! Many of the phone and Skype meetings that we would have were strictly about brainstorming new ideas and planning new projects. One of the major benefits of have virtual interns is that you can find people from many different walks of life to provide fresh ideas!

Have you ever heard of or had a virtual internship? Share your experiences with us!

The Do's and Don'ts of Being An Intern

     Whether it is your first or third time as an intern, you will come to realize no internship is ever exactly the same. Although your duties as an intern may vary, your behavior should always remain the same; be diligent, willing and professional.  

     The internship process can get tricky sometimes, especially if it is your first time. Here are some great "Do's and Don'ts" to remember when interning, provided by PR specialist Lorra Brown:

Don’t ever enter a meeting, even an informal drop by from your manager, without a notebook and pen.

Don’t be afraid to tell your manager you’d like to be busy—ask for more work.

Don’t be a social media or text addict; checking your status and phone can wait.

Don’t leave for lunch or at the end of the day without checking with your boss or peers to see if they need help with anything before you go.

Don’t decorate your cube with college party pictures; you are a working adult now.

Don’t party. You may be at a fun work function or event, but you are working (regardless of how much fun your bosses may seem to be having).

Do proofread everything. No matter how mundane the task or email may seem, attention to detail and pride of ownership will pay off.

Do take initiative and come up with ideas for projects, pitches, organization, etc. Show your value. Great ideas can come from anywhere, including the intern. 


Do ask questions and ask for clarification if you are unsure of an assignment. Asking your manager to help you prioritize is wise, too.

Do provide short check-in emails or updates to your manager regarding the status of projects.

Do solicit feedback and ask for areas in which you need to improve.

Do treat this as a job audition. Most companies are looking at you as a possible future colleague.

You Survived the Internship….Now What?

So you landed an awesome internship, worked hard to make a good impression, stressed over writing a good press release, and now it’s coming to an end. What are you suppose to do? Wave goodbye and walk out the door? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Here are four tips to end your internship as strong as you started it: 

Tip 1- First and Foremost…. Remember your manners!

It is extremely important to thank the people who gave you this amazing learning opportunity. An email can be sent to everyone at a small agency or just the PR department at a large company. If someone acted as a mentor to you, a hand written note is a thoughtful way to acknowledge their guidance and support.

Tip 2- Don’t Forget your writing samples!

A well written press release is a great addition to any portfolio. Ask if it is okay to use the company printer to print your writing samples on company letterhead. Doing this helps build a portfolio that has variety and looks professional!

Tip 3- Take all the advice you can get…. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

An internship is not simply a resume builder, but also a valuable learning experience. Seek out positive and negative feedback and improve upon it. You may have a fun writing style, but your grammar may need some TLC. Let your superiors be honest with you. It is better to learn from your mistakes now than later.

Tip 4- Establish connections… networking is crucial in PR!

Ask your supervisors for permission to use their name as future references. Landing an internship can sometimes be a game of “who knows who.” Interested in healthcare PR? Maybe somebody at your current internship has a contact at a hospital that you may be able to use. 

As your internship comes to close, it is important to finish as strong as you started. People will remember an intern who was both professional and polite and prepared for their next step. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lauren Bentley.

Credit Well Deserved for Interns

An interesting article written this past week in the New York Times caught my interest, as it greatly correlated with Temple, The article “Giving Credit, but Is It Due?” by Kevin Carey highlights the prominent issues that colleges are having with granting academic credit to students fortunate enough to be offered internships. However, the deans of colleges should be aware that this could make or break some students’ careers. Carey writes “the best way to learn history involves reading books and attending history classes led by historians. The best way to learn business often involves working in a business.”

As we all know, the PR field requires a heavy amount of hands-on experience in order to progress and gain credibility. Applying for jobs is not the same as when our parents applied, and internship experience is now a requirement in order to be considered for a quality job. Since the majority of internships are unpaid, more and more companies are insisting that their interns receive educational credit for legal liability purposes. That way the companies are providing some sort of compensation for their hard work. However, many colleges, including Ivy League schools, don’t even offer internship credit to their undergraduate students. This deprives students the opportunity to gain useful experience in their field and sets them below the standards to gain quality jobs post grad. 

As of now, Temple allows its students to gain three credits for completing a semester long internship. But is that enough? The hunt for internships can begin as early as sophomore year, and some students may accumulate up to three or four internships prior to graduation. It seems more sensible to allocate six to twelve credits towards the hours of hard work. This is a recurring issue now, and as more companies require credit, the issue will only continue to escalate until a more suitable alternative is provided. Any internship that helps us channel what we’ve learned in class into a professional environment is valuable, and no one should ever be deprived of that kind of experience. It’s important for students to have the chance to take advantage of every opportunity that may set them apart from the competition. Colleges and universities can contribute to making job searches less stressful by encouraging their students to be known and heard through as many internships as possible!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Madeline Barry

Money Management and the PR Intern

While internships offer a great chance to gain experience in the field, working for no pay can really cause your bank account to take a hit. While it is more than possible to work a job while you intern, that can often prove to be difficult and many interns end up using their savings to fund their internship season. Whether you are holding down another job or not, these money management tips will help you and your bank account stay out of the red.

• Create a budget: Figure out how much money you are bringing in, and what money needs to be spent where. Some areas of your budget may include: transportation, bills, food/groceries, and rent.
• Prioritize your spending: Decide what you need to spend money on and what can wait to be bought later. Remember, bills and debts should always be paid first. Hold off on luxury expenses like clothing and electronics if you can.
• Save: The fastest way to run out of money is by spending it all. Make sure you include savings in your budget, so that you never end up completely broke. Remember that a little can go a long way, and that saving something is always better than saving nothing.
• Collaborate with other interns: Most of the interns you work with are probably as strapped for cash as you are. Talk to them, and see if you can all work together and help each other out. Maybe you can all carpool to the office to save money on transportation. Also, older interns may know of resources than can be beneficial to you, such as transportation stipends. 

I hope these tips help you thrive in your internships and finances.