3 Things to Consider Before Quitting Your Internship

Internships are essential for growing your resume and gaining experience throughout your professional journey. Yet and still, not every internship leaves you feeling prepared and established; some leave much to be desired. And in the most extreme cases, there may be cause to check out early and spare yourself some time wasted.

Quitting your internship can be a hard decision to make, and shouldn't be done without careful consideration. Even when it's best to leave, you want to be sure you've covered all of your bases and exit without burning any bridges.

If your internship isn't going as well as you expected, and you think you may be reaching the tipping point, here are some steps you can take before handing in your notice:

Seek out a mentor

Mentors are great personal and professional resources to have, especially when making difficult decisions. If your aren't having the greatest internship experience, try seeking out an older or more experienced mentor who you can confide in about your concerns. Ask for advice, or what they would do in your shoes. They may be able to provide an alternative or means to turn your situation around.

Talk with your supervisor

Your internship supervisor is there to assist and guide you through your internship. If your experience isn't executing as you planned it would, try setting up a meeting and talking about your role with your supervisor. If you thought you'd be writing more or handling media relations, express that to your supervisor. There may be more of what you expect down the road. It's also a good time for your supervisor to recognize your drive and see how willing you are to do and learn more during your time with the organization.

Provide some solutions

If you know exactly which aspects of your internship are causing you to consider leaving, come up with some possible solutions to the issue. Present these to your boss and see if they'd be willing to let you steer the rest of your time in that direction. Some internship programs don't give interns certain responsibilities simply because they haven't thought of it yet. This is another chance to show your drive and commitment to your position.

If you feel that you've covered all of your basis and ultimately want to leave, be sure to do so as professionally as possible. Provide at least two weeks notice, and thank everyone for providing you the opportunity. Always maintain a healthy professional relationship, because you never know when you'll need them again.

Have you ever quit an internship? What steps did you take before deciding to quit? Share with us in the comments!

5 Easy Steps To Boost Your Confidence & Credibility

While the old adage "fake it til you make it" may seem a bit cliche, oftentimes our lack of confidence and feelings of inadequacy keep us from reaching our full potential. With college students are prepping to return to class and new graduates are experiencing their first Fall in the work force, there is no better time to set an intention to make this upcoming season your best one yet.

You can only be as successful as the leaps you are willing to take on your own behalf. Before anyone else can support or help you along your way, you must be willing to first invest time in your own development. Here are five easy steps that you can take towards boosting your confidence and credibility.

1. Make a monetary investment in yourself. Willingness to shell out a few bucks shows that you're ready to make a commitment. One week of sacrificing your morning latte is enough to pay for custom business cards; packing lunch for a few weeks help you save up for a new blazer. Sacrifice a bit to save money for an investment that makes you feel like a better professional.

2. Choose your own titles. You don't have to wait until you're in a role to give yourself the title. Review your skills, and draft your own titles from that set. If you want to become a social media manager, change your social media bios to read something like 'Social media expert with a passion for non-profit work.' Start making a name for yourself so that people know what to reach out to you for. Just remember to always be honest, and only call yourself what you truly feel capable of expanding on later (like during an interview).

3. Have experts speak for you. Nothing helps to boost your confidence and credibility like knowing that someone else believes in you. Having that person shout your greatness to the world is an added bonus. Reach out to previous supervisors and co-workers and ask them to share a few sentences about you and your abilities. You can add these testimonials to your website, if you have one, or bring them up while networking or interviewing.

4. Stop being modest. While humility is a virtuous quality, there are times when boasting your skills and abilities is necessary. Write down your accomplishments, results you've achieved in and out of your field, and read them to yourself out loud. Get used to speaking out your accomplishments so that when it's time to really talk yourself up, you feel comfortable sharing your successes.

5. Pitch yourself without prompt. Your dream job or internship may not be posted online, or even be in existence yet. If you really want that dream position, you may have to be bold and create it yourself. Pitch yourself, your skills and your services to brands and companies who may not be explicitly looking for a professional like you. Worst case scenario, they won't need your services at that time. But when they do need someone, the person who took a risk and pitched themselves will definitely stand out.

What steps have you taken to boost your confidence and credibility? Any of the tips above?

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Senior Year Prep 101

As the weeks of Summer continue to pass, students everywhere are starting to prep for their return back to campus. Among those students are a very special group --the seniors. The one's who are prepping to make this return from Summer for the last time.

There are many challenges that incoming seniors face as they prepare to complete their last semesters in college. From crafting and sending out resume and cover letters, to wondering if "x amount of internships is really enough to get me a job," to the endless answering of the daunting question "so what are you going to do post-grad?" All while dealing with the realization that, in just a few months, the real world awaits.

As one of those incoming seniors, I'm here to attest: this season is a lot.

Rather than stress over the situation, the best way to walk into a new, albeit nerve racking, experience is by taking the time to do a little preparation beforehand. Here are some easy ways that you can prepare to enter your senior year with a little less stress.

Start reviewing job applications. You don't necessarily need to start applying this far in advance, but knowing how job postings and applications are worded and where to find them will be incredibly helpful a few months down the line. Look into different companies that you may not be as familiar with and see what kinds of openings they have, and where you may be interested in applying later.

Reach out to old supervisors and mentors. Now is the time to take advantage of the network you've been creating for yourself. Reach out to your old internship supervisors, managers or any mentors that you've met over the years. Ask them for advice, any strengths or weaknesses they observed in you, and suggestions that they have for your last few semesters.

Discover your interests. While most seniors tense up and roll their eyes each time they're asked 'so, what do you want to do?', it's a question worth exploring. And if you don't have a concrete answer right away, that is more than normal and totally acceptable. Rather than beat yourself up over this, take some time to explore your interests. Social media, media relations, internal communications, corporate communications --the PR world is vast and expansive and has a place for everyone.

Next time someone inquirers about your post grad plans, instead of answering with stutters and uncertainty, explain your interests. Saying "I have an interest in community management and corporate communication" or even, "I'm taking time to explore all of the opportunities my field has to offer," sounds much more confident than "I don't want to think about it."

Review your list of work. Chances are, you've done a lot in your previous semesters that employers would love to hear about. Did you coordinate an event for a student organization? Did you join the student run PR firm on campus? All of these things add up and they matter! Take some time to list all of your work, breaking down your individual work on each project --including the results! Once you've done this, rework your resume to make it come to life as a living portfolio.

Create a portfolio. Speaking of portfolios, if you don't already have one, now's the time to create it! A portfolio is a compilation of all of your work, put together in an organized and easy-to-follow format. Spend some time collecting writing samples and projects you've worked on in a binder or digital format that you can take with you on interviews.

Seniors, we could spend months and weeks preparing for our last lap, but in the midst of all of this, it is equally important that we celebrate the fact that we've made it this far, and that we are close to accomplishing a huge milestone in life. Remember that all work and no play isn't a recipe for success. Make the memories of your last year good ones, and know that you can handle whatever lies ahead.

6 Ways To Avoid Email Overwhelm

Most professionals have a love/hate relationship with their email inboxes. Between never ending email threads and an ever growing number in the 'unread' column, it is easy to feel that your inbox is taking over your professional, or even personal, life.

Luckily, there are easy ways to regain control of your inbox. Here are six easy ways to make take some of the dread out of your mailbox:

1. Get rid of the junk. Have you noticed that half of the emails you skim through or instantly delete during the day are subscriptions or promotional offers you no longer want or need? Take the plunge, and remove yourself from those lists to avoid added clutter in your inbox. Use an unsubscribe service like unroll.me to help wade through what should stay and what should go.

2. Create labels or folders to help you organize. Labels and folders are a great way to make sense of your inbox and can help to sort through junk. Label or file always emails with important dates or information that you can't delete right away.

3. Don't hold on to old messages. Instead of having messages linger in your inbox, hit that delete button and let it go. If a message or thread contains important information, use a filter or folder to deal with it later. Otherwise, let go and don't allow the clutter to build.

4. Avoid numerous drafts. Drafts are a great way to work on an email before you're ready to send, but the draft folder can fill up rather quickly. Once your done crafting and your email is ready to send, go back and empty the draft folder back to zero. There is no need to take up space and add more clutter

5. Manage as you go. With all of our email now conveniently stored on our smartphones, keeping up with email during the day is easier than ever. If you have a few minutes while waiting in line or sitting in traffic, take a second a sift through. You're likely to find that there are some messages you can delete without even opening.

6. Stop emailing yourself! The advances in cloud software have made taking your files with you everywhere easier than ever. Services like Google Drive and Dropbox, which are offered free, are great to use. Gone are the days when you had to email yourself an attachment, message or reminder - further clogging your inbox.

What do you do to help avoid email overwhelm? Share your email tips with us in the comments!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

As the Summer comes to an end, many of us are preparing to leave the internships we've held for the past months. This can be a tough time, as you've likely made friends and great connections that you won't want to leave behind. Once you develop a routine and relationships at an internship, not having it anymore can be a huge change.

Because you are an amazing intern, it is likely that your boss will be just as sad to see you leave. Depending on where you intern and how their program is run, your boss may even ask you to stay on the team for a little longer. This is great, as it's a sign that you've done something right and you've made an impact on the team there! However, before you answer, consider these things:

Why am I staying? Do you really want to stay at this internship, or are you just afraid to put yourself out there again? Fear should never be a determining factor in your professional decisions.

Will they continue to challenge me? If you know that you'd be staying on working on the same projects, it may not be beneficial for you to stay aboard. The purpose of an internship is to push yourself into new experiences and learn from trying new things. Doing the same thing for another 3-4 months isn't ideal.

Do I want to intern someplace else? It's perfectly fine to want to experience different professional environments. You only have certain times where an internship is possible, so make sure you are gaining experiences from a variety of places that interest you.

Can I afford to keep interning? Many students work during certain seasons and semesters to save up and match the difference of an unpaid internship. Will keeping your current internship fit within the limits of your budget?

No matter your reasoning or what you decide, you should respond to your boss in a polite and timely manner. If you decide to leave, they will have to begin interviewing applicants, so don't take too long and leave them without help. If you decide to stay, remember to communicate with your boss what your expectations for the months to come are.

Are you currently deciding whether to stay at or leave an internship? What factors are you considering?

No One Likes a Know-It-All

"I know everything, I rarely ask questions (because I have all of the answers), and I never have to take notes," said no successful PR professional ever. Professionals in every field always want to come off knowledgable, even when they aren't completely sure of what they're talking about. Seeming as though you're out of the loop in front of bosses or clients isn't ideal, but sometime's it is inevitable. During these moments, it is important that you admit to having an answer instead of making something up and risking your reputation.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have to admit "I don't know everything," put some of these tips into practice:

• Be honest - It is okay if you don't have an answer to your boss or client's question, but it is never okay to lie to them. Do not make up an answer or lie under pressure. This will absolutely come back to haunt you.
• Be professional - Oftentimes when we are placed in situations that don't make us look good, we get defensive. It is essential that you keep your cool, and don't come off as attacking the person asking you a question. 
• Seek out an answer - While not knowing something is perfectly fine, it is essential that you work to find out the information being requested. If a client has a question, do some research and provide them with the best answer possible. It is never okay to leave someone hanging.
• Call in reinforcements - If you are really struggling to find something out, maybe the answer lies beyond your own resources. Ask a fellow team member if they know where you can find what you're looking for. If needed, go to someone higher than you who has likely dealt with this type of situation before. Two heads are often better than one. 
• Take notes for next time - More than likely, someone will request information like this from you again. Remember who you went to to find out the answers, so that next time will be less of a hassle.

Do not feel embarrassed when you have to tell someone "I don't know." It shouldn't be expected that you know everything about everything. As long as you follow a proper procedure and handle the situation professionally, it will all work out in the end. 

For more on admitting that you don't have all of the answers, check out PR Daily's article on how to say "I Don't Know."

Advice For The End Of The Rope

As PR professionals, we are known for wanting to get things done right, in a timely manner, the first time around. What this usually boils down to is us exclaiming "I can just do it better myself." Before we know it, we are sitting under a pile of stress, operating like a robot, getting through the day on too many cups of coffee with our loved ones questioning our sanity. While the events leading up to us reaching the end of our ropes are often out of our control, there are ways to get things done without, for lack of a better word, dying.

If you find yourself on the edge, please don't jump! Instead, utilize some of these tips to help get you through:

• Speak up: PR professionals like to look as though we have everything under total control, even when we're sweating bullets and crying between press conferences. If you know you are starting to get overwhelmed, talk to your team, your friends, anyone! Going through it alone won't make anything better.
• Ask for help: Accept the fact that two heads are better than one, and you can't do this alone. Call in reinforcements, delegate responsibilities, and trust in the abilities of others. Contrary to popular belief, you aren't the only one who can get things done. There is likely a young intern around who is more than willing to help out!
• "No" isn't a bad word: You are only one person, and while multitasking is sometimes necessary it doesn't enable you to be everything to everyone. If someone asks you to do something that you cannot manage, say no. If it really needs to be done, someone will do it. 
• Put yourself first: It's one thing when work is stressful, but when you bring that stress home, it makes for a very tough situation. When you stop working for the day, do something that allow you to rejuvenate and prepare for the next steps. Eating well and getting sleep should be at the top of your list of priorities. 

While taking your job seriously is important, it isn't everything. The same way the world keeps spinning while you're asleep, it will also keep spinning if you say no or take a day off. At the end of the day, it's just PR.