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.

How To Find An Internship

Finding internships to apply to can get a bit overwhelming, especially in the public relations field. The problem with our field is PR jobs aren't usually posted. With so many internship websites out there vying for your attention, it’s difficult to tell which ones will be worth looking at for PR internships. The process of trying to find the right internship for you can be a difficult one. This is why I've come up with a list of the best ways to find yourself a PR internship to help make the process a little smoother. 

1. Ask your peers: As is key to PR, networking means everything. Make sure to reach out to your personal networks to see if they know of any openings. If you have a classmate that has a really cool internship you'd be interested in working at, ask away! It never hurts to ask. 

2. Ask your professors: Most likely your PR professors have friends outside of the academia world who need interns! Email your professor and ask if they have time to discuss internship opportunities with them one day after class. You never know what connections they have to the world of PR. 

3. Social Media: Is there a particular company that'd you'd love to work for? Connect with them through their social media platforms. You never know when they will post about an internship opportunity. Or, if you don't have time to lose, comment/message/or tweet at them and ask! Showing initiative is never a bad thing. 

4. Internship Websites: Some of my favorites for PR/Marketing Internships are: www.Internships.com (you can search by major), www.Idealist.org (great for non-profit internships) and www.MediaBistro.com (more for social media internships).

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

3 Questions to Ask at the End of an Interview

Whether you are a student looking to secure an internship for next semester or a recent graduate still on the hunt for a job, you are probably have been real familiar with the interview process. 

During the past couple of months, I have been both an interviewee and interview. As redundant as the interview process can get, I have found that the most interesting part of the actual interview is the end. Although it is important to provide a great first impression to a potential employer, as well as acing the basics of a typical job interview, closing the interview strong is just as important.

Here are three essential questions you should ask you're interviewer at the end of your interview to finish strong and leave a lasting impression to help establish yourself at a top candidate:

1. What Made You Want To Interview Me?
Learning specifically what is in your resume that attracted the interviewers's interest gives you a sense of how the organization, and other potential employers, view your talents. 

2. What Excites You About Coming Into Work? 
People love the opportunity to talk about themselves, so this question provides an excellent chance to learn about the hiring manager and find ways to establish common ground.

3. How Would You Describe Your Best Employees?
This is a subtle way of determining company values!