Category Archives: Communications Studies

5 Ways to Score an Amazing Internship

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So you’re in your senior year, taking a look back at the all the late nights studying, long weekends ‘networking’, and countless part time jobs. And a couple of road trips to the Cape sprinkled on top for panache.

But now, looking ahead, youhave no idea what to do! Everyone your age has experience already and all you’ve got is working at McDonald’s for two months during the summer. Well I have good news and bad news.

Good News: There is always time to get an internship! Lots of workplaces take college grads as interns for the summer after they graduate, plus they are more likely to hire you full time come the fall!

Bad News: There are college seniors who have already had three internships and are applying for the same jobs as you. And sometimes, well most of the time, the experience on their resume will outshine your class work and other fluff you’ve put in to make it a page.

But have no fear! I’m here to help you find an award winning internship (or at least one to get by with) for the Spring. And who knows, maybe a potential job for after graduation!

1. There are a lot of websites out there to guide you in the right direction, one of my favorites is internshipratings.com. The website breaks the internships first by state, then major city and of course category. They have two rating systems, one involving questions on what type of work the internship involved and the other dealing with how the internship related to their school work. Also, they have a breakdown of what the internship can help with i.e., networking, salary compensation, fair hours etc. This website is best for the independent go get-er.

2. Career services, located on the ground floor of the Rondileau Campus Center, offers a wealth of knowledge for the unknowing.  Not only will they edit your resume and give helpful suggestions, but if you are a senior you can schedule an appointment for Senior Recruiting. During Senior Recruiting they will let you in on all of the amazing events they host throughout the semester (found on their webpage) as well as talk to you about your future plans and how to make them happen!

3. Monster.com is an amazing resource for people looking for a job! It not only offers you a place to supply potential employers your resume, but it is all completely free! After signing up and uploading your resume, which has been critique by career services, you can begin searching through thousands of jobs in your industry as well as location. Although it may seem confusing at first, if you take a deep breath and just look around your first time on the site you’ll find your second visit is easy. By the third time you’ll have mastered it and be submitting you resume by the hundreds! And for people unsure of this- over the summer I was contacted by FMglobal‘s HR department who had found my resume on Monster and wanted to bring me in to interview for an editorial internship at headquarters! So remember not only are you able to submit your resume Employers are able to find you based on the qualities that they are looking for.

4. Create your own blog! A blog is an amazing way to put yourself out there. Not only can you share your own ideas about what is happening in your industry, but you can alsocreate a name for yourself and showcase your writing ability. Another important tactic with blogs, is to add potential employer’s blogs to your google reader account, this way you can keep tabs on what is happening in your industry and be able to bring them up in your interview.

5. Up your Twitter game! Not only should you have a Twitter account, but you should also be tweeting..DAILY!  Twitter is an important tool for college students, it not only gives them insight into the “real world”, in an easy to digest 140 characters, but it also shares current world events. My favorite part about twitter are hash tag chats. This is when a group of people get together and use the same hash-tag (#hashtag < that’s what you would put if you were in achat talking about hash tags) to chat about something going on. You can usually jump into any chat, and can find them by following some industry leaders. Use these chats to network with the people you want to work for!

Hopefully this helps you on your way to finding your next, or first, internship!

Good Luck!

Have you had an Internship yet, Do you have other tips to finding one? How do you go about finding Internships/Jobs?

This is a cross post with the RCC blog. (go check it out and read some amazing posts!

Grad school or Not…THAT is the question

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As many seniors are starting their final year of school this is the question that continues to pop up. Do we want to sit in a classroom talking about how great our future jobs are going to be, or do we want to be out there getting paid to do our amazing jobs.

I’m stuck.

There are so many benefits to going to Grad school, especially while you are young and don’t have a family to worry about, but I don’t know if I can handle two more years of being school.

So, for your benefit (but mainly mine) I came up with a pro/con list…

Pro

  • Entering the work place with a master’s degree makes you ahead of the game. Your employer won’t have to fire you when the next cuts come (down the line) getting rid of everyone who does not have a masters.
  • Getting it done after your bachelors leaves no room for forgetting facts or getting out of the groove of being in school. My mom went back to finish her bachelors and get her Masters when my sister and I were 16, and it was twice as hard for her …she was not only running a household (my father didn’t seem to be able to grasp the new century/new woman concept) but she had a full-time job which supported her family.
  • Am I ready for the work place environment? I feel like I am, but I’m terrified to step into a job knowing there is no security of “just being a student” to fall back on.
  • I love school. Although I’m beginning to get fed up with theory teaching, I do still love cracking open the first textbook of a semester and smelling it.
  • Going to Grad school would be a challenge, but in a good way.
  • It would probably be easier to find a job afterwards.
  • I would have more time to get away with doing internships (i.e. explaining it to my parents that internships are still acceptable, I know they are after school…but my parents don’t understand)
  • I Could always do a study abroad or tour while I’m studying at the school…or just go to a school abroad.

Con

  • Money, going to Grad school is expensive. I realize there are student loans, and assitanceships…but it is still expensive!
  • New School=New friends…I know I’m all for going on adventures but starting a new school is scary, I was lucky enough to have my best friend start college with me (didn’t finish it, but started)…so to go into a two-year program by myself after having a close group of friends for the past four years is a little overwhelming.
  • Do I really want to be in school for 18 years?
  • Is it too late to apply? I feel like most of my peers took the GRE’s last spring. I haven’t even signed up, written an essay …letters of recommendation? so many things that are important in this process and I’ve failed at all of them. Am I even cut out for Grad school?
  • I’d have to delay Traveling
  • Current friends…if my friends and I are at different places in our lives will we lose touch? We’re really close but if I move to…California will we stay close? I hope the answer is yes, but it’s hard to imagine any college experience without the people who have helped pushed me through the rough patches.
  • Would a Grad school even accept me? I don’t know if I would want to go through a rejection process with schools…I get that enough in my dating life.

Other options:

  • Delay Grad School for a semester
  • Find a job that would pay for Grad school because it would enhance their company by sending me (I can dream..right?)
  • Become a bum, and do nothing?
  • Move to Hollywood and become an actress (move over Hannah Montana)
  • Or just to work for a year or two gaining experience, then go back and finish…well start.

Maybe I’m just not ready to graduate? Which is kind of funny because, I remember the first day of school saying “I can not wait to graduate and get out of this place!” …Now here I am four years later not ready to leave.

So what about you? Did you go to Grad school? Did you regret not going? Are you in the same place?