I am applying and interviewing for several internships for the fall semester.

I’m afraid that the facilities will assume I will accept it since I interviewed for it. However, I want some time to weigh my options before I decide. How do I maneuver this situation without breaking ties and being perceived as unprofessional?

Laura

A: Hi Laura!

I’m glad you are already on top of your fall applications! Unfortunately, you don’t always have too much time to decide on internship offers. Once you get the offer, I suggest that you use your best judgment and either accept the internship on the spot or ask them if you can have a week or so to decide and  get back to them since it’s  to early in the year. Make  sure you say, “thank you so much for the opportunity, do you mind if I take one week to make my final decision and get back to you?” If you feel that this statement might make them pull back the offer, go ahead and accept the position. If you get offered another position that you’d rather take and you think is better suited to your career needs, call the internship coordinator. Do not email the internship coordinator as it’s hard to get the right tone across over email. Thank them for their time, apologize, and tell them you received another offer that you think better suits your career goals and you wanted to let them know you would be unable to intern for the fall ASAP. This is an awkward situation but it happens all of the time – at the end of the day, you must do what is best for your career.

Good luck! You will be amazing!

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

Meet our New Ambassador, Ariam!

Journalists are ordinary people who hold powerful information to society. For years I have worked to channel my energy into writing for the better of the community and as a journalism student at Stony Brook University, I’ve been explored to a world of phone antics, pressing deadlines, and rigorous red marks known as the “copy-editing” guidebook. As an aspiring journalist, it is essential to obtain internships to strengthen networking skills and build connections with different publications and companies. So far I have interned at two virtual internships; the first is Bleacher Report, which is one of the nation’s leading online sports publication and emcBlue.com, which is a social media community blog dedicated to music and fashion. As a remote intern, I had the advantage of using social media to promote the companies branding and communicated with editors and fellow interns via e-mail. Other extracurricular activities include blogging for Double Dutch magazine, which is an up-and-coming magazine geared towards empowering young women and being a guide to learn about New York City programs. I am also a student member of New York Women in Communications. This is my first summer as a member, so I am hopeful in becoming more active and participating in some of the programs this summer.

I am a rising junior at Stony Brook University and am expected to graduate in May 2013. I am working towards a BA in Journalism and a minor in political science.

So you want a social media internship?

Social media jobs seem to be everywhere right now. Given the fact that our generation has grown up using these emerging technologies, some companies are defaulting to our experience. It’s easy to assume that any member of Generation Y is a natural fit for a social media internship, but this isn’t exactly the case. Companies are looking for specific skills, not just a presence. If you are on the hunt for a social media internship, make sure you adhere to the following tips:

Try your hand at any platform you discover

Everyone has a Facebook, so that’s not going to impress anyone. If you want an internship in social media, I’d say that twitter and Linkedin accounts are a must. On top of that, I’d recommend registering for an account on tumblr & foursquare, and you should seriously consider starting a blog on WordPress or Blogger.

Keep it clean

Social media symbolizes the face of a brand. No company wants to hire someone that they can’t trust to represent their organization in a positive, professional manner. Take some time to go through your Facebook pictures making sure that you are “putting your best face forward.” Think twice before complaining about your current job on tumblr, and never under any circumstances tweet under the influence. (You don’t want a Red Cross situation on your hands.)

Introduce yourself

In the social media realm, getting the attention of the right person can be a huge deal. Twitter is a great opportunity to virtually network with people in your desired industry. Instead of just sending a resume, you should follow employees of the company, especially anyone who might have authority over who is hired. Don’t be afraid to start talking with them; ask questions about the company, comment on articles they publish, etc. Once they start to narrow down the candidates, your name will already be in their head.

Amplify your presence

Why not take the last suggestion one step further? Think outside the box, and you’ll certainly be a candidate to remember. If you take the time to make a video for your prospective employer, there’s a good chance they will take the time to watch it. Check out this article to see what one job seeker did in order to catch the attention of Krispy Kreme’s marketing department. He was contacted within hours of starting a “hire me” campaign, and just days later he got the job.

I can personally attest to the fact that these tips work, when appropriately executed. I was hired as a Student Social Media Strategist for Syracuse University without ever talking to my future boss (except on Twitter, of course.) I followed her on Twitter, starting engaging with her, and soon enough I had a job offer in my direct messages. This summer I will be working as a Social Media Marketing Intern at American Eagle Outfitters. The day after I applied, I got a call from their campus recruiter saying that the department manager had looked at my online resume and read of a few of my blog posts before I even submitted my application. (I had been following her on Twitter as well.)

The important thing to remember is that even though this is a relatively new type of position, you can’t go in unarmed. Companies are still expecting you to show that you are well qualified. Even if you don’t have any professional experience working with social media, you can still prove that you are the best candidate by maintaining a strong, professional presence on a variety of networks.

–

@AdamBritten is a recent graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in marketing management.

This is a guest post from Campus Ambassador Melinda Price from Miami University of Ohio.

Since internships are a valued experience for your future employer, it’s pretty much expected you’ll have some experience upon college graduation. However, holding an internship during your college career can be a challenge to work around.

Between classes, extra-curricular activities, office hours, a social life, and sometimes a paid job, when in the world will you have the time to commit to an internship? The answer for some people, including myself, is a virtual or online internship. This type of internship works around your schedule and you can do it on your own time.

For example, I am currently an editorial intern for Pretty Young Professional. The start-up website is aimed at young, professional women who are looking for career and life advice pertaining to subjects related to women. My job in particular for the company is creating content, editing, generating ideas for new topics, social marketing for the site, and I work closely with the founding team. But I do it all from my own college room.

The articles that I edit and write are generally due within a week, but I can do them whenever I find time in my schedule. For the most part, this means I do my internship assignments in morning when I’m not in class, in my breaks between classes, or after I get home from work at night.

A lot of online internship employers are also willing to have some kind of flexibility with deadlines. Since they are hiring college students, your boss will realize that you have a lot on your plate and can give allowances. Also, they don’t care when you work on it, as long as it is done in a timely manner.

Another advantage of an online internship is that all the resources you need are on your computer. Not only is this really convenient because most students today haul their laptops around anyway, but you can work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Since everything is on your computer, it is important to back up your files with a flash drive or other device. It might make for an angry employer if you lose necessary content.

One important thing to note when looking into an online internship is your phone and email etiquette. Since a lot of your contact with your boss, co-workers, and potential clients will be via email and phone, it is important to note that you are being professional in your conversations. Make your voicemail message one that you want employers to hear and your email content worth reading.

Many times, in a virtual internship is a special skill to know the social media language. Candidates for virtual internships (and all jobs) have an advantage when they are fluent in using new media. My advice is to create a Twitter or Facebook, if you don’t have one already, to test the waters so this area will not be your weakness.

Holding a virtual internship does have some requirements, but is a great option for someone who can’t find time to hold a full-time internship but want to gain some experience in their field. This will also signal to future employers that you are familiar with being professional in your communication and have knowledge of the online world.

This is a guest post from our campus ambassador Andrea Teggart from Ohio University.

Hopefully this list gets you excited for your internship and fabulous summer in DC! I also found this post: ”Fun Under Age 21: A Guide to 21 Things To Do in Washington”. That will give you even more ideas and suggestions for making this summer an absolutely amazing time. Enjoy!

This is a guest post from our campus ambassador Emily Vontum from Eastern Michigan State University.

This year, I am heavily involved in a lot of things. I am a full time student, a member of PRSSA, part of the Residence Hall Association, a tutor, I work part-time and I am a campus ambassador.

            Sometimes it gets stressful to keep track of everything I have to do! That is why I rely on To Do Lists! I love, love, love “to do” lists. They give me a realistic look at everything I have to get done.

I have three steps for my To-Do Lists:

1. Write down everything for every class, organization and job that I have that I need to get done with the date they need to be done.
2.  Next, I take a good look at everything. You would be surprised by how many of the things on your To-Do List are quick and easy things that will just take a few minutes each. I get those done right away.
3. Finally, I put everything else in my planner on the corresponding date. That way, I have it in my mind whenever I open my planner.

Of course, my system won’t work for everyone. You need to figure out what system works best for you and stick to it. To Do Lists and planners are very important ways to stay organized, keep your priorities straight and go through college with ease.

This is a guest blog by our campus ambassador Kayla Stevens from University of South Florida.

Anyone who is studying public relations, advertising, graphic design or any of the alike subjects, already knows that social media is a core part of our growing generation. While we might know the most popular social networks of today’s industry (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn), not everyone knows how they came to be.

This semester I came across four books that I have found to be pretty inspiring. Not only do they elaborate on how companies such as Google and Twitter came about, but they also discuss how these networks fit into our every day life.

1. Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott
2. Googled by Ken Auletta
3. Twitterville by Shel Israel
4. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick

If you’ve read any of these books, which one(s) did you enjoy?

This is a guest post by our campus ambassador Angeliz Torres from University of Puerto Rico

Hello everyone! I hope you’ve found my last two blogs to be useful. This will be the last
part of my Study Abroad series in which I’ll talk about what happened and what I did
once I was back home. Besides getting hit by reality, there are a few things I had to think
about, and you should to.

Reflect your experience, accomplishments, new friends, knowledge gained, and
everything else you got involved with! Now comes the tricky part, what are you going
to do about it? Personally, I did a lot of volunteer work and community service and was
involved in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) so I started looking for community service
initiatives in Puerto Rico and get to know the local SIFE coordinators so I could begin
working with that here at home. So, think about what you did while you were abroad
and look to continue your efforts at home whether it be by joining the local chapter of an
organization or doing your own thing.

There’s a newfound confidence in you, make the most of it! I had just been away from
home for a semester, I had grown independent and I wasn’t going to back down. Take
initiative in looking for internships, mentorships or student advisor positions. Have faith
in your decisions and stick with them, believe me, conviction goes a long way.

Share your experiences with your friends and classmates. I believe everyone should go
abroad at least once during their college life and take on the challenge a new culture
presents. Volunteer to be a Study Abroad Advisor (I did!) and help others achieve what
you did. Like I said before, reflect and remember what you went through before and
during your study abroad experience and motivate others into searching for different
programs in order to find the one that best suits their needs.

Finally, don’t forget to keep in touch! I met lots of new friends, professors, and faculty
members that made my experience unique and I still tell them about how life’s treating
me now that I’m back in Puerto Rico. Professors like to know about your academic
progress and that you’re really trying to better yourself. Also, you always want to know
how your friends are doing, add them on FaceBook and Twitter! You never know when
you’ll need their help.

I hope everyone found my Study Abroad Series useful and I encourage you all to go
abroad and explore the world beyond your country of origin. You never know what
you’ll find and learn.

Recently I have had some friends who vented to me about their lack of experience and positions when it comes to their resumes. Due to jobs and other commitments they have no field experience, but they have a great work ethic. It is not easy to stand out amongst all the competition when applying for jobs and internships, but that does not mean one should lose hope! There are a few ways to make your resume look just as appealing!

1. Build relationships with your professors. This can be a lifesaver in college. Not only do they have great advice, but also some professors are truly willing to go through hoops to help you succeed. If they know you are a hard worker, you may even be able to get a letter or recommendation to go with your resume!
2. Join organizations at school and in the community that pertain to your major. If you are unable to dedicate all of your time to an internship, clubs are a great alternative because they are not an everyday commitment. Also you can put these on your resumes and it looks good to be involved!
3. Volunteer. Volunteering is a great resume booster and you can do this in your free time. Pick something that relates to your major or something you are passionate about and go for it! Even volunteering on campus shows employers you go above and beyond by being involved on campus.

This is a guest post by our campus ambassador Chandra Robrock from Florida State University.

This summer, I landed an amazing fashion PR internship in New York City thanks to Intern Queen Inc. Although I worked hard for the past year in order to gain relevant experience, I learned several valuable tips thanks to Lauren Berger & other knowledgeable sources which really made landing a summer internship in New York a piece of cake.

1. THE COVER LETTER – We all know the basics of what should go in a cover letter – a brief introduction, overview of your experience, why you want to intern with this company, what you bring to the table, etc. If you are planning to intern in a different state, you MUST mention that in your cover letter. Let the employer know that you WILL be relocating to where this company is located & include dates. This connects the dots for the employer so there is no confusion as to why you are applying to their company when you live nowhere near them.

2. THE FOLLOW UP – Last year, when I was on the internship search, I never followed up with companies that I sent out resumes to. HUGE mistake. Although it may seem like you are bothering them, a brief follow up highlighting your interest in interning for their company shows that you are serious about this opportunity & eager to learn. Of course, following up does not guarantee an internship (nor does it guarantee a response), when I followed up with companies I heard back from nearly all of them. Several of them stated that they wouldn’t be interviewing for a couple of months so they asked that I email them closer to that date to set something up.

3. THE THANK YOU NOTE – This is a crucial step that should not be forgotten. If possible, send a hand written note to the employer but if you have no other way of contacting them, send a formal & polite email.  Try to make this thank you note as personal as possible by referencing your conversation and reinforcing your interest in their company. The thank you note shows that you are appreciative of their time & willing to go that extra step in order to impress them.

4. STAY ORGANIZED! – If you are applying to several different internship opportunities, you can easily get carried away. My best advice for you would be to create an Excel document which keeps track of which companies you sent your resume to, the contact’s name/email address, the date you sent your resume out & the date you followed up (if applicable). I would also keep track of their responses so you know whether or not they are interested.

I hope these tips find you well! Good luck for all of you that are currently searching for that perfect internship!