HOW TO GET INTERNSHIP

Many things in life are better when they are in combination with side dishes, like fries with a soda or coffee with sugar and cream or a salad with dressing.  Your education and an internship have a same nature of relationship.  Each field of study, which leads to a degree, has a unique vocabulary that encompasses the concepts and skills that will be used on a job within the field.  Good grades or a great GPA do show that a student has mastered the many ideas and vocabulary required to succeed in a particular major field of study. While it is absolutely necessary to master these concepts and skills in the classroom; what’s lacking is the additional “side dish” component of experience demonstrating the practical application, in a professional work setting, of those learned concepts and skills, like a coffee without the whipped cream, or salad without the dressing

Having just a great GPA is no longer enough. In an increasingly competitive employment situation and especially in a depressed economy an internship is invaluable for a student to have. It is critical to grasp that great grades and internship experience stand out on your resume and make you an outstanding candidate as a prospective employee; however, internship experience without great grades is not as favorably looked upon.  If we consider your education as the foundation for the rest of your life, then an internship might be considered the beginning of the building upon that foundation.  An internship can be inspiring and even life changing.  It may lead to a job, even your dream job.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is for the applicant to write a cover letter that is both clear and interesting and tells me this person is a good reporter and writer. If they’re just saying they want a job, that doesn’t excite me. I want that letter to entice me into their clips and résumé. The cover letter is the only original thing they send.”

says Paul Salsini, former staff development director for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

As students in mass communication classes,you probably have an advantage in gaining good communication skills. But you may not know how to market yourself well. Unless you know how to write a good résumé, even the best grade point average may not get you the job.

The importance of an internship experience cannot be overstated. Therefore, the payoff of an unpaid internship is that you will gain invaluable professional experience, where you might otherwise have none, your self-confidence and self-esteem grows, and statistics indicate that the percentage of the odds that you’ll be one of the people who finds a job easily dramatically increases, which after all is why you’re going to college in the first place.  At all levels of your education, you can earn credits toward your degrees.  Finally, your internship experience goes on your resume as professional experience.

INTERNSHIP is all about learning but the question is HOW CAN YOU FIND INTERNSHIP?

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   Institute

First of all, start from your department. The journalism and mass communications program at your school is a good starting place. It may list job and internship opportunities on notice boards or your department Web site.

›   References

If you are done with your department notice board, use your references. Use your parents’ references. It will definitely help you a lot.  

›   Professors

Professors in your department usually have good contacts in your field of study, so check with them as well.

›   Websites

If you are seeking an opportunity at a specific news or public relations organization, check the Web site for that company. Agencies keep their websites updated by the new opportunities. But rely on that, because some websites aren’t updated

›   Social media

If you don’t know much about organizations and agencies, then social media will be very beneficial.  You can get more information by social media.

›   Newspapers

Along with all the research, keep searching in newspapers as well. Many agencies give advertisement in newspapers.

Now you have found the agency where you want to do your internship then HOW CAN YOU APPLY FOR INTERNSHIP?

It’s very easy but determination and a hard work is required.First of all do a very good research on the chosen agency. Keep checking its website. Now contact the editor or a hiring officer and collect required information.Now write a good application. Write agencies name. If you don’t knowthe name of a person to whom you should send your applicationthen simply write “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN” instead of wrong name.Now send the application VIA E-MAIL but also post its PRINT COPY but don’t forget to attach your resume.

RESUME is short descriptive summary of your academic and work history. Some basic rules to write resume are as follows:

›  Limit your résumé to one page.

›  Arrange your topics from most recent to previous, such as current experience followed by previous jobs.

›  White paper is preferred.

›  If your experience in previous internships or jobs is more interesting

than your education,put the experience category first.If you have no experience or awards, eliminate the category; don’t write “none.”

›  You can start your résumé with an objective, a sentence that explains your job goal, or a summary, a paragraph that highlights yourskills and accomplishments.

›  Summaries are gaining favor with employers these days because they offer more information in a quick format than a vague objective.

Avoid bloopers like some people did in their resumes.

HOBBY: “I often use a laptop”

Experience: “I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse.”

“Let’s meet, so you can ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over my experience.”

“Finished eighth in my class of ten.”

"I'll starve without a job but don't feel you have to give me one."

"You are privileged to receive my resume.”

"Note: Keep this resume on top of the stack. Use all the others to heat your house."

Never use emoticons in your resume.

Now you get the call for INTERVIEW so if you want to be successful then:

›  Dress Conservatively

›  Be Prompt

›  Be Prepared

›  Concentrate

›  Be Enthusiastic

›  Be Polite

›  Be Pleasant

›  Be Yourself

QUESTIONS

Now let’s discuss some questions that might be asked in interview.

Why Do You Want to Work for This Organization?

It’s best to specify something you like about the organization if you are familiar with it. Or you could say you are seeking a variety of experiences, particularly if it’s a small newspaper or television station, where reporters tend to do all types of stories. If it’s a large organization, you could say you’re attracted by the prestige of the publication or station or the chance to learn from very experienced journalists.

Why did you choose this profession?

Don’t say that you didn’t get admission in medical or engineering so you chose this profession. Always be proud of your profession.

What Can You Do for This Organization, or Why Should I Hire You?

What do you think about this organization?

Don’t say you can turn the organization around or make it wonderful. But do say something about the types of stories you would like to do, or say that you would be willing to do all types of stories. Don’t be arrogant.

What was your favorite stuff that you wrote or produced? And why did you like it?

Give the honest answer.

What questions do you have?

This question is very important. Here’s where you get your chance to ask about the company, the workload, perhaps what the editors want or expect from reporters and copy editors. You could ask about a probationary period. You could also ask about salary, benefits and other compensation; generally, however, that shouldn’t be your first question.

At the end of the interview, don’t forget to thank the interviewer for his or her time and interest.

Your Degree is a great beginning.  Being able to earn practical experience and credit towards your degree is an exciting prospect that adds an additional virtual dimension to the educational process.  No longer is simply a classroom education with a 4.0 GPA enough.  Employers want to see the multi-dimensional thinking necessary to succeed in the very dynamic and ever-changing workplace. The process of to successfully applying, interviewing, obtaining, and fulfilling the responsibilities of an internship demonstrates an understanding and ability to sequence and carry out a complicated plan.  The plan to do an internship in turn is perfect practice to finding a job. If you have successfully carried out an internship you have all of the necessary skills to do the same for employment.  When the time comes for you to seek and find your “Dream Job” you will be well prepared and groomed to get what you want in life.