The Summer Internship Hunt

Gillian Kay Lopez

Management Career Consultant

Career Services Center

People always say, “So you’re an expert at landing a job, right?” I may have background knowledge about the career field with my part-time job and some experience, but that doesn’t mean I can land a job quickly. Applying for a summer internship hasn’t been the easiest journey for me, but with persistence and hard work I have a good feeling that the right internship will come around.

I’m currently exploring the entertainment side of management such as event planning, public relations, and marketing. I’ve applied to two public relations firms earlier this week and the suspense of just waiting around is quite nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time. Before I applied to these internships, I had to do a ton of research on the companies’ culture, clients, and work projects. I wanted to be sure that the companies I was applying for were right for me.

When you really want something such as a job, you’ll find that the application process will take some extra time and care because who knows how many people you are competing with for that one position. Just recently I strolled upon my summer dream internship, with a small but charismatic PR company. The position I’m applying for is experimental marketing, which entails some event planning assistance, client promotions, and marketing development. If anyone knows me personally, they know that once I set my mind to something I’ll try my hardest to accomplish that goal. Getting just an interview with this company would bring endless amount of joy and slight relief.

So as I was doing research homework on this PR firm’s website, I stumbled upon a previous intern’s article titled, “My First Day.” After reading the wonderful article I decided to reach out to the author via LinkedIn to ask for advice about the company. The author gave me the best advice that typically would not be found in an everyday job description. Some advice she mentioned were how to stand out in the application process, what to put as a salary estimate, why the company is so wonderful to work for, and more. Not only did I gain assistance with my application, but I also established a new network.

The key idea to my personal experience with this internship job hunt is to do your homework before applying. Identify if you have any networks within the job you are applying for. If you don’t have any connections within the company and you really want the position, don’t be afraid to utilize great social network tools like LinkedIn, but make sure to stay professional and respectful towards the person you are asking assistance from.