Summer may still seem far away, but when it comes to a summer internship, it’s never too soon to start planning. I know, I know — we’ve barely started the spring semester, yet you’re already being told to start planning for something that’s months away. As college students, we know how fast time goes by, and soon enough, we’ll be planning beach trips with our friends, shopping for a summer wardrobe, and noticing that it’s getting eerily warm in the classrooms that we used to have to bundle up for.
If you’re interested in having an internship this summer, you definitely should begin looking for opportunities as soon as possible. I know just how stressful and intimidating it can be to feel like you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, I’ve been through this before and have all of the insider knowledge that allowed me to successfully apply for, land, and complete a summer internship.
GETTING THE INTERNSHIP
I got my summer internship by cold-emailing a handful of public relations firms near my hometown with a cover letter and a copy of my resume. I tailored my cover letter to each organization, explaining my recognition of and personal connections to their clients, discussing how my personal skills matched their mission statements, and providing specific examples of the areas in which I believed I could gain experience by working with them. Bold? Yes. Effective? Also yes. I ended up receiving an invitation to set up an interview with three of the five agencies I contacted, and they all mentioned how impressed they were with my boldness in cold emailing. I highly recommend cold emailing or calling organizations that stand out to you, especially if you’re having trouble finding possibilities on job-searching sites or companies that explicitly state that they are looking for interns. It may be easier to receive responses from smaller businesses than large companies but it’s always worth a shot!
During each interview, I made sure to keep a list of notes pulled up on my computer with basic information about the agency. This way, I could reference specific clients of theirs, work they had done, and areas in which they specialized in while I interviewed with them. I also wrote out a few bullet points with answers to common interview questions like what I could bring to the agency and what made me choose to reach out to them. I tend to get a little anxious during interviews, especially for important career building ones like these, so I wanted to make sure I was as stress-free as possible. After the interview, I sent emails to each agency thanking them for their time, and pointing out a specific area or two in the interview that stood out to me.
A few months later, I had summer internship offers from two out of the three companies that I had interviewed with. One was a paid internship with long hours, while the other was unpaid with flexible hours. I ended up choosing the second because I felt that I had really connected with the owner of the agency, who was the person conducting my interview. Even though it was unpaid, I had a strong feeling that the experience I would gain would be very valuable, and the flexible hours allowed me to have a consistent schedule waitressing all summer to make money. I always say to go with your gut feeling when it comes to having to make a decision like this — it rarely fails you.
PREPARING FOR THE INTERNSHIP
Plan out your professional wardrobe!
Of course, my favorite part of preparing was having an excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes. It’s exciting to explore a new style for a professional work environment, but I initially struggled to find clothes that were professional, age appropriate, and summer-weather appropriate. Despite the internship being fairly casual, I still wanted to dress nicely and show that I was serious about the position. It was also important for me to keep my wardrobe simple so that I could mix and match a few pieces of clothing to create a bunch of different looks. Shopping mainly from Abercrombie and Aritzia (the best stores for basics!) I picked out a nice pair of trousers, a few basic tops, one mid-length dress, and a comfy pair of jeans. As I became more comfortable in the position, my trousers became jeans and my fitted tops became casual t-shirts, but I still always tried to look put together. Everyone has their own unique sense of style, so wear whatever suits your personality while also being appropriate for the position!
Research the office location
If you’re going into an office, it’s important to know exactly where you’re going and how long it takes to get there. I drove by my job a few days before my first day, at the same time of day I’d be going in, to get a better sense of my commute. I also planned to leave 20 minutes early on my first day just to reduce any anxiety of being late, but of course, I woke up 20 minutes before I had to leave. (Tip: double check that your alarm is SET the night before!) If you’re going to be meeting virtually, definitely make sure that whatever applications you’re using are fully updated so that you can join in on time.
Have your essentials organized
Something that really helped me every night before I went into the office was putting all of the stuff that I needed to bring in my bag so all that I had to do was grab my bag and walk out the door. I even picked out my outfit in advance and laid it out so that I wouldn’t have to stress over what I was going to wear. By doing these two things, I never had to scramble around in the morning for all of my stuff and risk leaving late. It feels good to be so put-together and prepared, and it relieves a lot of stress going into the office.
STARTING THE INTERNSHIP
Be confident
It’s easy to develop imposter syndrome during your first internship and start to question if you really know what you’re doing. Remember that there is a reason that you were hired for the position, and the reason was so that you could learn. If you didn’t seem like a fit candidate, you wouldn’t have been hired in the first place! Don’t be afraid to ask questions either — it doesn’t make you seem like any less of a hard worker and just shows that you want to make sure you’re learning how to do things correctly. Everyone has to start somewhere!
Know that you won’t typically jump right into hard work
In an entry level position, like an internship, you probably won’t start off being assigned big tasks and will likely be given some small tasks that seem mundane. Remember that in order to work your way up, you have to start small. That’s how you learn, after all, and you actually learn a lot more than you think you will. My first assignment was making a presentation for my boss to present information to her clients, and one of my last assignments was being on-site taking pictures at a news broadcast filming session! Each assignment that I was given gave me a new level of understanding, and taught me things about the agency that I would bring into my next, bigger task.
Go above and beyond
When I first started out in my internship, I always made sure to go above and beyond in all of my work, even the small tasks that I just mentioned. As you go on, you learn what is really necessary to do and what you can end up leaving out, but at first, putting in extra effort shows that you really care about being thorough in everything that you do. Don’t lose the work ethic as you move forward, though, and continue to put in effort, even if it’s at a different pace.
COMPLETING THE INTERNSHIP
My internship had an unexpected, but amazing ending: I was offered a paid and remote position at the agency, completing work as needed for my boss. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue both my experience and education in the public relations industry, even while at school. I understand that this is an uncommon opportunity that I was lucky to get, but I can’t discredit the hard work I did all summer that contributed to my boss’s desire to take me on as an actual employee. Even if my time with the company had ended with my summer break, I still would’ve felt fulfilled by all of the amazing experience that I got as an intern.
At the end of the internship period, I created a document where I listed all of my work from my time at the agency, as well as a folder where I put copies of all of my physical work. Having a collection of previous work to supplement your time is key for future job interviews, networking, and even just reflecting on your experience.
Another thing I would recommend is staying connected with your boss and/or supervisor. They are a useful resource for future job recommendations, questions and advice regarding your industry, and their experience can often teach you a lot of career tips for continued success. Whether through email, texting, or Linkedin, stay connected with anyone who you felt that you particularly connected with during your time interning. It’s always good to have industry connections, especially in public relations, where networking truly is key.
Best of luck to anyone starting the process of finding a summer internship! You got this.