School\u2019s out for summer, and you\u2019re ready to dive into (or may have already started!) a summer public relations internship. Start the experience right with these tips from current and former PRSSA members from across the country.<\/p>\n
<\/b>Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions Keep track of feedback Avoid being a \u2018robot intern\u2019 Set goals for yourself Have a summer internship? How have you prepared? Share more tips in the comments below.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/i>Intern Talk is a monthly guest column produced by Ellie Boggs, <\/i>vice president of career services<\/i><\/a> (follow her on Twitter @ellieboggs)<\/i>. The column covers various aspects of the public relations industry, giving PRSSA members the tools to secure internships and make the most of their professional experiences. For more career resources, visit the PRSSA <\/i>Career Manual<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>Internship Center<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" School\u2019s out for summer, and you\u2019re ready to dive into (or may have already started!) a summer public relations internship. Start the experience right with these tips from current and former PRSSA members from across the country. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions Starting a new internship can be intimidating, but you\u2019re not expected to know everything about the company […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2894],"tags":[45,2217,15,40,762,422],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5211"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5213,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5211\/revisions\/5213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/b>Starting a new internship can be intimidating, but you\u2019re not expected to know everything about the company or the clients on the first day \u2013 so just ask. Christi Rich, 2013-2014 University of Alabama PRSSA<\/a> Chapter president, suggests being curious and asking your supervisor and team members the right questions. \u201cExpressing a genuine interest in learning shows your supervisor that you’re ambitious and ready to work hard for the summer,\u201d Rich said.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Once you\u2019ve asked a question or received feedback from your supervisor, make sure to write it down to avoid making the same mistake twice or making a mistake at all. Lauren Frock, 2013-2014 University of North Texas PRSSA<\/a> Chapter president, said, \u201cIt’s easy to get overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information covered during training, but taking detailed notes will give you something to refer back to when you’re further down the road.\u201d Stay organized by purchasing a notebook or binder solely dedicated to internship notes.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>You want to make a great impression with your employers; however, don\u2019t simply go through the motions. Claire Tonneson, former University of Oregon PRSSA<\/a> Chapter president and internship coordinator at kglobal<\/a>, suggests avoiding the trap of what she calls the \u2018robot intern.\u2019 \u201cPeople want to work with people whom they genuinely like spending time with, so be warm, ask questions, and be memorable! Building a friendly and professional rapport with your employer will be much more valuable down the road,\u201d Tonneson said.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Whether it be meeting one new person in the office each day or improving your skills in a certain area, Helma von Zadow, PRSSA national vice president of professional development<\/a>, suggests making goals during your internship. \u201cI challenged myself to always use my time effectively. Often, I try to finish projects with good quality and before my supervisor needs them,\u201d von Zadow said. Setting goals will keep you focused and productive throughout the summer.<\/p>\n