The Illusive "Foot-in-the-Door"

They say the key to finding a good PR job lies in who you know and where you've interned. I'm still working on the who you know part and I hope that my internships will prove to be useful in helping me to find my dream job.

My first internship was with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, a non-profit organization based here in Athens dedicated to providing educational reading materials to students who are blind, dyslexic or otherwise unable to read in a traditional manner. While I enjoyed the experience, the internship was little more than administrative work. My major PR effort included drafting letters and compiling a database of media outlets and legislators in the state. During my internship, I was also able to have a feature story on a RFB&D success story published in the Athens Parent Magazine and in the Northeast Georgian newspaper.

Last summer I interned with the Retail Solutions Division of NCR Corporation in Duluth, Ga. This internship was very different than the first because I was able to gain experience in corporate PR and I was given a much higher level of responsibility. I researched and developed a crisis communications plan for the Georgia division of the organization, which I was shocked to discover did not previously exist. My most important project was writing the NCR RealPartner Newsletter which goes out to all of the NCR partners around the world. This involved writing several pieces from our division of NCR and also editing (um, translating) pieces from retail solutions branches in Asia and Europe. It really was a great experience for me.

One thing I have learned from both of my internships is that you get what you put into it, seriously. I had to prove to NCR that I was independent and that I could handle large projects with a low level of support, but now I have a potential job with the company.