Internships are often scary to think about. Between the pressures of finding one, to the stereotypes depicted in movies and the constant reminders from the professors… it can all be super overwhelming.
This summer, I was able to intern at a daily newspaper in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Going into this 10-week job, I was extremely nervous and had no idea what I was getting myself into. My professors gave me the obvious tips — be on time, dress appropriate, always offer up your time — and movies like The Devil Wears Prada made me question whether I had what it took to be an intern in the world of journalism.
After spending the summer at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette, there were a lot of things I picked up along the way that my professors and the movies didn’t tell me. Here are four things I learned during my summer internship that you should consider before walking into the office on the first day.
1. Dress comfortably.
On my first day on the job, I curled my hair and wore a pair of nude flats, a flowery tank top, a white sweater and black slacks. I figured this was the perfect outfit for my first day…but boy was I wrong. The city editor — who was my onsite advisor — put me straight to work and had me cover a golf tournament event at noon. After an hour of standing on a golf course in the June heat, I was sweltering! Freshly curled hair, black pants and a sweater are not meant to be fashioned in the Low Country during the summer months.
So if you aren’t sure what errands you will be running or what kind of atmosphere you will be working in, I would stick with lightly-colored dress pants and a loose, air-dry top. Also, don’t over dress. I know the movies make it seem like you have to wear heels, a pencil skirt and a collared top, but you have to be flexible and ready to head out on any assignment and heels don’t mix well with golf course turf.
2. Your internship won’t always be glamorous.
Whenever you start working for a magazine, newspaper, or anywhere for that matter; be prepared to get the less appealing assignments. Being an intern, you are at the bottom of the food chain and you have to mentally prepare yourself that you won’t necessarily enjoy everything thrown your way. But be sure to stay positive and grow from these experiences. All assignments are opportunities to grow and learn. The harder you work and the more you accomplish over time, the more your editors and supervisors will notice.
During my internship, I was never asked to make a copy or brew a pot of coffee and I was lucky enough to write every day at work. But I wasn’t always covering the most glamorous events. One of my assignments was to cover “dirty jobs” in Beaufort County; this included an interview with a funeral embalmer, a butcher, a convenient center (dump) worker, a home restorer and a porta potty cleaner.
I even interviewed these workers on-site, so you can imagine the sights — and smells — I encountered. But in the end, I was able to write a better profile series because I had that first-hand experience and my editors noticed that I was taking the extra step towards producing a better product.
Carolyn interviewing a porta potty cleaner in Bluffton, SC parking lot. Photo by Jay Karr / The Island Packet.
3. You are there to gain real experience.
One of the biggest stereotypes movies and TV shows portray about internships is that the intern is the food-runner, coffee-maker, human copy machine and fax-sender, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In today’s world, if someone can have an intern for free, you better bet they are going to use the extra employee to their advantage. If you are a photographer, they will have you at every event snapping photos. If you are a student reporter, they will have you covering multiple events a day.
So don’t expect to do everyone’s dirty work. Be prepared to get that real-life experience and work as hard as you can every day. This is your shot to show this company what you can do
4. Your peers are your life source.
Take every chance you can to grab lunch with fellow interns and coworkers. If there aren’t any other interns at the company, really try to connect with some of the younger employees and ask them questions. Whether it’s about an assignment you are working on, or a technical question about the database system on your work computer; your peers are the best sources for inside information.
After a few lunches, they will begin to treat you less like an intern, and more like an equal. The most I learned at my internship was from the fellow reporters. They gave me advice on how to approach certain editors, which local leaders to contact about certain topics and even the best places to grab lunch around town. They also taught me a lot about the career field and what is really changing in the newsroom. The most I learned this summer wasn’t from my superiors or editors, it was from the friends I made along the way.
Overall, every internship experience will be different for every intern, especially depending on your career choice. But these four tips should help you in any work environment when you are at the bottom of the totem pole. And when you are working long hours and often times working for free, remember that this internship is a learning experience — whether it is good or bad — and that this is your way into your dream career.
So, be positive, be motivated and work hard, collegiettes. This is your chance to shine!