By Emily Stenlund –
PR students entering their second semester of the program can feel uncertain about where to begin finding an internship. Here are a few key steps to get started and a set of options to consider.
One way to get started is to identify your top five professional strengths, so you can find an internship that plays to your strengths. Students can do this by talking with friends, family, and co-workers. But one of the best ways is to go into the Career Center and take a strengths finder questionnaire. Explore these ideas to find the right opportunity:
Careers and Internship Office
The Careers and Internship Office is accessible to all pre-comms and comms students. Nicole Norris, the director, is driven to help anyone who comes into her office. She will take time to get to know you and find that internship that suits your strengths and weaknesses. You can schedule a meeting or just walk into 280 BRMB.
Another source is the Communications Job Board. You can find jobs on this board. If you click on the “internships” box it will also pull up all the available internships found by the Careers and Internships Office.
HANDSHAKE
This website allows students to connect with businesses that are looking for interns, part-time workers, and full-time workers. This can help students find a company across the United States to intern with or work for. The site can filter by locations, business types, type of work, etc. to find an internship that fits their skill set. Students can log in with this link through their BYU account for free: http://handshake.byu.edu/
In the PR program, students have two options for internship credits: the traditional method and mentored learning experience. Mentored learning experiences allow students to work closely with a professor, and receive guidance on a project. This option enhances student-professor collaboration and provides unique experiential learning.
COMMS 491R
This class is a mentored lab experience for students to develop their writing, content creation, and video-making skills. It is run by one of the PR faculty and is a great opportunity for students to publish their work on the BYU PR Website and Newsletter. This class is made to help you build a professional portfolio while creating content that can benefit PR students in the program now and in the future!
COMMS 497R
This class is designed for students to work with faculty on an academic research paper that could be submitted to a conference or a scholarly journal. It is your responsibility to find a School of Communications faculty member willing to mentor you on a specific research project. This is a great opportunity to be mentored by a professional, to build on your experience, and to prepare you for your capstone and the real world.
COMMS 498R
COMMS 498R allows students to work on faculty-mentored projects, which include serving on the PRSSA Board, running a Bateman Campaign, or working with a faculty member on a different project. Students can enroll up to 6 credits with permission from that faculty member. These projects have included sending students to Washington DC to meet with the National Parks Board, traveling to New York City to meet with PR agencies, and traveling to San Diego to meet with the Zoo Alliance.
Finding an internship can be stressful. Don’t be scared to ask for help from those around you; there are people who care about your success. Finding the right internship experience will help you live the BYU mission of “enter to learn, go forth to serve.”
