Calling All Interns

I’m taking a stand.

I’m tired of feeling like I have to justify my position to misinformed skeptics.

I’m tired of having to break through misconceptions before people who I talk to about what I do get it.

No, I’m not running to fetch the boss the morning coffee or relegated to menial and pointless tasks because my uncle pulled some strings on my behalf.

Yes, I’m an intern, and I’m damn proud of it.

It’s been one month since I began my journey on the ‘ship at Weber Shandwick in Chicago and there are two thoughts that stand out above all:

1. Holy hell, it’s been a month?! Where have the last 4 1/2 weeks gone? AND
2. This is one of the most rewarding experiences of my young life, and I couldn’t be happier with the places my journey has taken me thus far.

I’m getting to do some incredible things for national brands, join in on brainstorms and, most important, I feel like a valued part of each of my teams. Even better, I’m getting paid to do it! My stance on paid vs. unpaid internships is another post for another day, but my point is this:

The internship has undergone a transformation. Gone are the days where ‘intern’ was synonymous with ‘pawn’. Particularly with the down economy (which is showing signs of recovery), more companies in more industries are using interns as a valued part of the team. Internships are now an integral stepping stone on the path of the young professional in many fields.

Remember, today’s interns are tomorrows CEOs, so take the steps you need to now to find, land, and OWN the internship that steer you in the right direction for your career. Need help? That’s my middle name. Or at least my favorite past time.

CALLING ALL INTERNS!

To help rebrand the rejuvenated internship, I’m asking interns from all walks to stand up and declare, “Yes, #ImAnIntern” on Wednesday, May 12 at 9pm EST/8 c, on Twitter. Let your voice be heard as eager students join the conversation to learn what it means to be an intern. Share the knowledge you’ve accrued in your experience and help be a part of building a better workforce for the future of your industry. If you’re less forward thinking, save yourself the pain of training them on EVERYTHING later when they eventually get hired.

CALLING ALL INTERN WANNABES!

Given the logical way in which we’re taught to read, I’m going to assume that you’ve read the immediately preceding paragraph (if not, it’s right there, go ahead- I’ll wait) and jump to the relevant bit: Send us your questions! What do you want to know about finding, securing and rocking an internship? Get the knowledge straight from the collective horse’s mouth. If you’ve got a great question you’re afraid you’ll lose, head to the new Brazen Careerist network “INTERNal Affairs” (http://brazencareerist.com/network/internalaffairs) and post your queries in advance.

And don’t forget to tell your friends- the more experiences we can draw from, the more everyone benefits.

I can’t wait to hear from you guys!

And so it begins

Have you ever had one of those days where it just felt like everything was lining up in your favor? Where you hit every green light, there’s someone holding the door for you wherever you’re headed and then you find $5? My first day of work as an intern with Weber Shandwick in Chicago (read: yesterday) did not start off as one of those days. It started with the night before.

I had every intention of being a responsible, intelligent human being and went to bed at a reasonable hour, knowing full well that I was to be at work the next morning at 8:30. Wanting to be impressive, I was going to show up at 8:00 to show that I was extra eager to begin. The clock struck 11 pm and I knew it was time to be hitting the hay. I jumped into my brand new bed, covered up, closed my eyes and quickly drifted off to slumberland. For about 45 minutes.

Though I’m not sure what it was that woke me up, there was no returning to the peace I had been enjoying. Aside from being extremely excited for my new job, my roommate (still a senior in college) and her friend were over talking and watching South Park. Since I was far too awake to attempt to sleep, I joined them for what I had planned to be about 15 minutes. Unfortunately for my chances at having an overwhelmingly good day, my quick 15 continued to evolve and grow larger like a magic sponge you get for a quarter in Taco Bells in bad neighborhoods. By the time I finally recommitted myself to the mattress, it was (much to my utter horror and total dismay) right around 6:00 am. To make matters worse, when my alarm went off 45 minutes later I, Dexter boy genius thought it wise to hit the snooze button (sorry Dad).

At 7:30 I awoke in terror. After the world’s fastest shower, I ran downstairs intending to grab the next Red Line (the train two blocks from my apartment for those not familiar with Chicago) but instead hopped on the bus that pulled up in front of my door. For those looking to move to Chicago, it’s always good to know the route before you hop on any CTA bus. In this case, I did not- I only knew I saw the words Michigan and Express and that was good enough for me in my panicked state.

I watched as time painstakingly crept forward at what felt like an alarming rate when we finally stopped picking up additional riders and got on the expressway. Not a complete idiot, I had the smarts to check my phone and see what stop would be best for me to depart the bus. Like a complete idiot, I checked the wrong bus. As my bus sailed past Michigan Avenue on Wacker, I vigorously pulled the “Please, for the love of God stop!” cable and jumped off the bus with such vigor I actually elicited a gasp from the driver.

Nervously, I checked my phone. My heart sunk. 8:17. I have since Google Maps searched how far I travelled (.8 Miles) but I knew how far I had to travel. Refusing to let my own irresponsible behavior get in my way, I grit my teeth and began running as hard as I could in dress shoes carrying my new hire paperwork. I pushed through the revolving door, panting, mashed the up button on the elevator, wiped the sweat from my brow as I pressed 10 and waited. I dare not check the time until I step out of the elevator, and as I do I breathe a sigh of relief. 8:29. I had made it, and was even (technically) early. Regaining my composure, I smiled and walked behind two other employees to start my new journey. The lovely and friendly lady behind the front desk informed me that she was to take my picture and that she’d call whoever it was that would be training me.

As I sat on the couch in the reception area, smiling at the thought of starting my career, a thought occurred to me: I hadn’t eaten, and it wasn’t likely soon I’d get the chance. At that precise moment, the receptionist turned to me and informed me that it would be about 20 minutes before my colleague would be joining me. “Orientation starts at 9:00.” It was as though the clouds had opened and a heavenly chorus descended upon me. I breathed another sigh of relief, smiled and went downstairs to the conveniently located Corner Bakery to have a breakfast sandwich.

After an initially rocky start, the day did a complete 180 and was great throughout. For fear of violating any agreement I’ve signed, I’m keeping the details from my day minimal, but suffice it to say that I am incredibly enthused by the way this new chapter of my life is unfurling. I’ve been assigned to three incredible accounts and have been fortunate enough to come in right at the beginning of two social media campaigns, allowing me the opportunity to be instrumental in their creation and implementation.

As Pandora blesses me with Boston’s “More than a feeling” I can truly say at this moment, in the words of the king of the trailer park’s t-shirt, “I’m livin’ the dream.”

Forget about me?

Well, I didn’t forget about you. I apologize for my delay, I didn’t realize how long I had been away. However, I was not sitting idly by, playing X Box and wasting the day away in my absence. Instead, I was busy exploring the city that I hope to call home in seven short months, meeting with potential future employers and having a wonderful time.

More on that later tonight. I just wanted to apologize for my delay, and assure you that now as classes begin again at Ohio University, I will be more consistent in my postings. There is much to be done, and I look forward to the doing.

The Case for Passion

As I got excited about another development in my life (details to be revealed at a later date, once things are more concrete), I decided that this was as good a time as any to share something I feel very passionate about: I’m talking, as you can most likely guess from the title of the post, passion.

This blog is directed primarily at folks hoping to go into PR, but this is one of those posts that I feel can be applied to other fields as well. From the time I was very small, the importance of having passion for what you do was strongly impressed upon me. One particular instance stands out vividly.

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Tweeting for a Job Pt. 2

I realized recently that while I discussed my own uses of Tweeting to find employment, I included little of use for those who are completely new to the Twitterverse. So allow me to introduce The PRospective Employees very first users guide:

The PRospective Employee’s Utilitarian Guide to Twitter

So, by now you’ve undoubtedly heard about Twitter, the social media site where users communicate in 140 characters or less with their networks, called “followers”. I’m sure many of you have signed up for a Twitter account just to see what all the fuss was about, only to stare at the screen with a resounding “Now What?”.

In my last post on Twitter, I discussed using directoires like Twellow to find some folks to follow. Remember, once you click the follow button, a lot of people will follow you in return. If you’re following potential employers, it is very important to remember, as with anything you put online, to take  a moment to gut-check before hitting the submit button.

One great way to utilize Twitter efficiently is in participating in #hashtag conversations. For those of you who don’t know, hashtags are ways to categorize your tweet as pertaining to a line of conversation. Here is an example of a hashtag conversation I participated in yesterday.

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