5 Tips to Help You Become a Rockstar Intern
As a college student, beginning a new internship is an exciting opportunity. I wrapped up my internship at Dala Communications right before graduating from SMU in May 2019. Working at Dala gave me valuable, hands-on experience, and I can truly say I’ve learned more PR basics here than with any other internship I’ve had in the last four years. If you’re ready to learn the ins and outs of this industry, I highly recommend Dala’s internship program!
If you’re starting a new internship, check out my five tips on how to be a rockstar intern.
1. Take initiative.
Speak up. Let your team know what types of projects you’re interested in. Personally, I was interested in honing my writing skills, so the Dala team gave me some great assignments like drafting pitches to media, social media posts, and media advisories for a variety of clients. The more you practice writing for different audiences, the better you’ll become!
2. Pay attention to detail.
Details can make all the difference between a good internship and a great internship! A few ways to make you and your work stand out include: proofreading your work to look for typos and other mistakes, slowing down and carefully following directions for every project, and making a to-do list every day to help you meet your deadlines. Remember, it’s better to take your time to complete a task correctly than to rush through it and make mistakes. (You’ve got this!)
3. Ask questions.
Curiosity is one of the best traits a PR professional can embrace. Don’t be shy to ask a lot of questions; it shows that you’re interested in doing the best job possible. One of Dala’s long-time clients, McCarthy Building Companies, is in construction – an industry I wasn’t familiar with prior to my internship. I asked my team lots of questions about the client and their industry throughout my internship, and it helped me feel more confident when tackling their assignments. Now, you can call me a surface-level expert! Here’s an example of a successful Facebook post I wrote for McCarthy:
4. Have a positive attitude.
With a can-do attitude, doors will be opened for you. It is very important to show your team and clients that you’re interested in learning from your internship and taking on new challenges. By keeping an open mind and positive attitude at your internship, you’ll be able to accomplish so much more than you ever imagined.
5. Find shadowing opportunities.
Take advantage of shadowing opportunities, both inside and outside of the office.
One of the most memorable parts of my internship was shadowing Dala’s account executive, Elizabeth LaMonte, for a live TV shoot with KDFW/FOX 4 at Trinity Christian Academy (TCA). Not only did I shadow Elizabeth as the PR liaison that day, but I was also a part of the entire process from start to finish. I was tasked with writing a pitch and finding a reporter for an event happening at TCA. I soon secured FOX 4 reporter Brandon Todd for the live segment, which was booked for FOX 4’s morning show, “Good Day Dallas.” Seeing how a story/event goes from a pitch idea to a live news segment was an exciting experience.
With these tips, you’ll shine as a PR intern!
Natasha was the spring 2019 Dala intern. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
