By: Jennifer Eskridge
It’s that time of the year where PR students everywhere are applying for their dream summer internships. You spend hours perfecting and proof reading you resume, cover letter and follow up emails only to hear…. nothing. Absolutely nothing. You have now entered the anxiety-filled waiting phase of the internship application process. Here are some tips to help curb the anxiety and help you navigate to the next phase, interviews!
1. Apply for more than one type of internship.
Although your heart may be set on that big corporate internship this summer, apply for that nonprofit that caught your eye last week. Different type of businesses has different processes for sifting through their applicants. Smaller companies tend to go through applications quicker while big corporations may take three or four months. Get some experience interviewing while you wait for your dream internship to call.
2. Follow up!
Haven’t heard from the company you applied for in a couple weeks? Shoot them an email! Following up shows them you are interested in the position which may make you stand out among the sea of applicants.
3. Check your junk mail.
This is one I recently learned. After applying for Chrysler and not hearing back from almost three months, I thought for sure I was out of the running. Then one day between classes I got a phone call from Chrysler asking if I was still interested in a position. It turns out they had sent me a supplemental application four days prior, and it was in my junk mail. Awesome. Luckily I was still able to meet the deadline, but now I check my junk mail religiously.
4. Keep living your life.
Internships are important, but so are school, PRSSA, and any other organizations you may be involved in. Once you send in your resume, it’s out of your control so try not to fret too much. Keep being the awesome PR pro you know you are and soon enough the waiting game will be over!
Good luck and happy internship hunting!