Great communications internships are essential to gain an early advantage in the job market because employers rarely have compelling reasons to hire graduates without relevant work experience. Majoring in this field encompasses all types of verbal and written communication practices and skills from broadcasting to print publishing. Since all industries utilize some form of communications operations, several great internships are available to pique students’ interests and further their career goals.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting internships are a good step for students who aspire to be news anchors on the radio or television. Those who prefer to work on the production side of things can also get experience with how shows operate behind the scenes. During the internships, students usually assist production staff with research and fact-checking. The skills they hone are valuable for getting full-time jobs in broadcasting when they graduate. CBS News, NBC Universal and Sirius XM Radio are a few entities that offer internships to communications majors. These and other radio and television companies offer opportunities within different communications disciplines.
Public Relations
As a popular specialty in communications degree programs, public relations requires field experience and contacts to obtain a job upon graduation. As interns, students help public relations teams with campaign strategy development and pitching. They also handle client relationships, manage social media and coordinate outreach events in communities as they network with others. Attending product launches, sporting events and publicity conferences may be part of the program as well. In addition, interns will learn press release writing. Students can find internship opportunities with independent public relations firms or specific departments within businesses and corporations. University-sponsored programs might also be available.
Sports Agencies
Students who don’t have the athleticism to play the sports they love could still participate in the sports industry with a communications degree. Although competition for these jobs is high, gaining experience through internships is a defining trait that graduates need. In addition to the on-the-job practice, interns get access to invaluable contacts in the field. They might work with media outlets and local bloggers to increase team coverage as well. Having a successful portfolio and network of contacts could land graduates jobs in sports merchandise marketing, events management and speech writing. Dozens of professional sports teams hire communications majors for internships.
Print Publishing and Editing
There are numerous internships for communications majors with an interest in publishing or editing books, magazines and newspapers. Internships for book publishers can cover interests from educational materials to fiction novels. At major newspapers such as The Boston Globe and The New York Times, communications interns can learn the ins and outs of journalism and could even score a few bylines. They can also intern as part of the editorial process in either case. An editorial internship could allow students to write news or blog content as they shadow the research and fact-checking process. They also become more familiar with the widely used AP Style.
Marketing and Social Media
As with public relations, marketing and social media are popular career choices for communications majors. In the marketing realm, interns help marketing teams with projects and learn how to connect brands with their audiences. It involves collaborating on blog ideas, developing a social media strategy and creating emails. For a social media focus, interns engage brand commenters, followers and readers while helping those communities grow. This may involve making funny memes for Facebook or Instagram posts, for example. Content marketing internships are similar because they give students exposure to outlining ads, blog posts and other website content. Interns may also handle the social media aspect of content marketing.
Whether paid or unpaid, internships let students use and grow interpersonal and technical skills in real workplace environments that classrooms simply can’t mimic. These good communications internships offer priceless experience to get a foot in the door on job applications after graduation.
Related Resource:
Top Online Communications Degree Programs