Category: Internships

Julianna: Make the Most of your Internship Abroad

Hello from London! It’s been an incredible semester of traveling, exploring London and getting to learn more about myself outside of my comfort zone. Allow me to digress on the latter. As the cliche goes, studying abroad really is a life-changing experience. Since January I have tackled bouts of homesickness, eased out of culture shock and got into the habit of taking myself out on day-dates to markets, museums and cafes (my next “date” will be a spa day in Bath!). As the semester winds down I find myself not only reflecting on my growth, but on my time at my internship. Since the end of February I have been working at Columbus Travel Media as an editorial intern for its website, World Travel Guide (www.worldtravelguide.net). As part of the in-house editorial team I have written and pitched feature stories, worked the company’s social media and learned how to edit photos and publish content to the website. With only one week left at my internship, it’s the perfect time to give some tips to those of you who plan to do a BU abroad internship program.

1. Be specific about the type of internship you want

Internships at BU London are sourced by a private placement company called EUSA. This means each student in the program is assigned a EUSA placement manager who goes through the process of finding and landing an internship for you. Sigh of relief. With having to apply for a VISA and other important preparations it really is such a plus to not have to worry about the internship hunt. However, your input is extremely important. Several weeks before leaving for London I had a meeting with a EUSA representative to discuss my internship preferences. I was very specific about my interests in journalism: please, nothing to remotely do with hard news and instead more along the lines of travel, life and styles. Since I aspire to work in magazines, I also mentioned specific London-based magazines that interested me. Well, I ended up not being placed at a magazine, but I definitely got what I asked for in terms of travel journalism, which leads me to my next point…

2. Be Open Minded. Always.

Okay, so I wasn’t placed at a glossy. At first I was a little bummed, but as I prepared for the pre-internship interview I got even more excited about the opportunity to work in travel media whilst experiencing a semester of frequent weekend jaunts to mainland Europe and other UK destinations. And so I started off my internship with a) a gut feeling that I would love it b) an open mindedness to honing my skills in online journalism and social media. On day one my positive initiative proved successful. Right away my editor put me on assignment to write a feature and offered me the opportunity to go on an overnight press trip to Oxford and to write a feature out of it. Well, two weeks later after going on this awesome press trip I came to one of the most important realizations since coming to London: I definitely want a career in travel journalism.

3. Prepare for your interview

Get to know yourself. Well, your professional self. Think up potential questions that your interviewer will ask such as, what are your strengthens and weaknesses? Then jot down your responses and say them out loud to hear how you will respond. Have your resume, or as they say here across the Atlantic, CV, in tip-top shape and know what certain past projects or jobs you would like to delve into during the interview. Always do a thorough Internet search on your company. For journalists, find out the company’s targeted audience and read recent articles or watch/listen to the latest programs. Since you’re in a foreign place look into how to get to your office several days before the interview, so you can arrive with time to spare and a good sense of your travel route.

4. Immerse yourself in the office culture

Interning abroad means you will undoubtably experience a different professional environment than what you’re used to in Boston. For instance, I’ve learned that it is common courtesy to ask the rest of the staff if anyone wants tea before I go to the kitchen to refresh my cup. Oh on the topic of tea. If you come to London get used to tea as your new pick-me-up — you can drink lots of it throughout the day without getting caffeine jitters.

 

Lauren: You Gotta Get LinkedIn!

Hi guys!  Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I’m a social media fanatic.  I’m constantly tweeting, checking in, and pining anything and everything I find.  But, when it comes to getting an internship or preparing for the workforce, it’s all about LinkedIn.  Every college student should create an account.  Even if you don’t have a ton of experience to include in your profile, it’s definitely worth having one, and here’s why:

1. You’ll make a great first impression when applying for an internship

Employers do Google search potential employees during the hiring process.  Trust me.  And nothing looks more professional than having a LinkedIn profile.  It’s a great way to show that you’re serious, and it gives you the chance to show off all the experiences that you’ve had in the past.  Plus, LinkedIn has great features that allow you to add links to different projects you’ve completed.  How cool!

2. You’ll be totally prepared for interviews.

Knowing about a company and asking interesting questions during the interview will definitely put you ahead of the competition.  That’s where LinkedIn comes in.  You can search companies on LinkedIn and learn more about their mission and services.  Plus, you can get the chance to see the type of people who work there.  You can even find people who’ve previously had the position that you’re applying for, and look at their job description to get a better grasp on the responsibilities of the position.  It’s like Facebook stalking, but a lot less creepy.

3. You’ll have networking down to an art.

LinkedIn is a great place to connect with people in the industry!  You never know who may have a job lead, or who could connect you with someone who has your dream job.  You can join groups, follow companies and stay up-to-date on what you’re connections are doing.

4. All your hard work will finally pay off!

Remember that job you had where you worked countless hours and really gave it all you’ve got?  Well, you can have something concrete to show for it by asking for a recommendation or endorsement from past employer or colleagues.  If you ever feel awkward about bragging about yourself, let someone else do it for you!  Potential employees will love it!

So, what are you waiting for!  Go ahead and create your account here:

Kaitlin: COM is a Buffet

I’m sitting here, scratching my head, trying to decide what to write about for this blog post, and it hit me.  COM is a freaking buffet table.

And no, I’m not talking about those late night Chinese all you can eat buffets, I’m talking about a real classy, high end buffet table with all kinds of exotic foods.

Where am I going with this?

Okay, okay.  So opposed to a sit down dinner, where a server brings you what you want until you tell him to stop, a buffet table is spread nicely in a convenient spot in the room, ready for people to take what they need or want, when they need or want it.  Both options can leave you stuffing your face until you’re required to loosen your belt, but there’s a very vital difference between the first and the second:  for the second option, you’ve gotta help yourself.

So often, we look externally for some sort of perfect opportunity or divine inspiration.  We have mentors and idols and friends and family (the waiters in my metaphor) who we hope will guide us to where we want to be (they bring us the seared duck and caviar), when all along, we have the capacity to get there on our own.

What we constantly forget is our own serving skills.  We’ve gone through that training that teaches you how to correctly set a table or pour a glass of wine without spilling it.  Try to take some time and realize that you have the potential to be your own greatest motivator.  Create those chances of a lifetime for yourself, instead of waiting for them to be served to you on a silver platter.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve really been enjoying my junior year at BU, especially because I’ve began to really find myself among all of the craziness that the city delivers.  COM especially offers out so many appetizing chances to succeed that, at times, can be a bit overwhelming.  What I’ve learned recently is to not miss the tasty treats that sit right under your nose.  I’ve quit complaining and wondering when my chance to shine was going to come, and I got the hell up and chased it myself.

Take whatever you care for from that table, but see if you can get up and walk there with the help of your own two feet.

 

Maria: How to Spend your Summer

Unfortunately, spring break is coming to an end. But that means that you’re halfway done with the semester, and only 8 weeks away from the summer! That’s probably a lot sooner than you thought, huh? If you’re still not sure about how you should spend your summer, here are some ideas:

Get an Internship

Many of us, especially in the communication field, know that internships are not only great resume boosters, but are amazing real world experiences. You get to learn so much about your field and you’re able to take what you learn in your classes and apply it to actual companies.

It’s definitely not too late to still apply to summer internships! Some places don’t close their applications until April, but at the same time there are lots of places that have closed their applications or will soon. Make sure you get a list of places you would be interested in interning, check out when the deadline is to apply, and get your documents in as soon as you can.

Study Abroad

Taking classes abroad through BU’s programs over the summer is great for two reasons: one is because well… you get to live in a new city, country, or continent! You can still fit in educational time abroad that won’t interrupt your normal fall and spring semesters on campus. Another reason is because you can still get class credit and that can help you take fewer classes when you get back to campus.

One thing that some people forget is that studying abroad doesn’t mean you have to fly across the world to get the abroad experience. BU offers domestic programs in LA and DC, and those are two awesome programs to take advantage of. If you don’t feel like spending the summer out of the country, those are great options.

Work at Home

Sometimes, it’s nice to just get out of the Boston area, head home, and simply take on a seasonal summer job, like working at an ice cream store, a summer day camp, or at a pool as a lifeguard. It’s a great way to make money (side note: there are still many internships that do not pay their interns, so this is another reason to consider this idea!). Summertime is always known as a relaxing time, so why not take on a more laid back job, make some money, and enjoy the warm weather?

My spring break trip to Mexico has made me way too excited for the summer’s warm weather and relaxation as you can probably tell from this post… Hope you all had a great break!

 

Steph: How COM Gets You Internship-ready

For those of you who don't know, February and March are the prime times to be finding and applying for summer internships. So, naturally, for the past four weeks my brain has been filled with cover letters, resumes, and internship postings. As this is my first real internship search, I turned to COM to help me get internship-ready.

COM Career Services

In my frantic internship search, I have become a regular at COM Career Services. These people are here to help you every step of the way: from actually finding an internship (in Boston, or anywhere else!), to helping you edit your resume and finally perfecting your cover letter. They have been so incredibly helpful that I've become that girl that won't hit send until everything has been looked over by someone in the office. They have appointments available and also have resume and cover letter walk-in hours every week, which has been great for multiple "quick check ins" when I have an hour in between classes.

COM Faculty

While I know how intimidating in can be to reach out to your professors, trust me when I say that they really want and love to help their students. I reached out to two COM professors and they both were totally willing to meet with me and discuss options for internships. Meeting with one of the amazing faculty members can be really helpful in getting a first idea of whats out there, and they can even help you out with their connections!

COM Student Servcies

As a student worker in COM Student Services, you can trust me when I say that Student Services is the one-stop spot for any and all questions regarding internships. If you have any little questions, like how to get credit for an internship, who your internship coordinator is, or how to get an internship form signed, Student Services is the place to go.

Good luck to all of you that are on the hunt for an internship this summer! When you get stressed out about it, just remember that COM is here to help.

Jon: On The Road – 3 Tips to Successful Business Travel

Now let’s face it – we’re college students. The most traveling we do on our own, other than at the beginning or end of the school year, is to West Campus for a burger. Most of us have never had to fly, stay in a hotel, or get around an unfamiliar city by ourselves.

Why does this matter? Well after you’ve used all those nifty contacts and your stellar resume to get some internship or job interviews, you may find that the company you’re interviewing with wants to fly you out to their offices. Exciting? Yes. Easy? No. I recently had an experience with this myself, while interviewing for a summer position, and I’d like to share with you the three key points I learned while on the road.

1)    Print multiples copies of your itinerary – Seriously, this is your lifeblood while traveling. Your itinerary carries all the information about your flight times and locations, your hotel, the location of your interviewer’s offices, etc. You REALLY don’t want to lose it. Papers get lost. Phones die, or can’t find service. Do yourself a favor: make multiple copies and save yourself the headache.

2)    Pack light – While packing light may seem fairly obvious, I find that it is really easy to start piling things on one at a time, until a small load becomes a 40lb suitcase. Just don’t do it. Look at what you’re bringing and ask yourself “is the essential to have”. These trips aren’t about comfort; they are about interviewing for a position at a company. You probably don’t need your box set of Planet Earth, even if you will have some time to kill in the hotel room.

3)    Take taxis – You may be shocked to hear this, but you really should take a taxi when you’re interviewing in a new city. You may know that New York or Portland is supposed to have great public transportation. You may want to save the environment, and hate the idea of taking a personal car. You may just not want to spend the money. Take a dive, and call a cab. The chance of getting turned around, getting lost, or losing some piece of your luggage is infinitely higher when you’re trying to navigate a new public transit system, possibly while jet-lagged or late at night. When you come back for pleasure and aren’t under the same kind of time crunch, take the time to explore! Just don’t do it when you’re in the already stressful business-travel situation.

Hopefully those three tips will help get you through your business trip! Strap yourself in, because it is a hectic, tiring, and fun journey. Best of luck with your interviews, and travel safely!

 

Sara: The Amazing Race-Internship Edition

The arrival of February brings about a vitally important time in the school year. That’s right, it’s summer internship hunting time. For me, it’s a time to bundle up indoors and daydream about warmer days-- and hopefully interning in California. It’s time to get your game face on and the blizzard this past weekend  presented the perfect opportunity to get myself organized and begin what I like to think of as my own personal version of the amazing race.

Having been a transfer student, I feel a bit behind when it comes to seeking out internships. However, the best thing I have found to do in such circumstances (if you’re like me and have never had an internship) is to research, research, research.

BU and COM both provide numerous services and workshops to help you with resumes, cover letters, and your overall search. Every week the Center of Career Development, located in 100 BSR, sends out an e-mail about their different career building workshops, so be sure to look out for those! Last week I attended one of their resume workshops and they were really helpful. COM career services also offers resume and cover letter reviews daily- check out the @comugrad twitter handle for more information or visit the career services website. You can also view samples of resumes and cover letters.

To find internships online that are available through COM, check out The Career Insider. This database is a gold mine. You will have to create an account through the website but after that you will have full access to everything it has to offer. I personally used it as a basis for my internship search, typing “publicity internship” for the keyword and an LA zipcode, which brought me to a list of numerous summer opportunities at companies such as The Walt Disney Studios and NBCUniversal.

Because of my highly organized, type A personality, I also chose to make a list of all the internships I want to apply for along with  individual requirements, descriptions, documents to submit, and addresses with contact information. This helps me when it comes time to personalize cover letters and figure out whom I need to send references or transcripts too. Also make sure you research the different companies you’re applying for! This is extremely important when it comes to writing a cover letter or an essay so that you can really mold the descriptions of your experiences and accomplishments around exactly what their company stands for and what they are looking for in their next intern.

Of course you can always look outside of BU for summer internships as well, using the ever-so-glorious Google or other resources you can find. One website I have heard a lot of positive feedback about is Intern Sushi which I’m just starting to explore. Another website is Intern Queen powered by Lauren Berger who completed 15 internships during her college years. She regularly tweets about different internship opportunities as well  @InternQueen, and has published a book entitled “All work, No Pay” which gives her perspective on how to build your resume, make connections and gain job experience.

I guess overall my point is just to explore your options! There are a lot of resources out there to aid you in the overwhelming process that is your first internship hunt, it doesn’t have to be as stressful as competing on The Amazing Race.  You’re putting yourself in the best position possible by doing your research and getting organized.

Good luck everyone! And maybe the odds be ever in your favor 🙂

Lauren: First-day Intern Tips!

Welcome back everyone!  Hope you’ve all had a fantastic break!  Are you guys ready for an exciting semester?

A little while ago, I wrote a post with some tips on how to end your internship on a high note!   While leaving a great last impression is important, it’s also crucial to start out your internship on the right foot!

I just recently had my first day as a social media intern at 451 Marketing, and while starting out at a new company can be intimidating, it’s also a great experience.

Here are some simple tips for making a great first impression at the start of your internship:

1. Be punctual!

Nothing looks worse than being late on the first day, or on any day, of your internship.  It may take a few weeks to get into the swing of the morning commute, so for your first few days, make sure you leave with plenty of time to get there,  taking into consideration that there could be back-ups or traffic delays (sometimes, public transportation can be a little unreliable.)

2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

You’ll probably get a lot of information thrown at you on your first day, so speak up if you have any questions!  Don’t know where the bathroom is?  Ask an employee or fellow intern!   Want to find a place to get lunch?  See if the receptionist can give you any suggestions!  Don’t be shy, or it could hurt you in the long run!

3. Shake hands and be friendly!

On the first day, you’ll probably meet tons of people, everyone from the CEO to your fellow interns!  When you’re being introduced or meeting a new person, smile, make eye contact and give a nice, firm handshake!  Always remember to be polite and enthusiastic.  After all, it’s exciting to meet new people!

4. Don’t play on your phone or go on Facebook!

Constantly checking your phone and texting your friends is not appropriate in the office, especially as an intern.  Avoid the temptation by keeping your phone turned off and in your purse or pocket!  Also, don’t go on your Facebook or Twitter page when you’re supposed to be doing an assignment on the computer.  This will make you look very unprofessional.  You’re there to learn, so save the personal browsing for when you’re in your dorm!

5. Don’t be too nervous!

Remember, you were hired because the people at the company liked you!  Relax, have fun and be confident! Remember that this is a learning experience and an amazing opportunity for you!  Enjoy it, and get as much out of it as possible!

It can sometimes be challenging to juggle classes and an internship, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run! Congratulations to all the students interning this semester, and good luck!

 

Mike: From LA to the Real World

Hey guys,

Well, after a whirlwind of a semester in Los Angeles, I am now an official BU graduate! I handed in the final paper of my college career last night, what a weird feeling...It hasn’t really hit me yet and I don’t think it will until after the New Year when all of my friends will be heading back to Boston for their final semesters and I will be home looking for work! A part of me is disappointed I won’t be up in Beantown for my final semester, but after two amazing semesters abroad, I feel that I am ready to take on the real world.

Spending the last three months in Los Angeles has been such an incredible experience. Just from being in the entertainment capital of the world, I learned so much about the industry. Interning at a major studio like Paramount and a leader in independent film like The Weinstein Company, I was exposed to such different approaches to filmmaking. I read tons of amazing scripts and even got to work a few film premieres! The program kept me constantly busy-- interning five days a week and taking classes at night-- but it has prepared me immensely for the working world.

Leaving LA was bittersweet but I know that I will be back in the future. For now, I’m going to enjoy the holidays and take a breather after a hectic semester. After the New Year, I will begin the daunting task of searching for a job in New York. Luckily, I have connections in NYC and LA now from my previous internships that I will definitely stay in touch with and contact if I need help finding work. My main piece of advice to all of you guys is to network and stay in touch with people from your internships!  Introduce yourselves to the speakers at the Cinemateques and other COM events because you never know when you are going to cross paths with these professionals again. It is so important to keep in touch with people you meet in this industry because they are often the ones who will help you find work and put in a good word for you in the future!

I still can’t believe I am finished at Boston University. The two and a half years I spent on campus at BU flew by and I only wish I could go back for more. After a year of traveling (last spring in Europe and this fall in LA), I am ready to settle down and look for my first job. I learned so much during my time at BU and made such lasting friendships. Make sure you guys take it all in and have fun! I wish you all the best of luck in college and hope that you all enjoy your time at BU as much as I did!

Mike

 

Jason: Madrid Retrospective

Yesterday, December 5th 2012, I officially finished my classes and my internship here in Madrid and I have 8 days left until I return to the states.

As I'm sure you will here from every person who has studied abroad this has been by far the best experience I have had in my life. I have learned so much at my internship; not only technical skills but also many aspects of the cinema industry in Spain, the United States, and around the world. All of the three classes I took here (Spain and the European Union, The History of Spain through documentaries, and Advance Spanish Language) are all on my list of favorite classes. These professors are some of the best in their field and I have never learned so much in a class before.

Madrid and the entire country--the food, the people, the culture,--are incredible. Above all, the opportunity to live with a family (There is no question I had the best family of the entire program) hanging out with my host brother and his friends, and watching my Spanish improve every day... it just could not have been better.

I'm extremely exited to get back to the states though to see my friends, family, and SNOW! (I'm going through skiing withdrawal) And I'm very excited for my classes next semester! I'll be taking my first creative television producing, understanding of film, production 2, and advance french language (yup that's 2 foreign languages for this kid)

Anyway, good luck with all of your exams, papers, etc., happy holidays, and go abroad!!

If you have any questions about the Madrid program, going abroad, etc. please don't hesitate to reach out to me!!!