Internships – Page 5 – COM Ambassador Blog

Lauren: Interviews Galore!

Have a big interview coming up for a job or internship? Don’t stress! Here are some tips on how to make an awesome first impression without having a minor heart attack in the process.

1. Do some research beforehand

Make sure you know about the company before you walk into your interview! It will make you look professional and dedicated if you mention that you recently saw an article about the company in the news. Also, think about what kind of questions they might ask you and how you would answer them! And come prepared with some of your own questions to ask them at the end of the interview!

2. Dress professionally

Pick out your outfit the night before so that you won’t have to stress about it in the morning. Even if you know that many employees wear jeans to work, still dress professionally! They’ve earned the right to dress that way after working for the company for 10 years, you haven’t! If you need some fashion advice, the BU Center for Career Development has some great tips for how to dress for an interview! Check it out!

3. Arrive early and come prepared

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview, that way when you come in you won’t look stressed or out of breath. Punctuality is key, and a company won’t hire you if they don’t think you’re reliable. Nothing looks worse than strolling in 10 minutes late! And don’t forget business cards and copies of your resume!

4. Relax and look interested

Take a deep breath and try to calm your nerves right before you go in! Give the person interviewing you a firm handshake when you’re introduced, and make eye contact with them throughout the interview. Nod your head and really pay attention to what they’re saying. Show them that you’re interested and passionate about the position. Body language is crucial- sit up straight and smile! And take a second to think before answering a question so that you sound clear and well-spoken.

5. Talk yourself up

Remember, if you got to the interviewing process, they must have seen something in you that they liked! Have confidence in yourself and remember that it’s alright to brag! Be proud of your past accomplishments, and tell them how your experience and skills would make you a perfect fit for the company. This is your chance to make a great first impression and show them just how wonderful you are!

6. Thank them afterward

Make sure at the end of the interview that you thank them for their time. These people are very busy, and took time out of their day to give you a chance! A handwritten thank you note or email is the perfect way to show how thankful you are! Follow up and try to stay in touch-never underestimate the importance of networking and making connections!

If you’re looking for more tips, The Center for Career Development is a great resource for everything and anything relating to jobs, internships, networking and interviews! Check out their website and take a look at their calendar for information about upcoming workshops and networking events!

Good luck!

Kate: London vs. Boston

Hello again from London!

I hope everyone has been having an amazing semester back in Boston and I am looking forward to joining you all in just over a month! For the past seven weeks, I have been completing the internship portion of my abroad programme and I am happy to report it has been a successful experience! I chose to intern with a small fashion PR firm in central London who work with a variety of clients. I’ve always been interested in fashion PR but I’ve never known if it was exactly what I wanted to do so I decided, why not give it a try in one of the fashion capitals of the world?!

The internship was definitely a learning experience and the best way to get immersed in the culture and work life of London. Here are the four most valuable (and fun!) things I learned at my internship:

Difference in the style of journalism. Each day, I scanned through the local daily papers like The Guardian, The Daily Mail, and The Daily Telegraph for fashion coverage and mentions of our clients. Here, everything is so much more sensational and almost reminds me of the National Enquirer. The Sun even features a nude photo on page three everyday! No daily paper in America would get away with that!
Running PR events. During my time, I helped the team with three client events including our major fall press day. A press day is basically when you invite all local journalists to your showroom to see you client’s new collections. It’s a really important day for the agency and I learned a ton preparing for and helping at the event.
Sending out press samples. This aspect of my internship may have been favorite. A couple times a day, journalists sent us stories they were working on so we could send them clothes from our clients that could be featured in their publication. It was my job to pick out the clothes and accessories and send them to the journalist. This helped me learn what types of items look best when photographed and the difference between still life shots and model shots. It tapped into my shopaholic tendencies a bit and I loved it!
The lingo. For the first week of my internship, I was so confused when I would come into work and people would ask if I was alright. Did I look sick? Tired? Sad? I couldn’t figure it out. Nope, that is just a normal greeting like “what’s up.” Other confusing terms? A jumper is a sweater. A gillet is a vest. Rocket is arugula. A biscuit is a cookie. Chips are French fries and crisps are chips. The bin is the trashcan. And don’t forget to say cheers before leaving for the day!

Now that the internship is over, I just have my last class and final! I can’t believe I only have two weeks left in this amazing city and I will be sad to leave but it will be good to be home with my family for Christmas.

Happy Holidays COM Family!

Lauren: IMAX is Believing!

I’m so excited to announce that for the rest of the semester, I’ll be one of the campus representatives for IMAX here at BU! This means I’ll be hosting giveaways and events to promote the latest IMAX movies (like Skyfall and The Hobbit)!

Leading filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, James Cameron, Brad Bird and Ridley Scott prefer to have their movies formatted in IMAX because it creates an incredibly immersive experience for moviegoers! With crystal-clear images, booming sound, and stadium seating that brings you closer to the screen, no other movie experience compares to IMAX! Some movies, like Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol and Skyfall, have even been released early in IMAX to build buzz and excitement! In 2013, Oblivion will be doing the same!

If you’re ready to watch a movie like never before then head over to the AMC Loews Boston Common 19 theatre (located at 175 Tremont Street, Boston MA 02111) for the IMAX Experience! Skyfall is now in theatres now and The Hobbit will be released on December 14^th!

We recently promoted the release of Skyfall this weekend with our very own James Bonds by giving away martini glasses, decks of cards and free IMAX movie tickets all around campus! But don’t worry if you missed out! We’ll be having plenty of giveaways this semester!

At the end of this week, for example, just remember that there’s “No place like your dorm.” Be on the lookout, and you might find some really great prizes where you least expect to find them!

We’ll also be hosting a study break with free pizza, refreshments and IMAX branded study materials right before finals weeks! For updates on the IMAX Study Break and other IMAX giveaways and events at BU, you can follow me on Twitter (@laurhaslett)!

Make sure you like IMAX on Facebook and follow IMAX on Twitter for the latest info on upcoming releases and contests!

Julianna: Real-World Neighborhood Journalism

Hey Everyone!

The last you heard from me I blogged about where to brunch in Boston. Listen, I was really hungry when I wrote that post AND I firmly believe that brunching is a serious matter.

Anyway…on to what I’m actually doing in my real life aside from daydreaming about lattes and homefries. Since the first week of classes I've been interning as a reporter for GateHouse Media New England, a news organization that owns 150+ local newspapers in Eastern Massachusetts. I primarily write for the Allston-Brighton TAB/www.WickedLocal.com/Allston and the Brookline TAB/ www.WickedLocal.com/Brookline. My internship is awesome because I am getting actual “learn-as-you-go” reporting experience. The hours are flexible enough to fit my already packed schedule, and so I am able to cover about 1-2 stories a week. Since Allston-Brighton and Brookline are in BU’s backyard, it’s incredibly easy for me to get to wherever I need to go. In the two months that I've been reporting for the TABs I've written several business features, a Q&A with a Boston public health official, covered a school board meeting and a seminar on construction developments, among other stories. Aside from getting tangible journalism experience, I am also becoming more familiar with the two neighborhoods that border or arguably blend into BU's campus. I no longer feel like an outsider from NY-- I am starting to develop a mental Google Maps of Allston-Brighton and Brookline, I am tapping into more localized cultures and piecing together what really concerns locals and Bostonians at large.

Check out two of my published works! Here is one for Allston-Brighton and another for Brookline.

Taylor: COM is a Networking Toolbox

During my childhood, I’d habitually attend “Disney on Ice.” I can recall the sensation of wearing my Toy Story T-shirt and proudly buzzing the lightening toys sold at the event. During those moments, I genuinely felt a connection with the adult performers parading like toddlers around the rink. During those minutes, nothing could distract my level of attentiveness. Recently, I found myself tingling with a more mature but quite similar batch of emotions.

Earlier last month, I had the pleasure of attending Celebration of BU, a groundbreaking event that strengthened the bond between alumni and current students. The event held in BU’s Agganis Arena told the story of the university’s foundation. Watching the speakers and performers take the ice in very unique ways was simply mesmerizing. The most captivating part of the night to me dealt with the speaker distribution. More than half of the speakers were COM alumni. Throughout the weekend, distinguished alumni, including Bravo’s Andy Cohen and CBS correspondent Erica Hill, spoke to students about their success and provided a plethora of advice.

The event kicked off BU’s billion-dollar campaign to support student life programs, faculty enrichment, scholarships, and research. The abundance of alumni connections highlighted during the festivities brought happiness to all.

In particular, it reminded me of the career services available for me to discuss employment options post college, land interviews, connect with alumni, and develop my resume and cover letter. Earlier this semester COM’s career service center -which has a database consisting of over 600 internships- held a open house. Attendees had the opportunity to take professional headshots for their LinkedIn accounts and were also given an overview of the services offered through the center. Later this month COM will hold one of its amazing networking meet and greets where students will have the opportunity to converse with professionals currently practicing in their field of interest.

I view BU as a toolbox full of opportunities to tailor your skills and get ready for the workforce and all the wonders of the world. The services readily available remind me that just as our motto puts great emphasis on virtue and piety, a underlying theme known to all within this community is that this network is immense and “you’ll always have a friend in them.”

Jason: Madrid!

¡Hola! In case you haven´t been following COMlife, Kate and I are both abroad this semester so this blog is coming all the way from Madrid en España!

Normally my blogs are more or less stream of consciousness but I´ll try to organize this one a bit because I have a lot to say. Also sorry if my English sounds funny but I´m at my internship now and it´s sometimes hard to switch between 3 languages (English, Spanish, and French- because my supervisor is French so I speak with her in French from time to time)

So today marks my 13th day in Madrid- although I have to be honest, for both my friends and me, it feels like we´ve been here for much longer than that; all for the better of course. It´s crazy thinking about how much my Spanish has improved in barely two weeks; to the effect that I can understand almost everything. And although I don´t speak perfectly, I´ve got the confidence to try now and thats 50%!

I have three classes and one internship. My classes are Spain and the EU, Advance Spanish Language, and a documentary class. All of my professors are beyond incredible and are so passionate about what they teach. Of course my favorite class is the documentary class because it´s a mix of European/ Spanish history and sociology with technical documentary through out.

My internship is with Lopez- Li Films, located only one block away from the Instituto Internacinal where we take classes. It´s a documentary company of about 8 people and just happens to be one of the most well respected documentary production houses in Spain. I´ve been working here less than 10 days and I´ve already been working with Photoshop and After Effects on real projects for the company. Yesterday I got to help out with a set of interviews for a new documentary that the company is making about professional story tellers- actors who recount fables that have been passed down through out the generations. We heard from someone from Galacia, el Pais Basco, and Madrid- three places in Spain that speak very different languages. My official title was auxiliary camera man (I think.)

But yeah, everything has been going extremely well so far! I´ll post some photos from the interview below. If you guys have any questions about my experience so far feel free to send me an e-mail or a message on Facebook!

¨Ta logo!

Mike: LA Living

Hey guys!

Greetings from Los Angeles! I've been here three weeks now and I'm finally settling in and getting adjusted to the whole west coast lifestyle. I must say, I really do miss September time in Boston. Yesterday it was 102 degrees here! I would do anything for a cool fall day on Bay State right about now!

The BU in LA program puts us up in Park La Brea, an apartment complex located in West Hollywood, right in the center of everything. We are walking distance from The Grove, the giant outdoor shopping center, as well as Whole Foods, Trader Joes and an awesome Farmer's Market. It's really convenient! Those are about the only places I can really walk to though... Unfortunately, the public transportation system out here is not nearly as efficient as in Boston or New York, so I rented a car and find myself driving everywhere, often stuck in painfully long traffic jams!

But I am certainly keeping busy out here. I am interning five days a week, 3 days at Paramount Pictures and 2 days at The Weinstein Company. Paramount is awesome because I get to be on the lot every day where they are shooting shows like American Horror Story, Glee, and Happy Endings. It's so awesome to be right next door to the very sound stages where Hollywood classics like Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard were shot so many years ago! Over at Weinstein, I am doing lots of script coverage for their development and production departments. It's cool to be able to see film from the studio side as well as from the side of an independent company like Weinstein, which has had success with hits like Inglorious Bastards and The King's Speech. So far it has been an amazing experience just being out here and meeting different people in the entertainment industry.

I think I'm going to graduate after this semester in December so I can start the job hunt early and take advantage of the connections I made out here and the ones I have back home in New York. It's really weird and hard to grasp the idea that I'm done with BU though!

I hope all of you are enjoying the starts of your semesters as much as I am! For all you film and TV kids, the LA program is definitely something to consider, what an awesome opportunity this is! I can't stress that enough. If you guys have any questions at all about the program or about Los Angeles in general, please feel free to shoot me an email!

Best of luck this semester,

Mike

Lauren: Internships- Finish Strong!

With the end of summer comes the end of summer internships. During your time at BU, you’re bound to complete an internship at one point or another. While first impressions are very important, you should treat your last days at your internship just like you treated your first. Here are five things you should do as your internship comes to a close:

Ask for a recommendation letter.

About two weeks before your last day, approach your supervisor, or a person that you have worked with closely, and ask if they would write you a letter of recommendation and serve as a professional reference. Specially tell them what you are looking for in the recommendation letter. Suggest, for example, that they highlight your work ethic or comment on your writing skills. If you have a LinkedIn account, you may also want to ask if they could recommend you on that social networking site. In return, offer to write a little internship testimonial that the organization can use to promote their internship program. Don’t be nervous to ask for a recommendation letter or reference- you’ve worked hard, and you deserve it!

2. Set up a meeting with your supervisor on your last day.

On your last day, ask your supervisor if you can sit down with them for a few minutes to get some feedback on your work. Learning about your strengths and weaknesses can be helpful when you have other internships and jobs. This can also teach you how to take constructive criticism, a skill that will be beneficial in the future. Also, let your supervisor know what you thought of the internship program, but make sure you express how thankful you are to have had this opportunity. After all, it’s hard to get an internship nowadays.

3. Give out hand-written thank you notes.

Writing a thank you note is the perfect way to express your gratitude at the end of your internship. A hand-written note is much more thoughtful than simply sending a thank-you email. You can visit this Her Campus article to find thank-you note templates! Be specific in the note by thanking them for either helping you with a particular project or assigning you an exceptionally rewarding task. I always sign professional thank you notes using “Sincerely” or “Best wishes.” Last impressions really count, and writing a note is a great way to stand out and be remembered.

4. Update your Resume.

Internships are great professional experience and can help bulk up your resume. Make sure when you add this experience to your resume that you list specific examples of assignments you completed. Update your resume and LinkedIn page right when your internship is ending so your work is still fresh in your mind. Also, ask for permission to use some of the work that you completed (like writing assignments, design work or video clips) in your portfolio. It will look great when you apply for another internship or job!

5. Keep in touch.

Connect with your fellow interns, supervisors and other employees at your internship site. Add them on LinkedIn and exchange contact information. Make sure that you stay up-to-date with what’s going on with the company by following them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media sites. You may also want to email your supervisor every three months or so just to stay connected! You never know- staying in touch may help you get a full time job with the company!

Follow these simple steps to make the most out of the last days at your internship! Remember to start strong and end strong!

Jason: Summer’s Coming to an End

Wow. It's pretty crazy that the summer is almost over. As you all know I stayed in Boston for a few different reasons.

My internship at WGBH has been a great experience. I have enjoyed working with the production team behind the upcoming JFK documentary and the rest of the American experience team. It has been a great opportunity because not only was I doing work directly related to the film but I know my colleges and other contacts I made in the last four months will be beneficial to my career.

The graduate thesis film I am producing is in post production and I am currently working with my director on financing. Unfortunately we did not have time before production to secure a budget so we are now working on fundraising. The film will be complete by the end of the fall semester so I should return from Spain in time to attend the screening.

Speaking of Spain, in the last few weeks I've found out my internship and the family that I'll be living with. My family is a mom, dad, and son who is 20 years old, and 3 dogs. The housing form for abroad programs that involve homes-stays is great because you can include a preference of the type of family that you would like to stay with. I will be interning with a documentary production company called Lopez-Li Films. One of my friends participated in the summer version of the Madrid internship program and she was happened to be also be at Lopez- Li Films. She said she had an incredible time with the 8 person team and was heavily involved in the company's work.

It'll be tough to not have my friends and family so close by for the four months that I'll be away but I'm extremely excited for the four month adventure that is to come.

Alexa: A Summer of Interning

Hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer. This summer I hadn't really planned on interning anywhere but when I was offered an opportunity to do so I was really excited. I am interning for a company called, SmileSimplicity. The company focuses on enhancing a person's smile without eliminating any tooth structure (unlike regular veneers which contour teeth and can never be reversed). I am still interning there and feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with such innovative, hardworking people.

You're probably thinking: what does this have to do with journalism?

Well, a part of my job is interviewing patients before and after their SmileSimplicity procedure, creating marketing tools and writing press releases. The positive thing about working for a small company was that I wasn't just doing things to keep busy but I am able to be involved with important components, like being a part of conference calls and having the opportunity to contribute to advertisement ideas. I didn't feel like an intern, I felt like an employee. I was also able to learn more about the business side of journalism. Even though I still would like to pursue a sports journalism career, I'm glad I have had the opportunity to branch out and see a different side of journalism.

I am so excited to meet all of you come fall and hope you are looking forward to being a Terrier!