Entry by Valerie Petrey, Public Relations & Event Planning Intern, Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development
Hello everyone! My name is Valerie Petrey. Iām currently a senior at Purdue University majoring in public relations and advertising and will graduate this May. To learn a little bit more about me and what I will be blogging about, please read on!
Ā In todayās workforce you need to have an internship to get a job, and most of the time you need a few. Employers LOVE to hire students fresh out of college with real work experience! This semester I will be sharing experiences of my current internship with Purdue Liberal Arts Career Development (LACD), advice I have received from past internships and my current journey of locating internships and jobs via social media and traditional methods.
The best advice I can give anyone is to take a chance. While it is easiest to find an internship with a contact, it is possible to land an internship or job without one! Every internship or job I have had, I applied via their website, followed up with the employer to show interest and randomly made connections by using social media. I never personally knew anyone. With that being said, if you have contacts, use them. If you donāt, then get creative by researching who currently holds the position you want to at your dream company and contacting them, as well as reaching out to prospective employers on Twitter and LinkedIn.
I know itās hard to put yourself out there but it will be worth it in the end. When I had my first internship with WISH-TV in Indianapolis I didnāt know what interning was really all about. It was a fantastic first learning process and showed me that I didnāt really want to work in broadcast journalism. After that summer I knew I wanted to get into advertising and public relations, so I interned for Purdue Athletics and continued to sharpen my writing skills by working for my local newspaper. This past summer I was drawn to working in the government and was able to land a communications internship with the Indiana Secretary of State, which showed me that PR was definitely my calling. Now I am with LACD and have utilized my past experiences to sharpen my project management skills and take the lead on many different projects! I also have met a lot of great people in my industry.
Now I am not saying you have to intern every semester, not that it would hurt, but I am saying think about your future, get involved and take initiative. Interning isnāt the only way to gain experience. Volunteer work and student organizations are another fabulous way to build your resume and enhance your skills. Whether you are studying engineering, communications, education or some other discipline, there is always something you can do to help put you a step above everyone else!
