I have always heard that "Internships get jobs" and I had an understanding of the overall goal of internships, but this course and my internship this summer made me realize the true value of the experience I was gaining. One element of my internship that stuck out to me was how valuable it is to learn from professionals in my desired field. I had the opportunity to work under people who have been in my exact position and listen to their advice on what I should do moving forward. I found that most individuals in the professional world love helping college students. I realized that they are probably one of the most valuable but under used tools available to a student, especially a senior who will be entering the professional world soon. I intend to maintain the relationships from this internship and continue to learn as they could turn into job opportunities in the future.
One thing I wish I had changed at the beginning of the summer is doing more research on the company before I began working for them. Once I started my internship I immediately had to communicate this brand message to our customers but I hadn't taken enough time to thoroughly understand that message. This made the first couple client meetings a bit rough and awkward, but I learned an important lesson!
One area I experienced significant growth in over the course of the summer was organization. Public Relations and Event Coordinator work requires a lot of organization. Going in to this internship I thought I was a very organized person but I found that I got easily overwhelmed by the number of different things going on. At the beginning of the summer I started to get very stressed while trying to handle multiple accounts at the same time. I was getting clients mixed up which made meetings much more difficult. Over the course of the summer and through the guidance of my supervisor, I was was able to implement many techniques that made everything run smoother. This skill will be very helpful as I move into the future.
This COMM 368 ePortfolio has given me the opportunity to compile many pieces of paper into a digital format. Instead of sending a potential employer several different documents, I can now include a link to my ePortfolio which will include writing samples, experience, etc. It also gives the viewer a look at more than just my skills and experience. The About Me and Blog sections of this portfolio can give a potential employer a look into my personality and create a more personal connection then just a piece of paper would. This project wasn't something I would have done on my own but I am very thankful it was incorporated to this class as it will be quite useful moving into the future.
