Texas internships for summer and fall

Internships no longer appeal only to students seeking to fulfill their requirement of completing a JMC-related internship for graduation purposes. Thanks to a sour economy and a tougher job market, many recent JMC graduates are also competing for internship positions to get more experience on their resumes. Other students are beefing up their resumes by completing two or more internships, even though the JMC department only requires one.

Here are several opportunities around the Lone Star state that may appeal to current students or recent graduates:

• HH Enterprises, owned by ACU alumnus Homer Hillis, seeks a student in Abilene interested in viral marketing, social media and who has a flair for fashion. Duties would include blogging, posting to Web sites, using Facebook and generally finding ways to create conversations online and build community. Hillis is also owner of the Friendze chain of retail stores. You may contact him at 325-829-0340 or by e-mail.
• The Texas Public Relations Association has announced its 2009 TPRA Silver Spur Internship program. This is an elite set of internships for public relations students that can lead to scholarships but at the least looks great on a PR student's internship. TPRA internships are available this summer and fall at the American Heart Association (offices throughout Texas), MM2 Public Relations in Dallas and at NuStar Energy L.P. in San Antonio. For more information, visit TPRA's Web site at http://www.tpra.com/student/.
• Total, the world's fourth-largest integrated oil and gas company, seeks public relations interns for this fall at its Port Arthur refinery in Texas. This is a paid internship and includes housing. Total will consider juniors, seniors or recent graduates with a minimum GPA of 2.8, a good knowledge of Associated Press style and excellent communication and presentation skills. Knowledge of QuarkXpress, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or Publisher would be a plus, as would experience in video editing or work with student media (radio, TV or newspaper). E-mail me for additional information about how to apply.
• Concussion Interactive, a Web site design firm in Fort Worth, uses interns in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Past interns have served in account service, media, interactive, creative and traffic/production departments. For more information, visit Concussion's Web site.
  

College grads fighting tough job market

CBS News recently ran a feature story about Kelsy Nova, a recent communications graduate from New York University, about the tough time she was having finding a job. Kelsy isn't alone. College graduates this year are stepping into one of the worst job markets in decades. The segment on CBS News was part of a series called "the Job Squad" designed to help unemployed people find work. CBS recruited a team of coaches for Kelsy that included a public relations executive, a fashion model and a university career center official. Fortunately for Kelsy, her story had a happy ending; she found a job.

The tips these coaches gave Kelsy are tips all students can benefit from. The video is only about six minutes so I would encourage you to view it, especially if you are a senior or recent graduate.

Don't forget too that the ACU Career Center is here to help you. You can e-mail them at careers@acu.edu.