Summer internships in Abilene and the DFW metroplex

It may be the final week of spring semester classes at ACU, but it's not too late to secure a great internship for the summer. Here is a sampling of newly posted opportunities in Abilene, Fort Worth and Dallas. To find more internships, check job boards on your pre-professional organization's website -- including PRSSA, AAF, BEA and SPJ, as well as other industry-specific sites. Don't forget to monitor the university's Career Link site too.

• Milsoft Utility Solutions, a software company based in Abilene, is searching for a technical writing intern. This is a paid internship that requires a student with good editing and proofreading skills, plus good grasp of grammar, punctuation and style. The internship runs from May 17 to Aug. 13. Interested candidates should send a resume to Chandra McFarlen at internships@milsoft.com. For more information on Milsoft Utility Solutions, visit http://www.milsoft.com.
• Alcon Inc., a global health care and consumer products company, is recruiting for a public relations and external communications intern in Fort Worth. Key job responsibilities will include media relations, including the monitoring of trade and general media, and writing projects such as fact sheets, backgrounders and senior management bios. Interns may also assist with the photography library, online press room and the crisis communications plan. To qualify, students must be a junior or senior. For more information and to apply, follow this link.
• Brinker International, one of the nation's largest restaurant chains, is looking for a content and design intern for their Chili's Training Department at their world headquarters in Dallas. This intern will help create communications directed to Chili's employees, including written materials and social media. Both current students and recent graduates are welcome to apply. Work experience in training, advertising, public relations or online marketing is preferred. For more information, visit Brinker's job site.
  

Listen up! Great advice for young job seekers

This article, from the PR-Squared blog, can help you avoid some of the most common mistakes job seekers make when interviewing for jobs. Titled an "Open Letter to Millennials," the article focuses its advice on helping college students and recent graduates understand the pitfalls not only of getting your first job but keeping it.

Take time to read it. You'll be glad you did.

Here' s the link: http://bit.ly/aIGEuc.

PR agency, WNBA sports internships in Dallas, San Antonio

Two public relations agencies in Dallas and a professional sports team in San Antonio have announced summer internship programs.

Cooksey Communications, in Irving, Texas, is looking for an intern with strong writing, research, event planning and communication skills. Duties may include writing news releases, pitching the media, managing editorial calendars, researching speaking engagements and community involvement opportunities, assisting with event planning and media events. This is a full-time, paid internship, running from May through August. If interested, please send your cover letter and resume to Karen Berlin at kberlin@cookseypr.com. For more information on the firm, please visit www.cookseypr.com. The agency requests no phone calls, please.

Tucker and Associates, a Dallas public relations agency with a satellite office in New York, is advertising for a summer "trainee" with experience in public relations, communications or journalism. Tucker and Associates specializes in travel, lifestyle and consumer PR. This is a paid, 20-hour-per-week position. Please send resumes and writing samples to Pam Tate at pam@tuckerpr.com. No phone calls, please.

The Silver Spurs, a WNBA professional basketball team in San Antonio, is recruiting for an intern with an interest in sports public relations. This position is a paid, 20-hour-per-week internship that runs throughout the WNBA season, May-September. Applicants must be able to work the entire season, and must be willing to work nights and weekends when necessary. Applicants should be juniors or seniors or enrolled in a master's degree program. Duties will range from media relations to community events and may include photography. Students with experience in sports public relations will be given preference. For more information and to apply, please visit the following: http://nbateamjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=29076&source=Indeed.com&sourceType=PREMIUM_POST_SITE.

Don't let social networking sites derail your job plans

My nephew, Tommy Hogan, a journalism major at my undergraduate alma mater, the University of Memphis (Go Tigers!) recently wrote a page-one feature story for the school's newspaper, The Daily Helmsman, cautioning students to think twice about what they post to their Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Employers often view these sites when considering who to hire for internships and jobs.

Have you looked at your own Facebook page recently from the perspective of a potential employer? What would an employer find there, if anything, that might prove detrimental to your job prospects? You can read Tommy's story at http://bit.ly/9y246k.

TV, newspaper media internships available

It's not too late to secure a summer internship. Here are some new opportunities for students interested in interning with a newspaper or TV station:

** Abilene's KTAB-TV and KRBC-TV are looking for six summer interns, and some of these interns may be appropriate for Ad/PR and electronic media majors as well as journalism majors. The categories include: reporting, producing, writing, assignments, Web writing, Web design, social media, sports, anchoring, videography and video editing. Interested students should e-mail Austin Kellerman at akellerman@ktab.tv.

** The Austin American-Statesman newspaper is looking for a photo intern for this summer. This is an 11-week internship that pays $450 per week and includes apartment style housing at a nearby university. Our interns routinely produce more than 100 front page and section-front bylines and credits during a summer. Additional
information is available on the newspaper's Web site at www.statesman.com/internships.

** The West Texas Tribune, an African-American community newspaper based in Abilene, is seeking a summer news intern. For further information, visit the newspaper's Web site at www.westtexastribune.com and call Floyd Miller at 325-829-5585.

Myra Dean shares tips from employers for interns, new employees

Note: Myra Dean, development director at KACU-FM, recently spoke to the JMC internship class.  She shared a survey of employers about their expectations for interns and entry-level employees.  What follows is a summary of Myra’s remarks.

Managers in the broadcast industry were asked, “If you could give soon-to-be-graduates some key pieces of information that would make their professional lives better, what would you say?  What should graduates do to make them more successful from the start and make the transition easier?”

Here are a few of the most common responses; some may be surprising:

• Listen and ask questions.  You may have new answers and approaches, but listen first.  When you’re talking, you’re not listening.  People, especially bosses, notice. 
• Understand the appropriate use of electronic media and technology at work.  
• It’s not OK to text at work.
• Don’t answer cell calls during meetings and don’t carry it in your hand constantly.
• It is not OK to Facebook or chat during office hours.  Check in during breaks, not business hours.
• Using texting and messaging slang; lol, idk, btw, etc. is never appropriate when work related.
• Don’t write anything negative on your Facebook page.  It WILL get back to your boss.  Be aware, e-mails are forever.   
• Communicate:  with bosses, co-workers and clients.  If there is any confusion, confirm by e-mail.  Document problems by e-mail and copy to yourself. Don’t wait until deadlines have passed to tell your supervisor you’re overwhelmed. 
• Dress Code:  See what your supervisor is wearing and dress accordingly.  Dress for the job you WANT, not the job you have.  Cover tattoos and remove piercings. 
• Stay out of office politics; take a course in conflict management; if you have anger issues, seek counseling and get past it. No competent manager tolerates a ticking time bomb in these days of workplace violence.
• Show up early, stay late, clean the office microwave; i.e. do more than is expected. 
• And finally, keep your work and personal life separate.  Avoid gossip and be careful what you say and do in the office.  When on company business, be careful how you act in public.

Act now to secure summer internships

From Washington to Warsaw, internship opportunities abound for this summer, but time is running short to secure some of the most popular programs.  Here's a sampling, but if you're interested in meeting your JMC internship requirement this summer, let me encourage you to not stop with this list but do a thorough search of JMC-related professional Web sites and online job boards. 

• This is the final week to apply for the Institute on Political Journalism, an annual summer internship in Washington, D.C., sponsored by The Fund for American Studies in partnership with Georgetown University.  While the focus is on government and politics, this internship is suitable for both journalism and public relations students.  In addition to attending classes at Georgetown, students are placed with top news organizations and public relations firms.  Last year's class interned at NBC Nightly News, the Washingtonpost.com, Telemundo, the Washington Times and Edelman Public Relations, among others.  The Institute on Political Journalism will meet for eight weeks, June 6-July 31.  The final deadline to apply is this Friday, March 5.  For details, visit www.DCinternships.org/IPJ.   
• Best Buy is offering internships at its corporate headquarters in Richfield, Minn.  This is a 10-12 week program.  For more information, visit http://www.bestbuy-jobs.com/go/students-and-entry-level-positions/28821/ and check out their YouTube video.  
• Rackspace, a San Antonio company recently named No. 43 on Fortune Magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work for," is seeking applicants for its corporate communications internship this summer.  Earning $10 per hour, interns may work on stories for Web sites or blogs or assist with audio or video production or other multimedia projects.  For information, visit http://www.rackspacecareers.com/index.php?page=studentjoblistings.  
• MWW Group, one of the nation's top public relations agencies, is advertising for interns in its Dallas office.  Interns will be assigned to the Samsung Mobile account, the office's largest client.  For more information, see http://jobs-mwwgroup.icims.com/.  Look for job code 1262.  
• The Scripps Networks, the dominant media and marketing company in the home, food and lifestyle categories, invites students to apply for its summer internship program at its headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn.  Interns can work in advertising, public relations or interactive/new media.  Scripps Networks includes the TV brands HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network and Great American Country (GAC).  Candidates must be a college senior with strong writing/editing skills (including AP style) and be receiving college credit.  For details, visit http://www.scrippsnetworks.com/category2.aspx?code=internstu. 
• Native American journalism students are invited to apply for the annual American Indian Journalism Institute, a training, scholarship and internship program to be held June 16-25, followed by a six-week internship assignment.  The deadline to apply is March 19.  For more information, see www.freedomforumdiversity.org. 
• Media and journalism internships are available this summer in Warsaw, Poland, through Collegium Civitas.  The program runs from June 1 - July 31 and includes 25-30 hours per week of internship with a Polish media outlet, plus classroom time and Polish language training.  The program is in English.  For information, see http://www.globaleducationleadership.org/apply/HowtoApply.html.  
• Finally, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., has announced a public relations professional internship program for this summer or next fall.  Interns will support Walt Disney World's Group & Convention business and the Disney Institute.  The work will include media relations, press releases, internal communications and special projects.   Interns must be juniors or seniors majoring in public relations or marketing.  The application deadline is March 26.  Visit this Web site for details: https://disney.recruitmax.com/main/careerportal/Job_Profile.cfm?szOrderID=227636. 

To whom it may concern: Five mistakes HR managers warn against on résumés and cover letters: PRSA

Spring semester is resume-writing time for many students who are either hoping to graduate in May or are looking for summer internships.  In today's tight job market, learning the fine art of how to draft job-getting resumes and cover letters has never been more important. 

Fortunately, good advice on writing resumes and cover letters is plentiful, but this article from the Public Relations Society of America should be a must-read for all students prior to drafting their first resume and cover letter.  Here's the link:

To whom it may concern: Five mistakes HR managers warn against on résumés and cover letters: PRSA

For more help with resumes and cover letters, see the list of resources in the left-hand column of this blog.  Some excellent sources to consider are the ACU Career Center, CollegeGrad.com and Vault.  

So what are you waiting for?   Sending out resumes is like tossing your baited hook in the water.  You may need a lot of bait and plenty of patience to catch a fish, but you're guaranteed to NOT catch one if you don't put the line in the water.  An occasional fish may jump in the boat on its own, but don't count on it. 

Summer, or graduation for some, will be here soon.  Now's a good time to get your resume polished and to start sending them to your targeted list of potential employers.  Happy fishing.