Tales of a Public Relations Internship

By Ashley Albert, aka “The New Girl”

As a student you tend to hear stories of less-than gratifying internships from classmates. I mean, what can really be learned from being a coffee-runner, filer or photocopier? I was absolutely terrified of this when I first started applying. How often do you hear of people saying they had the “best experience ever” while working as an intern?But I was closing in on graduation and in need of some hands-on PR experience before being thrust into the “real world,” and so I reached out to LMGPR.Here I am one month later and happy to report that my internship here IS the “best experience ever!” We’re a cozy, happy family and I fit right in from Day One. Never have I started working somewhere and felt so instantly integrated within the culture of the company.I enjoy sitting in my cubicle where I sometimes find little gifts from Donna. The glow from the hot pink lava lamp always gets me excited to sit down and get to work. I’m actually helping out with one of our clients on a daily basis and whenever I have questions or I’m learning how to do something new, I can depend on others to help me out. I’ve done a briefing document, tons of market research and a bunch of side tasks… talk about an educational experience on steroids!This internship has proven challenging on the tech-jargon front: SaaS? IaaS? MDM? What does it all mean? And why are there two types of MDMs? It’s like learning a different language! I can honestly say, however, that with all the news I read daily with these terms, I’m on way to becoming a stellar tech-based PR practitioner.

I realize not everyone’s internship will end up like mine, but I can offer some advice to potential interns:

New Girl’s Top 3 Reasons for Why You Should Intern While Still in School

1) The classroom does not teach you all you need to know about the public relations field.2) In this current economic climate, it’s best to have all kinds of PR experience on your resume. Anyone can get a degree, but experience counts!3) The transition into the working world may not be so drastic if you get acquainted with the field ahead of time. What if you decide this isn’t for you? An internship will help you realize that before potentially wasting years in the classroom.… and the best part of MY internship? It has opened the door to a permanent position here at LMGPR. Finding a job in your field upon graduation has become increasingly difficult these days, and I know without this internship the transition from classroom to workplace would have been far more difficult.