Q. A frustrated college graduate from the Class of ’07 who is completing her third internship asks the following question–it’s actually a stake-in-the-ground comment: “I feel I have paid my dues. I graduated from a good college and have done three internships so I will only focus my job search on full-time PR positions, even if that means I don’t work for a while.”
A. Unless you’re rolling in money and hugely optimistic about prospects of this job market, internships remain the best and most effective path to full-time PR jobs. Seeking a job from home is harder than being surrounded by a network of other professionals. While not working, you aren’t gaining hands-on experience that helps build your resume. If you insist on holding out for a full-time job, be sure to seek out volunteer opportunities that allow you to hone your PR skills.
Hey
I just stumbled upon you blog. I am a PR student at Boston University and I recently started a website called InternshipRatings.com. It is a resource for students to rate, research and compare internships in various industries across the US. It happens to be that most of our ratings are in the communication industry. Check it out and rate your past internships!
–Lauren
I could not agree with this answer more. I had completed three Advertising/Marketing internships prior to my graduation from Indiana University’s Journalism School. I wanted to be in a global PR firm, but I also wanted to live downtown and have fun – both of which require money that comes from a full-time position. The quick and dirty of it is, I soon realized it takes a young pre-professional most of their senior year following up and continually pursuing an open door to a global agency. These open doors are always internships, and they teach you invaluable lessons. They also give you the work ethic you need (trust me, you don’t have it until you are in a rat race with 12 other recent college grads from all over the United States, who are just as qualified as you) to be successful. Pursue the internship, do what it takes and accept your full-time offer when the summer is over.