The days are gone when interns were kept from the phones and given
piles of photocopying. Sara Calabro discovers how extra responsibilities
can prove invaluable to both employer and intern.
In an economy where all businesses are looking to get the most out of
their staff, PR people are finding their interns to be invaluable. It is
no longer a case of agencies and corporate communications departments
giving college grads the chance to bolster their resumes in return for
their fetch-and-carry-the-coffee services. Instead they are developing
internship programs that have massive benefits for the companies
involved, and give students a real taste of working life in the PR
industry.
"It's nice to come into work and feel like you are needed, as opposed to
just waiting around for someone to give you work," says Karen Boyce, a
corporate communications major at Drexel University, who is currently
interning 20 hours a week at Dorland Sweeney & Jones. This near
70-person agency in Philadelphia is just one of many that is treating
its interns as though they are truly part of the team.
Agencies and corporate communications departments are beginning to see
interns as the future of their companies, not merely gophers that they
can pass the grunt labor off to. While a few years ago it was typical
for an intern to work for nothing, it is almost unheard of for an
internship to be unpaid these days. Examples of the essential work now
entrusted to interns include tasks such as media monitoring, writing
press releases, financial estimating, and compiling status reports. In
many cases, interns are being included in all team and client meetings,
as well as brainstorming sessions. "I feel more like a part-time
employee than an intern," says Boyce.
Along with encouraging interns to participate on account teams, many of
the major agencies offer regular classroom training to educate these
valuable helpers on the industry. At Edelman, they have instituted
"Edel-U," which is an internal training tool that the newly formalized
internship program revolves around. Interns take part in classes taught
by Edelman's full-time staff, such as "Introduction to Public
Relations," "Writing, Presentation Training," and "Building and
Maintaining Relationships." At the end of the three-month program,
interns are required to put together a mock PR campaign and present it
to senior staff.
Similarly, the summer internship program at Weber Shandwick in Boston is
called "Weber University." Jane Dolan, senior account executive, says
that upper management is always incredibly impressed with the work the
interns do for their final projects. "It is amazing to see them go from
zero to 100 in a matter of months."
Although they may not offer the same fully formalized training programs
as their larger counterparts, small PR firms and departments are also
reaping the benefits of using interns effectively. Rob Veksler is the PR
manager of Frogdesign, a global design company with five PR employees
worldwide. He feels that the work of an intern is essential. At a
smaller organization, it is necessary that interns take on much of the
administrative work, but in this type of environment, the tasks are
crucial. "There are so many things that go into running a small PR
department that an intern, if used properly, can make you and your
department look like roses." Veksler's intern is currently collecting
content for the company's online press page. He also plans to have her
contact former clients, designers within the company, and project
managers to gather testimonials on working with Frogdesign.
Competent interns are also lightening the load for HR departments and
others in charge of hiring new employees. Sharon James, director of HR
at Hill & Knowlton, encourages managers to choose qualified interns. She
believes that when the right people are brought in, internship programs
are "the cheapest and most effective recruiting tool available."
Approximately 40 interns are accepted into Hill & Knowlton's New York
program every summer, but the agency receives 600-700 applications per
year. The selection process begins in January. James believes that an
internship is a chance for employees to see if they have found a match
for a potential full-time employee. She says that an intern has a good
chance of being hired "when the chemistry works and they are already
clicking with the clients and staff." Using an internship as an
essential long-term interview is one of the most effective ways to judge
a candidate's qualifications.
Taking the best of the best and treating interns well ultimately comes
full-circle for the agencies. At Ketchum, staff members are continually
briefed on the agency's policy that interns should not be given loads of
tedious administrative work, because their time should be spent
functioning as actual account team members. This philosophy has
attracted many of the most qualified PR-bound students to Ketchum's
internship program, which made a name for itself when it produced
PRWeek's Student of the Year in 2000, Elizabeth Lundeen. Because they
were selective to begin with, the agency ended up with a stellar
performer during her internship, as well as a future account associate,
which is the role Lundeen took on at Ketchum following her
graduation.
TECHNIQUE TIPS
Dos
1 Do take your time reviewing possible intern's qualifications. Use this
great recruiting tool by screening candidates thoroughly
2 Do offer regular training workshops or classroom seminars to
continually update and educate interns about the industry
3 Do sit down with interns on a regular basis to discuss why the work
they are doing is important, and how it fits into the larger picture
Donts
1 Don't overestimate your intern's capabilities. Remember they are not
full-time workers. Their experience is limited
2 Don't feel bad giving interns some administrative work. Such tasks are
necessary for all employees to do their jobs efficiently. It's par for
the course
3 Don't ignore questions from interns because you are too busy. The more
informed and content interns are, the more valuable they will become.
