Annual T.G.I.F. internship events kick off with a ring

The sound of the bell means another internship connection has been made. The bell ringing was part of a speed-networking event and luncheon, which allowed students to network with Communications professionals, at the April 5 kick-off event for the fifth annual T.G.I.F. “Three Great Internship Fridays” series presented by the Communications Internship Office.

Professionals shared advice and exchanged contact information with students during the events. Attendees included professionals from a variety of industries, including broadcast production, public relations, journalism, traditional and digital media entities, and not-for-profit and government sectors.

“It was a great opportunity to meet the next generation of future journalists,” said Megan Riley, executive producer of special projects at News14Carolina. “We’ve hired many Elon alumni in the past and look forward to giving these students the same opportunity.”

After the speed-networking event and luncheon, students attended two internship workshops: “Professional Practices for a Successful Internship” and “How to Put Together a Winning Portfolio Reel.” During the workshops, communications professionals answered questions about how to win a supervisor’s confidence, how to move beyond the grunt work and how to deal with office politics. Both internship prep workshops are required for Communications students who will receive academic credit for their summer and fall internships.

Panel participants agreed unanimously that reliability and professionalism are necessary qualities for all interns. 

“We’re almost a 24-hour operation,” said Bob Sutton, sports editor at the Burlington Times-News. “Dependability is crucial.”

The professionals also talked about building winning portfolios as being important to finding great internships.

“I love when students put links to their social profiles,” said Greg Harbinson of Howard, Merrell and Partners. “I’m going to look at it anyway.”

Professionals also noted that they look for clever creativity and knowledge of emerging digital trends in online student portfolios.

Internship workshops will be repeated on April 12 and April 19. If you’re interested in joining, make sure to register on the internship web page: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/communications/internships/. 

— by Deirdre Walsh ’13