An internship gives you the experience that college classes just can’t provide. It really takes diving into the work force to understand how it operates and what information is essential to succeed. In the world we live in today, internships are becoming more and more crucial in the hunt for future employment. Aside from the networking opportunities they provide, internships count as work experience and employers are hungry for a new recruit with experience. Working this summer as MCCI’s PR Intern was very rewarding and the most important values and skills I’ve learned might surprise you!
Here’s why I’m thankful for my internship:
Confidence is the most important thing I have gained from my internship this summer. Walking into a new job on your first day can be very intimidating but after doing it once, you know what to expect. I also became confident in my capabilities and realized I could work through anything thrown my way. As a determined future professional, it is important to be self-confident and project that so that a future employer sees it too!
Interpersonal skills are a must in any work environment, especially within the communications industry. Interacting with co-workers definitely gave my skills a boost. It’s easy to talk to someone your age but chit-chatting with co-workers who are at a different stage in life than you can be challenging. I learned how to engage anyone in conversation and I got to know my co-workers really well. It’s so much more fun to go to work when you love the people you work with!
Work habits are practices that you can only really develop at work. They are the little things such as perfecting how to send a professional e-mail or developing more in depth prioritization skills. In school, you are working towards your classes but at work you are striving for the betterment of your company/clients and people are depending on you. I started using sticky notes and separated my inbox into folders so that I could stay better organized!
Building expertise is an inevitable part of any internship. You learn from your co-workers and get hands-on experience. I became a better writer, learned how to use media monitoring tools, conducted my very own interviews for writing assignments and so much more! These things are resume builders and will prove to be unbelievably useful now and down the road.
As I’m finishing up my summer internship, I cannot believe how much I’ve learned, especially here at MCCI. The real truth is that an internship is an invaluable experience. If you haven’t considered applying for an internship yet, it’s not too late! There are always opportunities out there if you put the time and effort into looking for them. Get the ball rolling and you will thank yourself later!
