Welcome to Our Internship Program
Fall 2016
Hi everyone!
My name is Angelica Gutierrez, I am a communication major graduating
this Fall. This past summer I completed an internship with the Frost Art
Museum at FIU, as a Social Media Assistant. I enjoyed working alongside
the Social Media Expert of the museum. His name is JeanCarlos and he is
a young, fun, and talented professional who graduated from FIU.
My advice to anyone who is interested in filling the position I had at
the museum is the following. First of all, keep in mind that everything
you will do will be associated with different art installations that are
now at the museum, or they will be installed later on. Most
installations are contemporary and modern works. Hence, an appreciation
for art is a plus. Secondly, know that the main dress code is business
casual. However, everyone who works in the museum seems to have their
own dress code. My point is that there is no need to go and buy formal
business attire if you don't have any. But if you like to dress
formal, on (...CONTINUE READING ON "COMMENT" BELOW)
Hi everyone!
My name is Sofia Jasin, and I am a Communication
Arts senior, graduating this December. The company I am interning with
is Fly Content, which is an international production and distribution TV
company. Our main job is to be the middleman between various producers
and networks worldwide in order to distribute certain shows and formats
to different countries. This internship has involved me being a part of
various aspects of the industry in order to accomplish our goals at the
end of the day. Some of the tasks involve updating the company website
with the latest details of our catalog, being in charge of putting
together the marketing essentials for the convention events, following
up with clients throughout the year (mainly after conventions), and
various other smaller tasks that contribute to the end result. Being a
part of a smaller company, it gives even the intern a chance to
experience certain aspects of the industry that one usually does not
until later on in their career. My biggest advice is to take advantage
of this in every way possible. From networking with all of the
executives one meets (who are very important people) to learning about
every small contribution that ends in the final sale of a product, every
little thing will help one become a better professional. It is more
work but it is worth all the while.
Hello everyone, my name is Giuseppe Foresti I am a Communication Arts
major. I am currently interning for Warner Brothers International
Television Distribution. Although my internship was in the Marketing
department, I got the opportunity to learn everything that WBITV
oversees. Over the course of the past few months I’ve learned a lot
about the intricacies of television marketing. I was also introduced to
the distribution side which essentially handles the sale of Warner
programs to channels both domestically and throughout Latin America.
When I first started the internship I was mostly worried about having to
conduct a majority of my business in Spanish because the Miami office
mainly oversees distribution and marketing in Latin America. Fluent
Spanish is so important in this particular office that even my interview
was conducted mostly in Spanish with a bit of English. With that in
mind, I used this opportunity to learn how to speak professionally and
write professional emails in Spanish.
My advice to anyone reading this is the same advice I give to all of my
friends, apply for internships as soon as possible! The word internship
gets thrown around a lot but many people don’t fully grasp how
incredibly helpful internships are in sculpting your future. I’ve heard
too many horror stories of people who graduate and can’t find a job in
their field for months or even years. Often times, people will find jobs
right away doing something they don’t like but they settle because they
have no idea what else they might want to do. Internships not only give
you experience, but they are a great way to find out the career path
you would enjoy the most. Through this internship I’ve found an industry
that I have a passion for and I’ve met people that are excited to help
me lay the foundation of my career. The second most important piece of
advice I would give comes from a note that was left on my computer from
the person that interned before me, the note read “The expert in
anything was once a beginner.” I am a strong believer in the idea that
pride is the enemy of productivity. To anyone just starting an
internship, always remember that this is just the beginning of the road,
and you are likely to mess up. Don’t ever be afraid to ask your
supervisor for help, if you don’t understand something, ask for
clarification they’ll be more than happy to help. No one expects you to
be an expert right away and mistakes are the best thing that could
happen for your future. With the proper guidance you can learn from
these mistakes and know exactly what you should and shouldn't do when
you start your career. All in all my most important piece of advice
would be to have fun and know that there is always more to learn. If you
continue on the path of knowledge you will never fail.
Good luck!
Dominique Ehrl has left a new comment on "Internships Program Blog: Welcome to Our Internshi...":
I have several tips for success in the corporate media world that I
think would benefit you if you choose this route to pursue as your
career, but also applicable to whichever industry you pursue.
1) Know as many people as possible. In this business relationships are
everything. That’s an extremely repetitive piece of advice, but it is
extremely important. Most higher-ups in media are very receptive to
meeting with young people and sharing advice and telling you about their
experience. People love to talk about themselves, and by setting up
informational interviews with people in your internship company is an
easy way to expand your network. You may find within the first few weeks
that the internship department you were placed in is not in line with
your interest or you might have changed your mind about your previous
career path, so informational interviews allows you the option to
explore a field you might be interested in and get to learn more about.
2) Make yourself valuable. When I say make yourself valuable I mean go
the extra mile. Let’s say your boss gives you an assignment to come up
with a pitch idea for a social media post or a sweepstakes giveaway
idea. Instead of only providing one, come to them with three or four.
Managers love options. There’s not much to work with if you only present
one idea and most of the time, those ideas will be swept aside because
they aren’t concrete enough or not sellable etc. Another example is
let’s say you have to make a creative brief for your manager for a
campaign and it’s the first time you make one. Do your own research on
how you should approach it and design it and then make two different
versions of the brief. When you show your boss they will be able to
choose and will also be impressed that you went the extra mile to make
two. This is also a great opportunity to show off your versatile skill
set of being able to approach things in different ways.
3) Create opportunities. When I say create opportunities I mean make
your own projects when applicable. You might land an internship where
you are sitting around all day with no direction or projects to work on.
I’ve been there and it’s not fun at all, but it presents you with a
challenge. Do you continue to sit there and scroll through Facebook all
day? Or do you look around your office and see whom you can reach out to
offer help or analyze the business structure and propose a new
communications strategy to improve effectiveness in the office? You
could even make up your own project and do a mock campaign so that you
have something to show for and get feedback on. There is always
something to do; you just have to be savvy and a go getter so that you
can do what you came there to do, which is learn.
4) Follow Up. Before concluding your internship, be sure to make a list
of all your contacts. Follow up every 3-6 months with the people who
worked closely with / built a relationship with. It’s very important to
stay top of mind with these people, because if there is a job opening
down the line your chances of getting interviewed are automatically
higher. In all the people I had informational interviews at NBC and
Univision in the past year all said that hardly anyone follows up or
stays in touch after their internship. So make an effort to do. I
recommend putting a reminder in your phone to not let it slip your mind.
Also save any work that you worked on so you have something to show for
in your next internship or first job. Hope this helps and best of luck!
Savannah Longo has left a new comment on "Welcome to Our Internships ProgramOur Website: ht...":
Hi Everybody!
My name is Savannah Longo and I am a Communication Arts Organizational
Studies major at FIU! The organization that I interned with over the
summer was Brown + Company Public Relations. It was so fun and an
amazing experience and glimpse into the world of Public Relations.
Perhaps the most important thing that I learned throughout this
internship is how to take criticism of my work. As amazing as my
experience was, one thing I had a hard time hearing was that there was
anything wrong with something I did, and I instantly wanted to defend
it. What I mostly did was write social media posts, and I would have to
send them to my boss for approval. When there was an issue with any of
my posts I usually ended up taking personal offense to it. However, as
time went on, I realized that critiques are normal and not everything I
do is going to be perfect. It is actually good sometimes to hear some
constructive criticism in order to get better and that is something I am
always seeking to improve upon- taking that constructive criticism in
strides. So my number one piece of advice would be to learn that it is
okay to have your work criticized (constructively) and to not take it
too personally, because more than likely your superior only wants to
help you succeed!
Greetings everybody! My name is Kaitlyn Schlotzhauer and I am a Communication major graduating this Fall, on December 13th.
I am currently a Program Assistant at FIU Online and my internship
consists of completing a special project for the department. My main
focus is to improve efficiencies in our communication and our working
relationships with other academic units across campus in regards to
semester scheduling. I have been placed in charge of streamlining the
scheduling process in order to reduce scheduling errors, missed
sections, unapproved requests and last-minute requests, increase
efficiency, and create an open line of communication between our team
and each academic unit in regards to any scheduling matters. My
experience as an intern has allowed me to explore different facets of
our department, get to know the inner-workings of our university, and
create relationships and contacts with countless individuals within our
department and university. My advice to anyone who is participating in
the internship program is to make the most of your time as an
intern—network, learn as much as possible, soak up all the knowledge
surrounding you, explore your likes and interests, discover your
strengths and weaknesses, and find a mentor. The internship program
allows you to explore your professional interests first hand and in a
whole new light—not only does it strengthen your skills and capabilities
as a professional, but it provides you the opportunity to network and
gain contacts that can assist you in your future professional endeavors.
Overall, the internship program is a great resource available to
students and is truly a great experience!
Rachael Curtis has left a new comment on "Welcome to Our Internships ProgramOur Website: ht...":
Hello everyone, my name is Rachael Curtis and I’m a communication arts
major expecting to graduate this fall. I completed my internship with
the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean center at FIU. I was
hired back in the summer as a part time social media specialist and
assistant to the external relations coordinator. My assignment for the
summer was to enhance LACC’s social media presence. This assignment
continued into the fall as I was asked to stay on and given the new
project of focusing on Instagram. The ultimate goal was to increase
numbers, bring awareness to the programs we offer, and interact more
with FIU students. I had never had any type of “office job” before, so
this was a new experience, getting an office and assigned projects. The
biggest thing I had to adjust to was the independence. The jobs I’ve
worked before (retail and childcare), I was micro managed. My boss would
give me my assignment or assignments for the day and I would be at my
desk working on my own for the day. This taught me to be proactive. When
I was done with an assignment, I asked my supervisor what else she
needed help with. Supervisors are doing multiple projects of their own
and may even forget that you’re working on something, so it’s important
to make you’re availability known. I did various social media and event
planning tasks. I helped manage posts on Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram. I created content for these posts. I proposed ideas to gain
more followers. I helped with event set up, management, and break down. I
helped promote events through social media and using other media
outlets like the Miami Herald and Event Bright. Even though this was a
dream position to me, there were challenges, I had to figure stuff out
on my own and event set up can be tiring but I wouldn’t want give up
what I do. I think the biggest thing I learned from this position was
about myself. Toward the end of my assignment, I was being given more
leadership roles and I had utilize my leadership skills. I learned that I
need to be a little more confident in myself and in my work. My talent
is obviously valued that’s why I was hired. I also learned what I really
want to do with my career after college. Communications is such a broad
field and if someone had asked me six months ago what I wanted to do
with my major, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I know now that I enjoy
social media and event planning and that this is something I’d want to
do for a career. If I had to give any advice to any future interns it
would be; to be self sufficient, don’t be afraid to speak up or propose
ideas, and to not always look at criticism as a negative but as a
learning experience. All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Latin
American and Caribbean Center; I learned and grew from this position and
look forward to bringing what I have learned into my career after
college.
Natalie Esquivel has left a new comment on "Welcome to Our Internship ProgramOur Website: htt...":
Hello everyone, my name is Natalie Esquivel and I am a senior graduating
in just a couple of months. I am majoring in Communication arts with a
track in organizational communications and I am currently interning and
working for FIU Online. Once the internship is complete, I plan to
continue working with them full time. My current title is a course
developer. That basically means that I assist the instructional designer
in designing the courses to the preferences of the professor whom is
teaching it. I work one on one with some professors to get different
certifications for their courses throughout the semester.
If I could give any advice to anyone whom would like to participate in
this internship program, it would be to find a company that you will be
able to grow with or take something from. The most difficult part is to
find a place to work that also works well with you. Before you commit to
this internship, make sure that you are going to want to be with that
company for a while. I had been working with FIU for a while before I
began this internship and it helped make my projects easier that I
already knew everyone and was established.
There was absolutely nothing I did not like about this program. To ANY
student who has an internship or job and needs the credits to graduate
or just wants more experience, I would highly recommend this course!
Victor Andarcia has left a new comment::
Hello Everyone my name is Victor Andarcia I am a Communication Arts
major here at FIU and I am expecting to graduate from the program this
fall. During the summer I did an internship with Entercom Miami. The
internship itself consisted of me interning for 790 The Ticket a sports
radio station down here in Miami. I loved the internship so much I
actually came back for the second semester and did the zero-credit
internship program in the fall again at 790 The Ticket this time just
working for a different show. During the summer I worked with the Josh
Friedman Show which was from 6-9 at night, and during the fall I worked
with the Ethan Skolnick Show which was in the afternoons from 4-7PM. My
second semester doing the internship I enjoyed it much more because I
was much more involved in the background of the show than I was in the
summer. The reason I was much more involved was because the producer
Chris Cochran expected much more out of the interns than the other
producers did. I was tasked with booking guests calling guests for the
show during the show, producing the show, podcasting it and much more. I
really enjoyed the opportunity to learn all of this new information and
apply it during my internship. I would recommend this internship to
anybody who is interested in radio, but I do have a warning for you. One
thing that I learned during the internship that was a tough pill to
swallow was how hard of an industry radio is. Unfortunately, the station
realizes that many people are lining up to do this job so they treat
the talent with this in mind. Closer to the end of the internship I got
an opportunity to interview with the company for a board operator
position and while the interview went well it also confirmed some of my
fears about the industry which is that the hours will not be there at
the beginning and that the compensation is not very good. So if you are
willing to wait a while and put in the work to make it in the business
then you will be fine but just understand that you will have to have
another job while you are doing this. I am really glad I got the
opportunity to do this internship because I got my foot in the door and I
also learned things about the industry that I would not have known
without my internship experience. My advice to potential future interns
is ask questions, be self-sufficient, and take initiative once you start
doing that you will have greater chances for success in this position.
