Welcome to Our Internship Program

Our Website:
https://communication.fiu.edu/internship-program-apply-online/

---

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 13^th. 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.