Evaluating Internships how to get an Internship how to Select an Internship
When evaluating an internship in the media and entertainment industry a number of factors should be considered, namely your own personal goals. This article is an introduction and tool for anyone considering an internship, but unsure how to evaluate one.
There are four main questions you should ask in order to fully evaluate an internship opportunity:
1) What role does the current institution play in the makeup of that particular industry?2) What specific duties will you be responsible for as an intern?3) What opportunities are available post-internship?4) What was the experience of previous interns?
First, what role does the current institution play in the makeup of the particular industry? As any interviewer/interviewee expert will tell you, you are interviewing the company you are applying for as much as they are interviewing you. Do your homework. What are your personal goals in the media and entertainment industry? Are you looking to develop websites or other interactive media technologies, or are you looking to become an account administrator, dealing directly with executives at high-priority clients' offices?
Find out where the company you will be interning at is, in the hierarchy of companies that dominate in the skill sets you wish to develop. For example, if your ultimate goal is to be the best web developer in the nation, research the company against respected web development communities and portals. You want to be working at a company that is an expert at web development. If you are looking to develop your skills in the recording industry, how does the record label you will be interning at compare to other well known or respected labels? Befriend people in the industries you are breaking into, ask questions and opinions of the place you will intern at.
Additionally, from a business perspective, find out where the company is and where it plans to be. Is the company small with plans to stay small, possibly with a local client base? Is it taking off? Is it already a very recognized facility with top-notch clients? All of these questions and answers should help guide your decision and help you measure this opportunity. All of the answers should fit closely with your goals as an intern.
Second, what specific duties will you be responsible for as an intern? Ultimately, you are being brought on to learn and help facilitate something. What is it you want to learn? Will the particular skills you wish to acquire or enhance be utilized at the internship? Many "media" companies have a deep offering of services. If there are some in particular you would like to develop, say print advertising and graphics, make sure your internship will allow this. Additionally, make sure you will be working directly adjacent or below experts in the field of skills you wish to develop. Remember though, an internship can involve seemingly menial work, don't forget that your presence among top professionals can have a profound effect on your own skills, development, and future.
Third, what opportunities are available post-internship? Like many colleges that boast terrific job placement rates, opportunities available to you are a great way to evaluate an internship. A good internship should lead to an opportunity, either directly, at the place of internship, or at least in an adjacent company or industry. When considering an internship ask this key question to see if the very skills you will be acquiring, and assisting a company with, can be utilized after the internship.
As a way to fully develop this internship opportunity, keep the answer to this question in mind the entire time you are an intern. By self-steering your own development while at a company you can ensure your own future, developing skills that are vital to the company you are working at. For example, while interning at a web development company you learn that they are in dire need of pay per click marketers. By steering your own personal development to this end, perhaps they will offer you a job opportunity as a pay per click marketer post-internship.
Finally, what was the experience of previous interns? Much like references, see if you can contact previous interns, or better yet talk with those that have led internships or employees that were once interns. They will be able to reveal the positives and negatives of the internship and help you properly evaluate the position.
Although there aren't a predefined set of rules you should follow in order to fully evaluate an internship, asking these four key questions and seeing how they compare to your own personal goals will allow you to fully evaluate your own internship opportunities.
