Excuse me while I take a moment to brag on the Intern Program at TrizCom PR. Headed up by my colleague, Katie Mudd, it’s a culture-driven credit to our organization as a whole. For several years, TrizCom has instituted a semester-oriented program for current university students and recent graduates. We run a five-month program in the spring, a three-month program in the summer and a five-month program in the fall.
I think we’re coming off one of our best classes ever. This summer, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting Rebecca Ellis and Amanda Brown, both of Texas Tech. These two remarkable young ladies have made significant contributions to the earned media wins of our clients, and we’ll be sad to see them go.
So what exactly makes a good intern program?
Many moons ago (I won’t say how many moons), I was in my final semester of college when it dawned on me that I might want to seek an internship to have something to put on my resume other than University of Texas Student Union Marketing Committee. I think I went to one meeting, sat in the back, and then later claimed I ran the whole show. I doubted it would fly when the real job interview process began.
I found a suitable intern program at an Austin-based ad agency (name redacted). I was one of 12 picked to participate, and I can still remember my dad on the phone asking incredulously, “What do you mean it’s unpaid? Can they do that?” I thought I was lucky enough to have landed somewhere. It didn’t take long for me to get a sense of what an internship was like.
On the second day, one of the girls in the program quit because they asked her to sit up front and answer the phones. I was busy working on real-world advertising business such as making copies for a meeting that my bosses had no intention of inviting me to attend. I stayed at it, however, and after the internship ended, they asked me to stay on full time. For minimum wage. Six months later they laid me off, so I got an early taste of what downsizing meant.
Looking back, the internship program at that agency was terrible. And I can say from my experience at TrizCom over the last three years, internships have come a long way. Let me tell you why ours is both different and meaningful. We’re committed to making sure that our interns are valued. If you intern with us, you’ll be in our weekly staff meeting. You’ll be in client meetings. You’ll go to media interviews. You’ll pitch stories. You’ll write talking points. You’ll be an integral part of account planning and PR campaigns. And it’s paid work.
Most of all—you’ll get the credit you earn. We pride ourselves on creating a real-world atmosphere at TrizCom so that you’ll be prepared for real public relations down the road. And that’s if we don’t offer you a job. Our program is specifically designed to promote from within. You show us what you can do, and we have the business to support you as a full-time employee, and you’re in.
Our fall internship program is currently underway, and we’re looking for the next Rebecca Ellis and Amanda Brown. If you desire a place where your opinion and hard work are valued, check out TrizCom PR.
