By Hayley Manning, Account Executive
Above: an Instagram Reel created by 1910 PR to promote the Amarillo SPCA's "30 Years of Muttfest" event.
Imagine that you’re having an exam in a class next week. If the professor gives you the chance to take a practice test this week, you’re likely going to take them up on that offer. You know that taking that practice test will help you to highlight specific topics that you need to study when you prepare for the actual exam. Similarly, internships give students a chance to learn more about the field they are entering and to build their knowledge and skill set before they enter a job.
In the fast-paced world of public relations, internships are an invaluable tool to prepare students for their careers. Let’s look at the top 3 benefits of an internship in the PR industry.
#1 Gain hands-on experience
A key benefit for interns in the PR industry is the ability to gain hands-on experience in the field, which enables them to learn best practices for creating and sharing content, as well as increasing their knowledge on how to handle crisis situations that may arise. The latter is particularly important in the social media world, where a mistake by a brand may be copied and shared around the internet in a matter of seconds, necessitating a swift response like this legendary reaction from the Red Cross to a Twitter mistake from one of their admins.
By placing students in real-world situations, PR internships help them practice being prepared for crisis scenarios, enabling them to handle a crisis calmly whenever one arises.
#2 Experience a variety of PR jobs
The beauty of the public relations field is that there are many types of jobs for the aspiring PR professional to choose from. As an example, take a look at some of the different types of PR internships available for PRSSA members. PR internships benefit students by exposing them to the numerous types of careers available, allowing them to see where they work best within the field.
By being able to experience the work and projects for these jobs, PR interns are able to discover where their strengths lie and to choose the specific path that is right for them.
#3 Build foundations
Perhaps the greatest benefit of PR internships is that they allow students to build foundations that will help them in their future careers.
Not every PR student is going to be as savvy as the Wendy’s Twitter team right away. Just like athletes have a daily practice routine that they complete to prepare them to compete in their sport, internships allow emerging PR professionals to practice the skills they will need for their career. It takes creating a foundation of best practices and sticking to them in their daily work for a PR professional to be truly successful.
By helping students to form these foundations of best practices and connections, PR internships help get students ready to keep up with the competition.
If you’re a PR student who is currently considering an internship, keep these benefits in mind when making your decision. Make use of the opportunities that are available to you in order to prepare yourself for your future. Use your internship to gain hands-on experience, observe PR jobs, and build those foundations that you’ll need to be a successful PR professional. That way, when you enter your first job in the public relations industry, you’ll be fully prepared to ace that “exam.”
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