How do I Choose the Best Media Internship?

Generally you will need to consider your education and career goals while choosing the best media internship. The term “media internship” now encompasses many industries and positions, so it is important to be clear about the direction you wish to go. If your prior education has been focused on written media and you plan to be a head field journalist, then you will need to find an internship in that industry. There are even positions in the growing and changing field of social media, and internships in this area may be very educational.

Once you have decided on the best type of media internship for you and your goals, you will need to find organizations or businesses which offer that type of opportunity. While many students have goals of working for a particular company one day, it may not be possible to intern with that company. It is a good idea to gather as large a list of possible internships as you can rather than only set to apply for one or two highly competitive ones.

After you’ve compiled a list of media internships you might like to pursue, be sure to find out more about each company on the list. Find out what they do, what day-to-day operations are like and what the internship might entail. Also be sure to find out how competitive it is to get an intern position at the company and how you can apply. Weed out the companies on your list that don’t offer internships that will help you and your career.

When the list consists of only companies that you truly want to intern for, begin applying for them. It may help to organize the list by personal preference or even by level of competition. Apply for those at the top of the list as soon as possible to improve your chances of getting a media internship you really want.

Even after careful consideration of your career goals and desired internship positions, it is possible to discover that the one you take does not offer all that you’d hoped for or might need. It is not uncommon for students to have two or more internships in order to gather the necessary experience to succeed in their careers. In some cases, it may be very helpful to assess the possibility of having a couple of internships or even transferring out of one and into another.