How To Turn Your Broadcasting Internship Into A Job

Landing an internship can be the foot in the door for a new job while attending our program. Of course, you need to prove you are worth a hire, as not all businesses end up hiring their interns. If they don’t find the work you’ve done satisfactory, they are more likely to just sign off at the completion of the internship and send you on your way. In the world of broadcasting, being able to show a potential employer that you have the basic skills necessary to hit the ground running, the more likely you are to be hired. As part of our program, students are required to acquire 160 intern hours in order to graduate. We have relationships with most of the media outlets in our area and help our students build a preliminary resume to assist them in landing internships early in our program. Internships not only give a student more real-world training, they provide excellent opportunities to build solid networking skills.

 

The Right Internship

One of the major problems a student may have is taking an internship that is not right for them. Applying for internships that have some connection with your current career path critical, and making sure you ask relevant questions during the interview process will ensure you’re going to get as much out of the internship as you’ll be giving your internship provider.

 

Act as an Employee

Yes, you are an intern and many of the staff members are going to treat you as such. You’re not an employee, but that doesn’t mean you need to act like it. You need to maintain the dress code the rest of the employees have in the office and you need to not only act professional, but treat everyone else professionally. On top of it, keep your personal life at the door. This can be tricky sometimes for students who are new to the professional world, but very important. The better you fit in as a potential employee, the more likely they are going to keep you on board. After all, by the completion of your internship, if there is available work to be had, they are more likely to hire someone who fits in and knows the system better than someone off the street.

 

Always Network

Networking is essential, no matter what sort of broadcasting you want to go in pursue. Try to make connections whenever you can. Remember; don’t be shy while being an intern. Talk to everyone you can, ask questions and offer to help. Your internship is an excellent way to network with other professionals. These contacts might not lead to a job inside of the company, but if some of the professionals and higher-ups like you, they can recommend you for an open position at another location.

 

Seek Answers

You’ve heard the saying of “there is no such thing as a stupid question”. While asking the same question over and over can become a bit annoying, seeking out answers for questions you have not yet asked is a good way to go. Many of the professionals around you are going to be more than willing to answer these questions. It’s better to ask a question before hand and perform the task perfectly than to not ask a question and perform the task incorrectly. It’s easier to ask a question ahead of time than redo the work later.

 

Create Goals

You always need to have a goal in your professional life. You should have your sights set on something else that you have not yet obtained. Never settle. When you start your internship, make goals for skills you want to acquire, and then do everything in your power to obtain these goals. You should also try to learn something from every task you do. Naturally, not all jobs you do as an intern are going to be jobs you like, but if you use the mindset of attempting to learn something from it, the job becomes much more tolerable.

 

Assert Yourself

There is a difference in being confident and being cocky. You want to be confident in what you do. You don’t need to go over the top in presenting your information, but you should also defend your work and be proud of it as well. You spent your time performing the task, and your potential employer wants to know you are proud of it. Even if you are not sure your boss is going to like it, if you are confident, it reflects well on you.

Our program combines the best of both worlds, hands-on technical training, and the opportunity to gain real-world training via industry internships. This combined with our new 9-month curriculum gives our graduates the competitive edge they need when looking to land their first industry job.

We’re enrolling now for our next class, and offer financial aid to those who qualify.

Connect with us today, and someone with our admissions staff will contact you right away to schedule a campus tour.