Internship show-and-tell & chili extravaganza!

Thanks all who came, presented, and brought food for our activity last night. Here are some highlights from our awesome presenters:

Sara interned with the Deseret News over the summer, and she is now working there—way to go! She had a lot of great advice to offer. For example, if you’re not understanding what your interviewee is talking about, she suggests asking something like, “Can you explain a little more so I can explain this to the average reader?” And want to impress your editors with great story ideas? Check out Poynter’s Al’s Morning Meeting blog, which has a roundup of story ideas that you could localize.

Steve, who is double majoring in journalism and political science, started an online magazine, Rhombus, this summer. Since then, they’ve been getting about 6,000 hits a month. The objective, Steve said, is to fill a need for more meaningful content to young people in Utah Valley. Definitely, check out Rhombus. As the About page says, “it may not cure cancer, but it will at least make life more interesting.” Also, Steve and his team are always looking for good contributors—contact them at rhombusmag@gmail.com.

Heather told us about her internship with the Church magazines, where she worked on articles for the Liahona and news of the Church. She emphasized that it’s helpful to name drop. But how do you name drop properly? She recommends doing it in your cover letter; you can write something like “I am eager to learn more about this internship, since I have already heard many wonderful things from your previous intern, [name].” Heather also suggested learning as much as you can about the organization you’re applying for. She talked to friends who had already had the internship, and got tips about what interview questions to prepare for. Her preparation definitely paid off, since she got the internship that had more than 300 students apply.

Adam told us about some of his experiences working for BYU Broadcasting. (Remember, SPJ is for broadcasters, too!) He emphasized the value of networking—it’s who you know that counts. He also said that being willing to take on projects that others don’t want shows employers that you’re a hard worker. For Adam, that meant several promotions!

Emily did an internship in New York and while she was there, she took a food writing class at NYU. She recommends taking any opportunity to experience journalism outside of BYU. “Anything you can do to expand your horizons is great,” she said. Also, the uniqueness of the food writing class has already helped Emily. She says that it’s been great to include it on her résumé, because it’s always a great conversation starter during job interviews!

Also, McKay provided a handout with information on a variety of internship opportunities throughout the U.S. Comment on this post if you’d like to get that info!

ALSO also, we are going to have a letter-writing activity for fundraising soon ... be excited!