Intern-Palooza

Everyone knows the classic idioms for groups of animals. You know, like a school of fish, a gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, a flock of sheep or a … murder of crows? That’s an ominous one. Yikes.

But what do you call over 90 public relations interns convening in one place?  I call it AMAZING.

That’s what happened when Padilla was honored to host the PR Council’s annual InternFest. They came from far and wide, representing agencies all over Manhattan for a networking and PR best practices event. In fact, here’s a peek at the action:

Since we’re celebrating National Intern Day today, (yes, there’s a day for everything), I wanted to share my observations on the event and the overall health of internships.

Besides feeling like ‘old man walking’ at the event in desperate need of Botox, I had the pleasure to chat with students from a variety of schools such as Brown University, the University of Minnesota and Villanova University.

There was one encounter that summed up my experience.  Right after the event began, this young lady practically sprinted across the office, barely avoiding collision with a few other guests.  She needed to speak with me (and I mean immediately).

I extended my hand and was promptly met with a barrage of questions:

Me: Hello…

Her: So, you run this place?

Me: Yes

Her: How many interns do you have this summer?

Me: Three in the New York Office

Her:  What’s your conversion rate from interns to full-time hires?

Me:  I’m sorry?

Her:  It’s just, I want to make sure I’m not wasting my time where I currently am.

My brain was trying to figure out if this was a shakedown or I’m in the presence of my future boss.  And that was my main take-away.  The ‘kids’ of today are driven, articulate, eager and most of all know what they want and how to get it.  Bravo young lady!  Can I send you my resume?

Here’s a few testimonials from our Padilla NEXTerns who attended the event:

Not only are internships essentially a requirement on resumes in today’s competitive job market, but they also provide you with first-hand exposure of working in the real world. Simply put, internship experience is invaluable. My undergraduate career taught me a lot, but when I reflect upon my most valuable skills, I realize I developed many from various internships. And so far, this internship has not disappointed, teaching me a great deal about the world of health- a topic I wasn’t too familiar with before. I’m excited to continue working on the Health team at Padilla and can’t wait to see what else I learn in the coming weeks! – Lindsay McConnell, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

This summer, I was determined to find a summer job that I wanted to go to every day! I knew that an internship would help me develop my skills at a professional level, while also allow me to meet people working my dream job that would give me advice on how to make the most of my experience. From my first day of orientation at Padilla, to now, in my sixth week of my internship experience, no two days have been the same, and it has been an amazing experience. I have learned more than I ever thought I would, not just about public relations, but also about time management and the importance of communication in the workplace. I still have a long way to go before I become the boss PR woman-in-charge I hope to be one day, but each day here is a new challenge that brings me one step closer to my dream. – Ashley Steinberg, Syracuse University

The moment I stepped foot into the University of Minnesota’s business school four short years ago, it was immediately ingrained in me that if I wanted to have a successful career, it would be essential for me to complete multiple internships before I graduated. Now graduated and looking back at my college career, I realize that I did complete multiple internships, but not for the sake of making my resume look good to a future employer. I have completed multiple internships, including this one this summer, because I wanted to gain experiences working in fast-paced fields and growing industries, experiences that went outside and beyond the classroom. – Sarah Hess, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

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