Holly, from Santa Ana, CA writes:

My name is Holly and I am a journalism student eager to get her foot in the door of a print or online publication. I read about your experiences so far as an intern and couldn’t help feeling like I’m missing out! I have inquired about a couple internships in my area but sadly I never receive a response back. How did you land your internship? Maybe I’m going about it wrong or something. Maybe I need to be more persistent? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated! I applied for internships in a couple nearby cities but they were small cities so maybe if I looked in a large city like LA, I would have more luck? I’m not very picky, I would intern for a magazine, newspaper, or an online website. Also do you know of any good websites that post available internships? I’ve seen a couple beginner writing jobs on Craigslist but I always imagine I’ll end up in a prostitution ring or something.

Have a nice day!

Holly

Hi Holly,

First off, you live in California? You have no idea how much I envy you-that’s my dream place to live! maybe I will someday, when I have the money…far far in the future.

I can understand how finding an internship (or any job for that matter) is difficult right now, given the economy. I think one of the biggest reasons I was offered my internship is because it is (sigh) unpaid. That said, it is still an internship: I do what all the other paid interns at other venues do. The experience is the most important part of an internship, and what will land you a job in the future.

Even if a company is not advertising an internship, you might want to suggest that you are willing to work for free. Be careful, though. First, make sure you really are willing to work for free, and second, you might want to withhold this information (that you will work for free) until after you are sure that they will not hire you with pay.

You are lucky to live in an area populated with online, radio, and print media. California has a plethora of offices for some of the nation’s top magazines (Elle, Vogue, etc.), radio stations (California is currently the leading state in Freeform radio) and podcasts, TV stations, and newspapers (the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, etc.).

Even if you can’t find an internship close to home, I see no reason why you can’t apply to firms in surrounding districts and cities. You can always work out cost or housing at a later date.

Use the resources where you live: talk to people in the industry, ask around about jobs and internships, search for online news sites, and just put out the bug that you are available. You never know who may bite.

As for who to contact, most media sites have a contact list complete with emails. Send a mass email offering your services to all the editors. Even if a company isn’t looking for interns at that moment, they will have your name for future reference. Also, don’t be afraid to ask them if they know who is looking for interns. A lot of people in the industry were in your position once, and more than likely, they will want to help you out.

I do not know about any really good internship sites online, as I have never bothered to look. I have a minor distrust of services like that, as I have heard a few horror stories. Journalismjobs.com looks like it might be a good source, though, especially http://www.journalismjobs.com/search_results_internship.cfm. That said, any online site should be treated with caution because, like you said about Craigslist, you can’t see who is on the other end of the application. That’s my only caution, however, and if you can find something online, so much the better!

Never be afraid of being too aggressive or persistent! Being proactive can be the lynchpin in securing an internship. If you do not receive a response back from an email, call them! Speak with an editor or someone in charge. If that doesn’t prove fruitful, walk-in! Seriously!

I actually got my job at Bath and Body Works (which was one of the more selective places in my hometown) by walking into the store, asking to speak with the manager, and explaining to her why I wanted to work there. Seeing a candidate in person helps employers “figure you out” (i.e. see what your personality is, your fashion, your manner of speech, etc.), and also helps humanize you in their eyes. An employer is more likely to hire someone they’ve met in person than a name on a resume.

One reason why you may not have gotten any feedback from your emails is simply that people are busy. Media professionals, especially at big firms, get swamped with hundreds of emails a day. It takes a while to feed through and respond to all those emails (another reason why being proactive is good). One tip is to make the subject line clear, “looking for internship,” or “college student looking for work experience” for example.

My fellow intern, B, applied to work with a radio station three months ago, and only last week received an email from them saying, “Hey, sorry we haven’t had time to get back to you, but if you would like to come in and interview for the internship, we may have a place for you.” This was after she had already accepted the internship at Metro Pulse.

Sometimes you just have to take the initiative, and be on the ball to score an internship-especially at a renowned company. Employers will appreciate your courage, and you will never regret it. As my dad is always saying, the worse case scenario is they say “no.”

I hope this helps you, Holly, and anyone else struggling with finding an internship. It’s never an easy thing, you just can’t give up. Use the resources around you and be persistent. Eventually (that’s a harsh word), your hard work will pay off.