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Intern Tips

September 13, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Public RelationsInternet searching, interns, Public Relations1 Comment

Thanks to Bridget, Rachel and Michelle, Clairemont’s TLC summer interns — it was a pleasure spending the summer with you! While we continue to interview fall interns (email j@clairemontcommunications if you are interested in applying), we wanted to share some parting words of advice from our summer intern group.

Bridget: Stay informed. When it comes to being an intern – and public relations in general – you should be in the know. It is necessary to keep up-to-date with clients, public companies, relevant news and recent trends. Being aware also keeps your mind occupied with fresh concepts, as well as facts that you can put on a side burner for later use. I believe that one general rule of being an intern is that you can never have too much information.

Rachel: As an intern, it is important to be a sponge. Learn from the professionals and other interns around you in order to get the most of your internship opportunity. The interns at Clairemont each come from different backgrounds, so we all have something different to offer one another in terms of knowledge and experience. On-the-job training is the best learning experience. Learn something new with each assignment and to never be afraid to ask questions.

Michelle: The action of finding important information via Internet research is an interesting task. How can I manage my time effectively while researching? How can I optimize my search to get results in an efficient and productive manner? The key is to maximize the search, and here are some helpful hints:

1. It is all in the words. Think carefully about what is being searched and write words that will most effectively narrow in on results. What is most important or unique about what is being researched? Focus on these aspects.

2. To search for an exact phrase, use quotes around the phrase.

3. Place a “+” before a word to guarantee the word will be on the page.

4. Place a “-” before a word to guarantee the word will not be on the page.

5. If a helpful website lacks a search bar, google “site:somesite.com” and the desired word.

6. Instead of forming a question, change the question into the form of an answer.

Were you a summer intern? What did you learn?

L is for Learning Part 3

August 19, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Public Relationsinterns, learning, TLC1 Comment

Today’s L for learning is last but not least. If you’ve been lollygagging this week, take a look back at our earlier posts to learn more about Clairemont’s TLC Intern Program.

Our finaL favorite tip from the Entrepreneur Start-Up Guide comes from Bridget who writes:

Whenever possible, tie your business to a current event or trend.

This seemingly simple pointer is something that has proven to be extremely important from what I have seen in my first few weeks as a public relations intern. In viewing various company blogs and websites for research, I have discovered that the most successful organizations are those that find ways to link their businesses to some type of recent news or event.

Electronic media is so pervasive that it takes something special to capture the public’s attention. By connecting to something current, a business can captivate the attention of consumers and as Entrepreneur states, “gain publicity by association.”

L is for Learning Part 2

August 17, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Owning a Business, Public Relationsgrand openings, interns, Public Relations, special events1 Comment

Yes, today the letter L is only about learning, and in this case, it is very special. As in special events. If you didn’t catch yesterday’s post, Clairemont’s TLC Interns (team, learning, career) were asked to identify favorite take-away tips from an assigned-reading Entrepreneur article. Today’s tip comes from Rachel:

Make your special event special.

Do something original and attention grabbing. This tip is important to keep in mind because doing something different and original grabs people’s attention. It makes them want to learn more, which will drive them to the business.

It’s easy to pass by a store with a GRAND OPENING! sign outside and not much else. When passersby can see that there is something special going on, they are more likely to come and check out what you are doing.

By making your business memorable and enjoyable to customers, they are more likely to return and let their friends and family know about it as well.

L is for Learning

August 16, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Owning a Business, Public Relations, Starting a businessinterns, learning, networking

…and love and lollipops and lemon meringue and lightening bugs and lake houses and larkspur and lavender. But today’s L is for learning, and that is the focus of our next three posts!

As the L in Clairemont’s TLC Intern Program, our interns are assigned reading and other assignments independent of the work that goes on in our agency. They recently read Entrepreneur‘s Start-Up Guide from Entrepreneur Magazine, and were asked to write about their favorite tip from the public relations section. Today’s tip comes from Michelle who wrote:

Set a goal to meet five (or more) new people at each event.

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Although constantly over quoted, mastering this statement can be key in growing and keeping a successful business.

It is so easy to converse only with familiar people and friends at lunches or events, overlooking great opportunities that are always lurking. Therefore, without even realizing it, people miss many great connections!

This is exactly why I love this tip from this guide.Setting the goal to “meet five (or more) new people at each event,” in advance of arriving is a great way to create a business mindset before attending. Once focused, it will be much easier to meet new people and to not lose sight of such great opportunities and connections.

With this goal in mind, it is important to remember that making connections is not only beneficial, but it can be intriguingly fun. The key is to remember to actually do it!

Happy 30th Anniversary Post-It!

August 9, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Owning a Business, Public Relationscreativity, interns, Post-It, team, teamwork1 Comment

When putting together Clairemont’s internship program, three areas of concentration emerged as we built the curriculum to focus on the professional growth of our interns: team, learning and career. That’s why we call it the TLC Intern Program, and today’s post is brought to you by the letter T!

As a team assignment, Clairemont’s TLC interns were asked to have fun with Post-Its in honor of the product’s 30th anniversary. (And Rachel even knew the answer to my question of, “In what movie did best friends pretend to be the inventors of the Post-It?” I was quite impressed.)

Despite the fact that this was one of the days the A/C was out in the office, I think the photos show they worked well together. More on our Flickr page. Enjoy!