Not Just Getting Coffee

When family members and friends asked me what I would be doing after graduating from Franklin & Marshall College in December, it was with a great deal of trepidation that I shared my plans: “I have an internship.”  The title “intern” often conjures up images of coffee runs, copy duty and menial work in general.  But, luckily, my internship at Buchanan Public Relations shattered all previously held notions about the insignificance of interns, and it is with pride that I look back on my past four months here.

My time with this company has thoroughly prepared me as I take the next step in my career, and my newfound confidence signals the success of Buchanan’s internship program.  People evaluate internships in a variety of ways, but if you ask me, this is what characterizes an effective public relations internship:

• Give it a shot.  Supervision is important, but independent learning is essential in the PR industry.  At Buchanan, I had to take initiative and “give it a shot,” even if the task seemed over my head.  Understanding the benefits of rigid aluminum conduit or the intricacies of a new piece of legislation may not seem like worthwhile knowledge at the time, but being able to independently approach a technical topic and make sense of it is an invaluable skill in public relations.
• The whole puzzle, rather than a single piece.  Public relations is a complex puzzle composed of many pieces.  Interns tasked with merely building media lists or monitoring for stories glimpse only a tiny piece of a larger process.  Though I wasn’t always drafting major news releases or coordinating interviews with prominent reporters, at Buchanan I was somehow included in every stage of the process.  I was given the opportunity to take the reins, research a topic, develop a pitch, receive feedback and send that pitch to top-tier reporters.  Few interns can boast being given such responsibility.
• You’re not just the mascot.  At Buchanan, everyone is an integral member of the team and nobody stands on the sidelines.  You can’t be dead weight at a small agency, and the intern is no exception.  Rather than being tasked with busy work, I was often asked to conduct critical research or help distribute client announcements.  My contributions were highly valued and never went unnoticed or unappreciated.

Though brief, my time with Buchanan has been incredibly rewarding, and it has more than prepared me for a position in the PR industry.  Thanks to this wonderful internship program, I was able to secure a full-time position within mere weeks of beginning my job search.  Buchanan’s internship program is slowly but surely wiping out the stigma associated with the word “intern,” replacing negative stereotypes with pride and confidence.