A Social Media Internship Could Jumpstart Your Career

07/20/2010

Is your Facebook page overflowing with Mafia Wars and Farmville updates? Do you tweet so often you make Demi and Ashton seem shy in comparison? If so, you just might be ready to apply for a social media internship!

Employers in every industry — restaurants, media companies, hospitals, retail stores and others—are offering paid and unpaid internships to bright, enthusiastic, young candidates who understand social networking the way fish understand water. If you’re interested in pursuing an internship opportunity in this evolving field, here are some helpful hints.

• Be creative in your search. There are a staggering number of internships nationwide involving social media responsibilities, but there’s very little standardization in job descriptions. Try searching for variations of "Viral Marketing Intern", "Social Media Intern", "New Media Intern", "Marketing Manager Intern", "Digital Media Intern", "Public Relations Intern", "Marketing/Media Intern", or "Online Marketing Intern."

• Cast a wide net. The major job sites like Monster.com or CareerBuilder list internship opportunities, but other sites like InternshipPrograms.com and InternshipFinder.com have a tighter focus and can be more helpful. Don’t assume that all openings are listed on the search engines, either. Big corporations (think NBC, Walmart, General Electric) often list internship spots on the career section of their websites, and career centers at local colleges or universities can provide good leads as well.
   
• Not finding any online postings for internships in your hometown? Sometimes the best opportunity is the one you make yourself. Look for local organizations that would benefit from more exposure online, like restaurants, boutiques, and local non-profits or charities. Offer to help them with online promotions (and here’s the important part) for free. In this economy, everyone likes to get something for nothing. After your online skills have boosted sales at a few local businesses, you’ll have a growing reputation and a track record of success. Isn’t that worth more than the $7/hr you’d get from lifeguarding?

A social media internship can be the perfect opportunity to learn about an industry, and will help you build new marketing and communications skills. If you play your cards right, it can even be the launching point for an exciting career.