(MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 18) -- Network to make your dream work! Networking is a crucial role in not only landing an internship but securing a career. Essentially, networking is building a support system to interchange contacts and information. However, how do you network if you don’t know anyone or are new to an area? When networking, it is important to attend community events because many companies, non-profit organizations and agencies usually use events to advertise and make community appearances. At events, go to the different booths, confidently introduce yourself including a brief list of your credentials, and ask if they are offering any internship opportunities. Not only does this allow you to make an impression, but it opens for discussion about the internship to see if it is mutually beneficial for both parties. Since a large number of people will be met, ask for a business card, make notes about the company and offer a business card with your contact information and social media sites. On Saturday, September 14th, I went to the Cooper-Young Festival located in Mid-Town Memphis. According to Kristan Huntley, the executive director for the Cooper-Young Festival, “the Cooper-Young Festival is one of the most attended festivals in the Memphis area, making it a prime place for networking.” The festival celebrates local art, music and history. Not to mention, it is located in “One of the Top Ten Neighborhoods in America,” according to the American Planning Association. I visited many booths and found over 15 companies that offer either internships or service hours, including the Cooper-Young Community Association. All of the booths at the Cooper-Young festival that offered internship opportunities were non-profit organizations. Therefore, they only offer unpaid internships. However, each organization talked about the value and experience that will be gained through their internships. Joan Carr, vice president of community affairs for Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, stated, “Our interns do not simply file papers. They truly get the hands on experience by doing different things like organizing events.” Carr spoke about how last year’s interns ran a city-wide distribution project for condoms. She listed some of their tasks were working with vendors, hosting events and distributing them in different areas as needed. The Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC) was very interested in acquiring interns. Martavius Hampton, volunteer coordinator, expressed the need for interns specializing in social media and history. Hampton provided a tour of the charismatic business, and guided me to a room designated for researching the history of the Gay and Lesbian community throughout Memphis history. Hampton quoted, “we do not currently have interns at MGLCC, but we could use the help of some and are willing to offer college credit.”
The first step to getting an internship is to CUP social media sites: Clean, Update, Prepare. It is important to CUP your social media sites because once the networking, application and interview process starts an increase in site-traffic will occur on the sites as they will be viewed and analyzed by potential employers.
To begin, clean up any posts, pictures and comments that you would not want an employer seeing. The goal is not to hide who you are, but show that you are a respectable, professional person. Next, update any information that might be outdated. For example, update work history, education history, course content and special skills. Make sure everything you want portrayed to your future employer is represented on your site. Finally, prepare for the job market by researching. It is important to understand what types of internships you would be interested in, if you have basic skills and knowledge to be an asset, and who are the core people you need to network with. In all, the main thing that needs to be done before marketing yourself to prospective employers is to first make sure “the product” is presentable and crisp. Start molding your image in social media presence by remembering the acronym CUP: Clean, Update, Prepare. Start now and CUP with the links below. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Also, click below to learn more about me and my experience with internships. |