Navigating Summer Communications Internships: Your Guide to Launching a Career

Choosing to study communications opens up a multitude of career paths, making the selection of internships a crucial step. Communications internships offer invaluable real-world experience, fostering growth in areas like public relations and providing a deeper understanding of how account teams operate. These internships equip students with the tactical know-how to meaningfully contribute to areas like media relations, content development, public relations, and public affairs.

The Value of Communications Internships

Internships for communications majors provide opportunities to gain skills in writing, teamwork, organization, accountability, and problem-solving. A communications internship can be an exciting entry point, providing a real taste of what it’ll be like to work in communications. You’ll connect with potential mentors, learn communications trade secrets, and build relationships with coworkers with a range of expertise. The best communications internship programs strengthen resumes, provide valuable avenues to letters of recommendation, and can even turn into full-time jobs.

At companies like Pierpont Communications, interns play an active role in teams and provide significant added value to real client projects. The goal is to give interns a diversified experience.

Preparing for Your Internship Search

Before diving into applications, ensure your resume is up to date and your Handshake profile is fully completed. Recruiters are more likely to engage with a student who has a complete profile detailing their interest in communications.

Resume and Profile Tips

When putting together your resume, make sure to have all your skills, courses, and accomplishments laid out for employers to view. Also having your preferred job role and location on your Handshake profile is a great way to signal your interest to potential recruiters. For communications interns, some great skills to list would be specific technical skills, time management, ability to follow through and execute, and ability to contribute and collaborate in a team setting.

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Interview Preparation

When you land an interview, whether virtual or in person, come prepared and dressed to impress. Review your resume and cover letter to ensure you have specific examples of your experience to share, from clubs or coursework. Consider scheduling a mock interview with your university’s career center or a trusted friend to practice answering common interview questions.

Networking Strategies

Once you’ve landed an internship in communications and settled into the flow of day-to-day life at the office, start chatting with your coworkers. Whether they’re industry professionals or fellow interns, it’s important to treat them with equal respect. You never know what insights they could lend, or who could be a valuable connection down the line, five or ten years from now. Don’t be afraid to ask your new colleagues out for quick coffee chats, or request 15-minute informational interviews about their career trajectory.

Maximizing Your Internship Experience

To delve deeper into your career path growth, consider attending virtual events. These events offer opportunities to learn more about your career, network with employers and industry specialists, and connect with other students.

Finding the Right Internship

When searching for communications internships, it’s key to use the location filters provided on Handshake. You’ll be able to pinpoint communications internships exactly where you want to intern just by selecting the city you want in the search bar. Easy communications internships in your preferred city are just a search away.

You can even research possible job roles that you might want to explore during your communications internship. Handshake also makes it easy to learn about roles in communications simply by using the job role search bar.

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And if you want to take your research one step further, you can even research top employers in the communications field on Handshake. Just by using the Handshake employer search feature you can discover companies that are hiring in your specific field by filtering by “Industry.”

Internship Roles to Consider

Internships in communications can lead to various roles, including:

Editor: Editors revise and prepare materials to be published in print and digital media. They often work at newspapers, magazine publications, book publishing houses, and media networks.
Copywriter: Copywriters are in charge of writing compelling content both for a company’s internal and external communications. They can wear hats in other aspects such as writing, editing, and graphic design.
Marketing Manager: Marketing managers oversee the promotional efforts of a company through marketing and advertising campaigns. They manage the research, planning, strategy, and execution of the company's marketing initiatives, which ultimately aim to increase sales or brand awareness.
Public Relations Manager: Public relations managers and specialists communicate with journalists and media outlets to promote news and create a specific public image for an individual, group, or organization. Their responsibilities may include managing social media accounts, writing press releases, and planning press events.

Companies Offering Communications Internships

Many companies offer communications internships, including:

Quibbl
Hearst Magazines
Paravane Ventures
Riddle & Bloom
Dauntless Marketing Group
N3
KPMG LLP
Apple
Microsoft
MGR Strategic Communications
Nestle USA
Amazon Robotics
JMS Marketing
Red Bull

Even companies that don’t seem to have a main focus in communications are looking for bright interns to help them develop a voice.

Paid Internships

Yes, you can find paid communications internships on Handshake by using the search filters!

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What You'll Learn

During your communications internship, you’ll learn some great generic skills like time management, accountability, organization, and teamwork. Additionally, you’ll be immersed in the world of communications which will help you develop your knowledge of quantitative aptitude, how to manage communications projects effectively, and about your company’s supply chain.

Internships at Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution offers various internship opportunities:

The National Air and Space Museum’s structured summer internship program provides firsthand experience working in a museum. This 10-week summer program provides unique professional development opportunities and enrichment activities.
Every year, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage involves over a hundred interns in our various activities.
An internship at the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology is a unique opportunity to be part of a department working to make digital education resources more accessible and useful to PK12 teachers, students, parents, and anyone looking to discover and explore museum content.
The Office of Advancement offers internship opportunities for candidates interested in fundraising and development-oriented careers. Through these internships the Office of Advancement seeks to provide interns with meaningful professional learning experiences.
Internships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates' opportunities to work closely with professionals and scholars in the museum field. The museum provides a dynamic learning environment and access to supportive mentors that help interns reach their academic and professional goals. Interns receive a stipend while they gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of positions!
The National Museum of Asian Art invites applications for its eight-week, paid Summer Undergraduate Internship Program.
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

The Necessity of Internships

While it's not required, internships are great opportunities for growth and experience. From communications internships for undergraduates to great seasonal communications internships, you’ll be able to build both hard and soft skills and even network.

What is a Communications Intern?

Along with networking and gaining mentorship, communications interns will spend time working on skills great for later in their career journeys. communications interns will learn how to plan and execute concrete goals, communicate their visions effectively, project manage and collaborate with a team on a shared goal.

Compensation for Communications Professionals

The average annual pay for full time jobs in communications range from $33,280 to $63,000.

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