Q & A

A SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ

Lauren,

As you said in your lecture, energy is key. How do you raise your energy levels to show employers your excitement, motivation, and passion? I will have a phone interview in the near future. I believe exemplifying energy, especially as a freshman, is key in showing my true potential. I’m looking forward to hearing your advice and utilizing your site. Here are a few of the questions:

Q: How did you find or reassure your passion  for PR/ Media?

A: As a freshman, I sat down with a list of career choices/major choices and went through all of them. I circled about 10 career choices. I didn’t know much about public relations until I started as a communications major. I was never 100 percent sure I wanted to be in PR. But I knew I wanted to learn more about it and that’s really where the need for an internship came into play.I always knew the entertainment industry interested me because I would get excited when I read about the big networks and studios and all of the behind-the-scenes work. I wanted to learn more. I interned at different departments at major TV networks to try and learn as much as possible.

Q: Would there be companies with quality internship programs for my interests (finance/ private equity/ investment banking/consulting)?

A: There are tons of internships out there for  the interests you’ve mentioned. On my site specifically, I offer finance internships in the OC, New York, and Los Angeles. A few of the finance internships are in the finance departments at companies like NBC Universal and Weinstein Company. I suggest making a list of your dream companies and starting there. Do the research and find out exactly where you can send your materials to apply for internships if they aren’t on my site.

 

Q:What is the method of your internship placement?

A: Students send me their resumes. They copy/paste their resume into an email to me (that only works with me, resumes to companies in general should be attached). I open the resumes and make sure the student is currently enrolled and I forward the resume to my contact at the company. If the company is interested, they contact the student directly.

Q:Is a virtual internship valued equally to typical internships?

A: It depends on what the virtual internship is. A virtual internship with a small company probably won’t look as good on paper as an internship at a huge well-known company. However, you can get great experience with virtual internships. These are also really nice during the school year when you can’t travel.

Q:What is the first step in utilizing your service?

To use my FREE internship services, log on to www.quarterlife.com/intern and pick the internships you’d like to apply for. You can hit the APPLY NOW button or send your resume to me at internqueen@quarterlife.com. When your resume is processed you will hear back from me. Keep in mind many companies might not want to see summer resumes until Mid-March so you might not hear back until then.

 

Q: Where do I live for my Internship ? Do I include Education on my resume ? What about College Credit ?

Q: How Do I Make My Resume/Cover Letter Stand Out ?

Your majesty~ Intern Queen,

Hi!(First, I must say how much I admire you for 15 internships during your college career! What an accomplishment and great way to get experience!)  My name is Melanie  and I am a freshman business major communication minor at Texas A&M University.  I really need you help!  I want to get an awesome internship this summer, but I don’t have the exact experience to get the ones I want.  How do I make my resume and cover letter stand out above everyone else?  I’m highly motivated, enthusatic, dedicated, and thrive in a high-pace, high-energy environment and want so badly to be able to get an awesome internship this summer.  If there is and advice or suggestions you could give me I would truly appreicate it! 
Thank you so much for all of your time!
Sincerely,
Melanie

A: Hi Melanie ! Thanks for writing. First, it’s important to get as much local internship experienc as possible before applying to more competitive , out-of-state internship. Talk up your previous experience. When I got my first internship, the only things on my resume were Red Lobster and Limited Too. I took a close look at the tasks I performed at those companies and added them to my resume. In your cover letter, keep your answers tight, clear and to the point. Many younger students tend to go on “resume tangents” and go on an on about points that aren’t relevant. Keep your materials focused.

Good luck !

Best,

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

http://www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

 

 

Q: I WANT AN INTERNSHIP AT A FASHION MAGAZINE. DO YOU HAVE ADVICE ?

Dear Lauren,

Hello. My name is Crystal Rim and I’m currently a sophomore attending
Boston University. I’m majoring in Journalism in the College of
Communications, and my ideal job is to be working for a major fashion
magazine or women’s magazine, such as Teen Vogue or Cosmopolitan.
First, I would like to tell you how grateful I am to have come across
your quarterlife website! I’m currently on a fervent search for an
awesome internship opportunity in my hometown in LA,CA for the summer.
There are  postings from the past related to the magazine industry, and
I was wondering if they are still active posts? Also, there are a lot
of PR internships that sound interesting as well. I’m wondering on what
basis interns are chosen for these amazing opportunities. I would
greatly appreciate any form of advice or tip on how to score an
internship and any special summer magazine internship openings. Thank
you for making such a resourceful webpage like quarterlife, and thank
you for your time and consideration.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Crystal
A: Crystal,

 

 

 

Thanks so much for writing. EVERY company on quarterlife.com is CURRENTLY seeking interns for either the Spring or Summer 2009 semester. All of the magazine and Public Relations opportunities in Los Angeles would be GREAT for you. Most publicity firms are constantly working with magazines and communicating with editors on a daily basis. Please send me an email with your resume copy/pasted inside. List the company names you are interested in and the corresponding semester in the subject line. Each company has different standards for choosing their interns. Most places want to see some sort of previous internship or work experience on your resume. They want to see that you are majoring in their field. When they speak with you on the phone, they look for a certian passion and excitement. Check out some of the Internship Interview pointers and resume pointers on my previous blog posts. Best of luck !

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

www.quarterlife.com/intern

Q: CAN GRADUATE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN INTERNSHIPS ?

Q: Are these internships only appropriate for the undergraduate level? I work at the Career Office at the MBA graduate school.  Regards, Karen

A: Hi Karen,

The internships on my site are for undergraduate and graduate students. If a student is currently enrolled in school, most of the companies that post with me, will take them on depending on their college credit policies. I have several start-ups, publicity firms, marketing companies, and even studios that would love more grad school candidates ! Please send them to me at www.quarterlife.com/intern !

Best,

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q: CAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS INTERN AND USE YOUR SITE ?

Q: Hey,

Do you take interns on from overseas? I’m in the UK, but would love to gain an internship at GQ.

I look forward to your reply,

Cheers,

Nick

A: Hey Nick ! Of course we accept applicants from the UK ! Just make sure that you are able to get whatever travel documents/materials you will need to stay in the US for at least 8 weeks over the Spring or the Summer. Please send me your resume (copy/paste into email) and let me know the name of the company (s) that you are interested in and the corresponding semester.

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen

www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q:  WHERE TO STAY FOR AN INTERNSHIP IN LOS ANGELES

Hi Lauren,

I am currently a junior in marketing at the University of Illinois and was hoping to get an internship in LA this summer for a movie or television production company. The one for Universal Pictures particularly interests me, but there seem to be a lot of great ones you have listed. I was wondering if we can still apply for these even if we are not currently living in the LA area but know we will be able to find housing over the summer? Thank you so much for your help, and really appreciate everything you do! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Paul

A: Hi Paul ! Thanks for writing. I would definitly suggest the Oakwoods Corporate Housing for Los Angeles. However, they do tend to be a bit expensive. I suggest calling them up and asking about their internship rates – please let them know that The Intern Queen referred you ! Also, you can look into subleasing an apartment for a few weeks which is what I also did one summer. Let me know if I can help further and please send in your resume !

Best,

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

http://www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

 

Q: WHICH ART HISTORY INTERNSHIPS DO YOU HAVE ?

Dear Lauren,

I am sorry. I sent my previous e-mail a little preemptively. I have since had a chance to look around your site and blog and am very interested in using your services. I am an Art History/ Business double major at the College of William and Mary. I have strong interests in the arts and in how the arts can be applied to various other fields, i.e. business. I am currently a sophomore but have completed nearly all of my Art History degree so I am quite advanced for my academic status. I have extensive museum experience and have worked with arts on and around campus. I have also written briefly for our campus newspaper on local exhibitions.

That being said, I strongly desire a chance to work with an arts magazine. I am an avid reader of Art in America and ARTnews as well as many other periodicals. I am also very interested in working with Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine. I have been doing research on Andy Warhol since I began my undergraduate career and I am currently organizing and curating an exhibition on the photo silkscreen process he used to create his works. I am very drawn to the fact that Interview has been able to respect and express the taste and style that Warhol left when he died. 

I would like your opinion on what avenues would be most appropriate for someone in my situation to take.

Sincerely,

Robert

A: Robert,

Wow ! You are so passionate about Art History and you are so focused – that is wonderful. I think you should definitly apply for the ARTS IN AMERICA and INTERVIEW magazine internships. In fact, I always tell students to apply for at least 10 internships per semester – just to make sure they secure something. I don’t post ArtNews internships – but I’m sure we could look up their information and send yours into them. I do have a “Pay to Secure an Internship” Program that is available if you want me to do extra research to help. You can email me about that and I’ll give you details. Otherwise, go ahead and copy/paste your resume to me on www.quarterlife.com/intern and let’s get started !

Best,

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

www.quarterlife.com/intern

 Q: WHICH ARCHITECTURE INTERNSHIPS DO YOU HAVE ?

I have a strong architectural background.  I can write articles on
Architecture.  I was working in the interior design industry so I have
experience in market research and ordering material samples.  I have a
four year degree.  I would like to work ASAP.  I understand this is an
unpaid internship.

– Chris

A:  Hey Chris ! I think a magazine internship sounds like it would be a great idea for you. I think you should also look into some of the architecture publications and see what the requirements for those internships are. I think Time Inc, Brant Publications, Timeout NY,  Home Beautiful Mag, Unique Homes, GQ,  and Men’s Journal would all be great places for you. Men’s Vogue actually just closed down but there are plenty of other great ones for you. Please copy/paste your resume into an email to me off the www.quarterlife.com/intern site and I’ll get them sent out for you !

Best,

Lauren Berger

“The Intern Queen”

www.quarterlife.com/intern

Q:  ARE THESE INTERNSHIPS PAID OR UNPAID ?

Do these internships provide salary or compensation for expenses? And what
kind of internships do you provide?

Jerry

A: Jerry,

Some of the internships on the site are PAID internships. Usually, with paid internships you are getting an hourly/weekly/or monthly rate. MOST of the internships are actually unpaid internships – these are common – especially in the fields of entertainment, journalism, public relations. Instead of being paid, students get college credit. You can check out the postings on www.quarterlife.com/intern and click on each listing to see the payment/college credit info for each company.

The types of internships offered on my site include: Television and Film Production, Talent Agencies, Law Firms, Financial Firms, Sports teams, Sports organizations, Magazines, Newspapers,Public Relations and Marketing Firms, etc. Check the site at www.quarterlife.com/intern to see all 400 listings !

Best,

Lauren Berger

Q:  IS THERE A FEE FOR STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS ?

Dear IQ,

I’m writing regarding your site. Is there a fee for students to apply? I see that when I click one of the applications, the email is directed to you rather than the company itself. What is the advantage of working through your organization as compared to direct application?

Thanks,

Cathy

A: Hi Cathy,

There is no fee for students to search and apply for internships on my site. When students apply they do send their resumes directly to me. I do this to keep the company information exclusive (many of the companies that post with me do not want to give out their contact info) and also so that I can be the student’s contact when they have any questions. I also send each students resume to the company they suggest AND to a few other companies in that same industry and location. Many students only apply for internships with “flashy”names and don’t realize that they should be applying for about 10 internships per semester. I try to put a name and face behind my service. With other websites, they feel impersonal and a student never knows if their information is received. With quarterlife.com/intern each students gets a response back directly from me explaining where I have sent their resumes and when the student should follow up with me. I think their is a high value in sending their resume to an actual person. Students feel confident knowing “The Intern Queen” is helping them.

Hope this helps answer your question.

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen – www.quarterlife.com/intern

Q: WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF LANDING AN INTERNSHIP ON YOUR SITE ?

I was wondering what is the chances of me getting an internship ?

Thanks ! Lou

A:  Hi Lou. I think that any student can obtain an internship if they stay focused and keep their options open. If you have previous internship experience, then it is realistic to set high goals to intern as larger/well-known companies. If you don’t have previous internship experience then set smaller goes. Everyone has to start somewhere. Just because you don’t get an internship at SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE (www.quarterlife.com/intern) doesn’t mean you won’t get an internship at a small local magazine. Also remember, that at smaller companies you often get more hands on experience in the workplace. So keep your options open and I believe you and anyone else will be successful in finding a great internship!

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen – www.quarterlife.com/intern

Q: WHAT TEEN MAGAZINES CAN I INTERN WITH ?

Hi Lauren Berger my name is Louisa. I attend College Of Staten Island my major is creative writing and communications. I’m very interested in the position. I was wondering what is required for me to apply. I really want to gain experience and what better way to start with one of the top teen magazines.

 A. Louisa, You’ve come to the right place ! I suggest you join quarterlife to start networking with some great creative people who are also looking for internships in your field ! Please copy/paste your resume into an email to me and I’ll forward it to my contacts at some great teen magazines. Some of the magazines that I think would be great for you include: Seventeen, Twist, Gurl.com, Quizfest, Bop, Marie Claire, etc. Please send soon – I look forward to it !

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen

www.quarterlife.com/intern

Q:  SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE INTERNSHIP QUESTIONS

Hi,  I recently saw an ad in seventeen magazine for applying to be in an intern and also found your web site online in regards to it.

 I would be interested in applying for an internship at seventeen magazine but am wondering how old you must be and if you have any locations in or near Los Angeles.

 

Thank you.

 

Nicole 

A: Hey Nicole ! I work with the Seventeen Magazine internship coordinator out of New York City. I believe their internship program is solely based in NYC. If you are interested in an internship with a magazine in Los Angeles I do work with Marie Claire and few others. If you want to apply for any of the internships please copy/paste your resume in an email to me and I’ll send it along!

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen

www.quarterlife.com/intern

Lauren,   I have a few questions that I hope you have time to answer.   I am going into the Film Industry, and I want to get internships but, it seems hard to do.  So my questions to you are…   Should I include the college I am currently attending on my resume, but have not completed my degree yet?   If I was to get a internship out of state from where I live, what is the best way to afford living in that city while I internship?  How did you do it?   This question I could ask my counsler, but since Im writing you I will just ask, how does interning go towards college credits?   I look forward to your response.   Thank you,   Bridget A: Hi Bridget ! Yes, you should absolutely include your EDUCATION on your resume. List the school you attend, the location, the dates you have attended and your write “Expected Gradation, May ____”. Where you will live depends on where the internship is. When I intered at BACKSTAGE NEWSPAPER in NYC, I lived at the NYU Dorms. They have something called The NYU Summer Program. When I lived in Los Angeles I lived at the Oakwood Corporate Housing one summer and I sublet an apartment off Craigslist one summer. Another option is doing an all inclusive program like University of Dreams (uofdreams.com). Your internship college credit all depends on your schools credit/internship policies. Credit usually has not much to do with the company and everything to do with your school so be sure to check in with your counselor abot that. Good luck ! Best, Lauren Berger “The Intern Queen” www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

Sincerely,

 

Thomas Kovoor