Bowling for Details

I am currently an event coordinator intern with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. I am helping plan Big Brothers Big Sister’s 27^th annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake that will take place over several weekends in March. Bowl For Kids’ Sake is a bowling event where community members and local professionals come together to raise money for the kids of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. Last year Bowl For Kids’ Sake has more than 1,000 participants and raised over $120,000.

 If you do not have an internship yet, I strongly encourage all students and young professionals to get one. You can learn so much from working with a professional and by being around them on a daily basis. So far I have better learned how to go about promoting an event through the media and social media, improved my phone and interpersonal skills, and learned how truly important every detail of an event is.

The main thing that I will be taking away from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks is how extremely important details truly are. Double and triple checking everything you do is key to the success of an event. Additionally, if your details are not exact it could be the difference from client re-hiring you or dropping you, which in some cases could ruin your reputation in the professional world. For example, I am currently working a lot with multiple spread sheets and cold calling and if the two do not have the same information on it, it could mean the difference for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks getting a sponsorship or donation or not. No matter what professional path you chose to go down, details will be there and you better make sure that they are right or it could be disastrous.

Sara Ryan is a senior graduating in May from Missouri State University with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Business. Sara has interned with the Discovery Center of Springfield and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. She is currently a member of Public Relations Student Society of America, Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honors Fraternity and Delta Zeta Sorority. Sara is from St. Louis, Missouri. 

7 Tips from the Intern Queen

Earlier in November, I had the privilege thanks to Doug Gaehle to participate in a phone conference with the Intern Queen, Lauren Berger. According to the website, Intern Queen Inc, is, "an online internship destination that helps students find and apply for internships while also educating them on how to make the most of their experiences." Her website is filled with many different tips and possible internship opportunities. She also speaks to universities all over the country. Lauren took the time out of her day to talk to about 10 students on the phone and give them tips on the internship hunt.


1. Be Proactive.
Always be looking for ways to improve your resume for your dream internship, and once you have your internship, continue to be proactive. Be the go to intern that companies want to hire.

2. Don't Forget to Follow-Up.
Just like many of our internship panelists advised at our November meeting, ALWAYS follow up with an application and interview. Always send a hand-written thank you card after an interview. Do not be afraid to call after sending in your resume. Do not annoy possible employers though. "Culpwrit" recently published a blog post that gives a great outline to following up.


3. ALWAYS Include a Cover Letter.
Your cover letter is your way to connect the dots for your potential employer. Expand on the one thing you got the most out of on your resume, and describe it in detail. This is your chance to show your ability to write, edit and persuade. Do not waste it!


4. Do Your Research.
Most likely people are going to hire someone who is familiar or passionate about their brand or organization. If you walk into an interview without knowing some current and background information about a company, it is highly unlikely they will ask you back. Follow them on Twitter; like them on Facebook; and read recent press releases. Sometimes it is more about getting the right person for the company instead of the best person for the job.

5. Make Your Dream List.
Make a dream list of internships...NOW! Go write in your journal or on a piece of paper your 10 dream internships, and then go after them. Shoot for the moon! Laura also recommended to apply for 10 local internships a semester or 20 out of town internships a semester to optimize your chances of getting your dream internship.


6. Local Internships Help Build Your Resume.
Do not underestimate the power of a local internship. Sometimes it is necessary to gain experience locally to bulk up your resume, and then apply for out of town internships. Local news stations are also great places to gain experience and meet well-networked people. Many people seem to recommend three internships while you are in college, so start early!

7. Leave Fear at the Door.
Fear keeps you from doing your best. Whether it be keeping you from applying for an out of town internship or keeping you from asking your supervisor a simple question in order to perform better at work. If there is a company that you are interested in, give someone who works there a cold call or email. You may just get a few minutes of their time or you may get an internship, but it is worth the risk.

Lauren Berger also talked about a Campus Ambassador program. We currently do not have a Campus Ambassador at Missouri State University. If you would be interested in that program, email me at Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu, and I will connect you with Lauren. If you have not, be sure to check out her website and follow her on Twitter for more internship tips and internship openings!

Bethany Parry—Vice President: Bethany is a senior at Missouri State University studying Public Relations and Spanish. As Vice President, she promotes professional development, manages communications, and supports the president in anyway needed. You can contact her at Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu or follow her on Twitter at @bparry08.

Getting the Scoop on Internships

We have just moved to ONCE a month meetings instead of bi-weekly meetings, and our ONLY November Chapter meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 5:00 p.m. in Craig 330. It is free for members and $3 for nonmembers, so invite your friends!

Let us give you "The Scoop on Internships", literally. Ice cream will be provided by Dairy Queen to accompany our night full of internship discussion. There will be four student panelists (Megan Haeffle, Sara McClendon, Susan Venker and Kim Perry) ready to share their experiences in Springfield non profit and corporate internships and in internships from more urban areas like New York. 

Each student will get a folder filled with:

• Current internship opportunities in Springfield, Kansas City and more.
• A guide on landing the right internship
• Information about getting credit for in the department for your internship
• Tips from a conference call with Laura Berger, The Intern Queen
• A recipe to making the blueberry yogurt pictured here thanks to OneOrdinaryDay 

Bring your questions and your sweet tooth!

More Information on Student Panelists:

• Kim Perry, senior PR/Media student, interned at Le Metier de Beaute in New York City at their Public Relations/Communications Intern.
• Megan Haeffle, senior PR student, worked as the Grassroots Marketing Coordinator for Hollywood Theater College Station in downtown Springfield this past summer.
• Sara McClendon has been interning in the Development Department at Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield since last spring and will be continuing to work there after graduation. They are currently looking for a new Public Relations Intern, and it is paid!
• Susan Venker will be talking about her experience as a non paid intern in the Media Relations department at St. John's hospital and her partially paid internship with the Pard Board in Springfield.

Bethany Parry will be mediating the panel, so if you want to send any questions for the panelists in advance, send them to Bethany08@live.missouristate.edu.

Updated: PRSSA's Next Top Blogger

Missouri State Public Relations Student Society of America presents the first ever:

"Next Top Blogger" Contest.

We want know who has a gift for blogging even if YOU don't realize it yet.

It is a chance for you to get a byline and be published online!

So that the next time you 'google' your name something good will pop up for future employers. 

We have a new development in the contest to share.

The Prizes:

1. The top 4 blog posts will be published: 2nd, 3rd and 4th will be published on the Missouri State Blog during the last week of October with maximum social media and print promotion of each post. The Top Blogger will be published on the PRSSA National's Blog. :)
2. The top 2 bloggers will be given the opportunity to work one on one with a PR professional in the area (Claire Faucett or Andrea Harp) for one hour getting specific tips on writing and such. 
3. The Top Blogger will be published on PRSSA National's Blog and receive a $15 gift certificate to The Coffee Ethic as well as having a blog post featuring them appearing the last week of October linking to their post on National's blog. 

Weheartit

How to Enter:

1. Write a blog post between 100 and 500 words in either a word document or body of an email. Please follow the PRSSA Style Guide and AP Style.
2. Email post to prssa.mostate@gmail.com. 
3. Deadline is November 1 at midnight.
4. Pictures/video or additional website information is welcomed. Please attached desired photos in email with clear directions of where you want them to appear in the post as well as the source of the image.
5. The theme to follow is what you have learned during an internship or outside a classroom setting. The content must be unpublished work. No re-purposing content from other blogs.

Anyone can enter member or nonmembers!
You could be published NATIONALLY!

This is YOUR chance to shine because

Everyone is a publisher!

IN.network...You Should Do it!

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Wondering what to do this summer?

Consider getting involved with The Chamber of Commerce's program, IN.network.

According to their website, IN.network is:

IN.network is designed with interns in mind. It’s a summer program created to enhance the internship experience by showing soon-to-be graduates what Springfield has to offer outside the workplace. In a nutshell, it’s Springfield’s link from college tocareer. 

I participated in this program last summer, and it was a blast! It is essentially the intern version of The Network from Chamber of Commerce. Their goal was to keep us in Springfield, so it consists of multiple networking events and site seeing. It is funny because they are completely honest with us. They want us to show us how "cool" Springfield here so we will live here forever.

They had many other events such as a Cardinals Ball game, networking luncheons with The Network professionals, lunch at Trolley's, and end of the year dinner. It was such a fun experience. However, it surprised me how many people signed up but did not take advantage the opportunities. Unlike most networking groups, it was FREE! Free is a key word for most college students.

So you get free food, free networking opportunities with Springfield professionals, safe practice for harassing those networking skills, and time with students in Springfield you may have never met before...

Why would you spend your summer in Springfield any other way?

If you want to know more about my experience, check out my blog post. If you want to enroll, contact Kristen Westerman at kwesterman@springfieldchamber.com or call (417)862-5567. IN.network Summer Internship Program Application is due by May 31, 2011.