What do you do if your internship in Public Relations isn't leading to a full-time job?

Remember, it isn't leading/might not lead to a full-time position with the company you are currently interning at. However, you are (hopefully) learning and developing public relations skills along the way. Also, the other people working there might be able to share possible leads to full-time jobs.

Would look for a job in another company or possibly find a totally different industry! New Field can land you with a job you really want!

First ask yourself: why are you in public relations? Sometimes, assessing the impact you want to have, the skills you'd like to acquire, and the passions you have can help you realize that maybe it's not PR that you want, but rather these tangible things that are often—but not only!!—found in PR. This can lead you to realize that you don't need to narrow your search to public relations. Consider becoming a publicist, a communications expert, a marketer, the list goes on.

Kick things off by taking a hard look at your internship—why isn't it turning into a full-time gig? Could it be the company's wallet, a hiring chill, or a shuffle in the ranks?

However disappointing that might be, if a career in public relations is what you want, know that there are many opportunities out there and you don't need to kill your motivation over one internship not working out. Listen closely to the feedback offered during the internship, and take the remaining time to work on it. Simultaneously, keep looking out for relevant opportunities. Circumstances can be tricky at times, maybe the company doesn't have the bandwidth for a new hire, maybe it's the economy, maybe it's not the right fit, so focus on what you can do. Mistakes are meant to be learned from, take it as re-direction, not failure. One internship will not decide your entire career. But your attitude and grit will.

Don’t rely purely on internships to lead to permanent roles, whether they do or don’t often depends on more than just your performance and fit but also the organisation situation, finance, workloads and wider team makeup. Some companies use internships to identify future talent and others have intern specific roles that may limit the number of permanent offers made to progress in the company. Update your CV as each internship progresses and focus on measurable impact. If you’re asked to grow social following on a specific network benchmark it at the beginning so you can identity and explain the impact you’ve had. Try asking early in the internship about potential opportunities so that your expectations are managed.

Stats speak volumes. In each line of your experience on your LinkedIn profile or CV, highlight your individual work that contributed and any total stats to quantify your impact.

Construir portfólio por meio dos estágios é uma excelente estratégia, organizando entregas e conquistas deste período, sempre sob a supervisão adequada de um mentor/gestor. Candidate-se para apresentar suas conquistas em eventos acadêmicos ou mesmo do setor. Recomendo muito também criar um espaço de conteúdo para compartilhar estas práticas e conhecimentos, como um blog, usar o próprio LinkedIn ou plataformas como Youtube.

Many non-profit organizations need a PR person to represent them at grant meeting, handling news releases, events, public hearings, etc. get your name out there. Be your own PR person. Employers will seek you.

You have to start somewhere. An internship is better than nothing. If you don't have a full time job after the internship, apply for another company. There are plenty of reasons if the first company didn't hire you, so move on!

Beyond an internship and college course work, building, maintaining and investing in a professional network is often overlooked. Reach out to individuals whose careers interest you and see if they are open to a 15-minute discovery call. Connect, engage, re-engage and re-engage again. A network must be nurtured for it to support you in the long term.

The more open you are to new people and experiences in the industry, the more opportunities will come. When you’re enjoying an internship it’s easy to get tunnel vision for the company and role you’re in. It’s important to remember that jobs come and go and what you take with you is your experience, reputation and network. Keep building; connect with new people on LinkedIn, ask your internship supervisor and peers for introductions, temporarily take a part time or freelance job. Each experience is a stepping stone towards your future.

Unfortunately, final undergraduate internship didn't resort in fulltime employment. However my internship coordinator was willing to refer me to several contacts in the industry, give me an excellent reference and allow me to use their name when networking and searching for my next career opportunity. As a result, I was able to leverage the internship for my benefit long-term. This is a demonstration of the importance of 1) having a good work ethic and optimistic attitude, 2) considering the potential in every professional experience, and 3) developing long-lasting relationships for mutual gain. #networking #HBCUGrad #Internship #HBCU

As a PR professional, it's crucial to actively expand your network, especially after completing a stage. Don't wait for opportunities to come to you – seize them! Utilize platforms like LinkedIn to connect with industry professionals, and don't hesitate to reach out and offer to meet for after-work gatherings. Additionally, while you're still within the company, make sure to gather all the necessary recommendations and endorsements to strengthen your profile. Remember, proactive networking is key to advancing your career in PR!

What I did was, Get a job at a company that, at the time, offered the best management training for recent college grads. Then used my management experience and PR training to earn 3 promotions and doubled my salary. Then on the side used PR skills to help grow my Purdue Phoenix alumni association to over 6k and help raise funds for our $25k local scholarship endowment program. Have a specific goals tied to Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that generates user acquisition, platform adoption, or revenue. They don't teach you this in school or your first PR internship. #CREAM

A squiggly career can be a huge asset. Don’t be afraid to explore other roles that will help you learn a different set of skills and understand the world/ others from a new perspective. A career in Comms has so many facets. Understanding the business you’re in from as many different angles as possible is an extremely valuable and often overlooked skill. Plus, if you don’t try you’ll never know what it is you truly love doing every day!

Interns have the ability to identify new relationships for the firm, including media, investors and other thought leaders. These relationships can help interns build their own networks and ultimately land their next position in the PR world.

Try not to get too caught up in the nuances. Expanding your skillset in Communications beyond PR is also a great way to enhance your marketability. Maybe the company you interned with has other roles where you can leverage and build your specific strengths. Prove your value and when that PR job/team you're interested in has an opening, you've hopefully already got a proven foot in the door and a growing network. Perhaps other companies have entry-level PR positions where you can fine tune your craft while learning a new industry. A successful career path needn't always be linear.

I completed a three-month internship at a pr agency ($5 an hour) decades ago. I learned so much from that experience. Upon completion, the agency did not offer me a job, and I wasn’t expecting it. But the agency did provide me a positive reference when I applied for a job at one of its clients. I landed that job and it launched my communications career. So an internship can help you in many ways, even if it doesn’t result in a job where you’re internning.

There is always job positions open and close. You should be aware and feel when a new positon will be open in your organization of around. So explore, wider than just your direct skills talk around you about what you like and love to make sure if any new options could pop! Sometimes different form of opportunity appear.

Tem muito conteúdo disponível na rede para complementar suas experiências de estágios profissionais, bem como as acadêmicas. Seja ativo nas redes, na troca com outros profissionais e na produção de conteúdo.

Keep learning is a good solution to achieve what you start for, In general everything you interested for or specially in PR if you believe in what you want to do you will keep learning until you achieve your goals.

I won't see that as a failure, instead a blessing in disguise. I will identify skills I have gained, network I have expanded, and other professional experiences I have had as an ammunition to get into my next journey.

After an internship in marketing within the Public Relations department at a hospital serving a wide region of various communities, I was interviewed for a position as PR Director for hospital in Florida with their other candidate a local professional. The local was offered the job. I then took a job on the West Coast as a statistician for a organization serving the Hispanic community. This dovetailed nicely with the demographic research I performed in my internship. When I did receive an offer from a hospital to be their Public Relations Director, the two jobs in demographic work to show need was pivotal to my hire. I strove in college to be skilled in statistical research and it was that investment that carried me forward.

Learning is essential. I've been working for 24 years and I am always learning something new. You need to keep learning to grow and develop new skills. New tools come onto the market all the time and it's important to keep abreast of them.

Internships are wonderful learning experiences that will help you gain a full-time position in the future, but you may be setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect a full-time job offer to come from a company immediately following the internship. In the last 15 years, it’s been very common to move on from an internship to a different job for a variety of reasons, some of which are economical; it’s not always because you’re underperforming. In fact, working and learning how to adapt at a variety of companies may be more useful for a junior employee’s skills in the long run. It’s best to enter the internship with a positive mindset that you’re there to gain experience, learn from talented colleagues, and do your best work.

Have a list of reasons why you want to achieve what you're looking to achieve. The reasons deep in your gut. Whenever you're feeling frustrated or you've come across some challenges, look at that list, and remind yourself why you're in this game. PS - that works not just for PR but for all endeavours.

Don't ever dare to blame neither yourself nor the company. Sometimes things just don't work out your way. Sometimes some coincidence ruins things. Remember - you are not the 1st intern who got no full-time job. It's not your last company to work at. Stay positive, reflect, improve, update your resume, grow your network, and remember - you are OK! Don't take it personal

You never know if it will turn into a role at that company in the future so maintain a relationship with them. You could even ask for advice and guidance, or if your colleagues know of anything they think you should be meeting outside of the company from their network.

Many people don't talk about how difficult it is to stay positive. Yes, it's frustrating and discouraging to feel like no one is taking a chance on you. This is why you have to take a chance on yourself and create your own experience while you're waiting for "your turn." Pour love and grace into your heart for yourself, therefore it will reflect in what you do. It will also attract people to you, and from there, see who they know and build on the connection. How you show up is to the world is your reputation. Allow you reputation to be illuminated by leaving people feeling poured into and more valuable than they came.

Ask for recommendation letters and referrals of your direct manager and co-workers for other opportunities in other organizations. Use their network to expand yours. If you had a connection with a leader at the internship, ask for them to mentor you, if they'd be willing to offer coaching to improve your prospects.

While being in PR is the goal, sectoral/industry experience is just as important. If the internship is in a sector or industry you like, can ask for opportunities to explore working other departments with the same employer. Gathering experience in a related industry can enhance one’s outlook and this is a valued attribute for any PR role.

Use your current position to broaden your network outside of your workplace. Often being an intern for an organization is a ticket to another internship, another networking event, or asking a family friend to put you in touch with a contact for an informational interview. Think and act outside in the box.

Think of ways you can provide value to someone. That may mean reaching out to a local non profit and offering to do pro bono/volunteer work, talking to local businesses owners and offering your skills, or maybe even asking to shadow a professional in the field for a time. While this doesn’t instantly lead to income and a job there are benefits to this: 1) after you’ve spent some time doing that you can inquire about coming on board in full-time, paid position 2) regardless of how that pans out, you’ve gained more experience 3) you have something to add to your portfolio 4) you have someone else in your network who may know someone who’s looking to hire a person in PR.

One thing that is a good way to keep up to date is to volunteer with organizations where you can do PR for them on an unpaid basis. This builds up your portfolio and shows future employers that you can do (and have done!) the job that they will be hiring you for.