Delanie Ricketts, an intern at Magoosh, is currently attending UC Berkeley where she is pursuing a major in Peace and Conflict Studies and minor in Global Poverty and Practice. After graduating this spring, Delanie hopes to pursue a career in writing and research. While she loves music of all genres, she plays the oboe and English horn for UC Berkeley’s Symphony Orchestra. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

By Delanie Ricketts

Today start-ups are all the rage, known for their innovative products as well as laid-back, foosball-playing office culture. There was even a Bravo reality show about them (Start-ups: Silicon Valley)! I, for one, wanted to get experience in this popular sector.

After researching start-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area, I eventually stumbled upon Magoosh.com, a start-up that prepares students for tests online. At the time I was preparing for the GRE and was instantly interested in their product.

A few days later I decided to purchase Magoosh’s GRE test prep, and found Magoosh’s simple design, lesson videos, and practice questions the perfect fit for my GRE studying style. I got to study where I wanted, when I wanted, and all at a price much more affordable than more traditional GRE classes and textbooks. It was after I experienced Magoosh’s product for myself that I decided I definitely wanted to intern for them and get to know the team behind the scenes.

“You get first-hand experience on how to develop an innovative product from the ground up that you, and everyone else in the office, is excited about.”

That is what I would say one of the best things about interning for a start-up is—you get first-hand experience on how to develop an innovative product from the ground up that you, and everyone else in the office, is excited about. Not to mention the aforementioned office culture. Magoosh does in fact have the quintessential foosball table, as well as the laid-back environment that a student like me appreciates for the flexible hours and ability to wear jeans everyday.

The final, and perhaps most important perk of interning at a start-up is the people. Generally, start-ups have a small number of people working for them. This means that you get to know everyone you’re working with really well. Even the CEO is someone I can talk to whenever I need to—he sits about ten feet away from me! Not only do I get a say in what I do, but I feel my work is valued by everyone on the team. You can’t get much more job satisfaction than that.

Delanie, thanks for taking the time to share this with us! Students, start searching for an internship now!

Ashley Ching attended the University of California, San Diego where she received a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology.  She started as an intern for Delta Project Management, and has now moved up to be part of the team.

By Ashley Ching

I slammed my alarm clock and dragged myself out of bed. It was 10am on yet another Monday, and I still had no reason to get up.
Elementary school, middle school, high school, college. What was it all for? Where were the jobs?

I plopped myself in front of the computer and decided to begin my search. Craigslist was my first stop. With a degree in social science, I customized a handful of resumes. New York City, Seattle, and other metropolitan areas would be bombarded with the five applications I sent daily. I’d make sure the job market would validate my existence.

“Finally, I started seeing results. E-mails flooded my inbox. Voice mails flooded my cell phone. Employers wanted me!”

I refreshed my Facebook again and again, waiting for a response from my dream company. Finally, I started seeing results. E-mails flooded my inbox. Voice mails flooded my cell phone. Employers wanted me!

I had my choice of three promising opportunities, but I knew what I wanted. It was the marketing campaign against childhood obesity, located conveniently in San Francisco. My employee parking spot was practically ready.

The career and location seemed perfect until a knot of doubt began to develop in my mind. How credible was this job, really? I raced to Glassdoor.com and flew my fingers across the keyboard. The website reviewed companies from employees’ perspectives and revealed what I had most feared. This so-called dream job was a scheme. A door-to-door. A scam. I was inconsolable for days.

“Wait, are you actually crying?” my friend asked. “You didn’t lose a boyfriend, you lost a job. It’s just work.” He was right. Forget answering to a boss. I would be my own. I started my own business and offered piano lessons, tutoring and even life coaching. Business was good, but by the end of the school year, it began to slow down. I began to wonder what I would do with my time, when suddenly, a single thought entered my mind. It would completely revolutionize my job search as I knew it. Internships.

“I took the time to explore all the options on Internships.com, and I checked the boxes for Paid and Telecommuting.”

Sure, I had slaved in a thankless, unpaid internship before, but this time would be different. I took the time to explore all the options on Internships.com and I checked the boxes for “Paid” and “Telecommuting.” What could be better than sitting in my pajamas making bank? I responded to at least a dozen opportunities, when one e-mail showed up in my inbox.

The biopharmaceutical consulting company, Delta Project Management, had expressed an interest, and I would be their first interviewee on Monday morning. “How was your day?” two principals asked. “Excellent,” I gushed. “Recently I visited my local park and recruited seven new piano students.” I began my shameless tirade of just how I could prove value to their company.

A week later, Delta called with outstanding news. Officially, thankfully, luckily, an employer had called me their own! In four months I would grow from a paid intern to a member of personnel. The job search was a long journey, but finally, I had reached its destination.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share this with us! Students, start searching for an internship now!

Makie Wangoi is a recent Marketing graduate from Richmond: the American University in London and is currently on a month internship with Hire Space.

By Makie Wangoi

When sitting in a comfortable library, with protective books piled around you, getting a graduate job can seem like quite an easy task. This was the naïve me just a couple of months ago, however getting on a graduate career is much more challenging.

As a recent graduate, the cards were not decked in my favor, so with the low graduate-work transition rate I took the initiative to further understand and establish my footing through internship experiences, before launching myself into the shark tank of the real business world. Not that a lot of the blogs and posts on internships give one much hope for the jobs that are out there. It can be discouraging to read and hear about some of the crazy intern experiences that others have faced; like unpaid 40 hours mail room clerk or a personal profile commentator and picture tagger to your boss’ infinitely ‘interesting life’.

“Finally, in September, either Lady Luck was on my side or the stars were aligned right that day (hopefully a bit of all my hard work paid off too), I got an e-mail for an interview with Hire Space and I landed the job.”

Let’s face it, in this economy no one has it easy, so after several trying months where I just about ate and breathed job sites daily and checked for an opportunity that interested me. Finally, in September, either Lady Luck was on my side or the stars were aligned right that day (hopefully a bit of all my hard work paid off too), I got an e-mail for an interview with Hire Space and I landed the job.

On the first day at Hire Space, an innovative online start-up, like most I was skeptical. I’d heard the stories of young graduates being misled, being lured with excitement and ending up with tea making and making good friends with the photocopying machine. It was not as I expected, this was not one of those jobs.

From the beginning my manager (who happens to be the co-founder), took the time to help me get well acquainted with how the company databases and online accounts function, he then provided me with some coaching tips to sharpen my sales pitch and guidance with the best tools for marketing and SEO, which allowed me to make a real contribution that impacted the company. As an intern, I did not expect this high level responsibility, nevertheless, I was happy at the opportunity to further my experience of the ‘real’ working world.

“I am so grateful that I walked into such a dynamic work environment that was supportive, the team has been amazing and always open to my endless questions, and that has helped me develop skills in my areas of interest, from sales to marketing.”

With my time at Hire Space coming to an end, I can honestly say I have enjoyed the work I have been doing. I am so grateful that I walked into such a dynamic work environment that was supportive, the team has been amazing and always open to my endless questions, and that has helped me develop skills in my areas of interest, from sales to marketing. From day one, I assisted registered clients with their inquiries, made direct sales calls to new and prospective clients and marketed the company through social media networking.

I would seriously recommend investing time in an internship as a great learning opportunity to experience and pave your career path, however I think it is equally important to ensure that when choosing your internship you choose it with the right company, set out what you want to achieve and find the company and role that will let you do so. For me this was a start-up company, being in the position to incorporate a massive breadth of knowledge and contribute to the makings of a grass roots organization is far beyond the realms of what mega-corporations or gelato business could offer, and what’s more it is a vote of confidence for the aspiring passionate entrepreneur to take on the real world.

Class of 2013 – Get a head start and search for Internships that can open the doors to an amazing opportunity after graduation! Start searching.

Cassie Glenn (@cassieinmiami) is a Broadcast Journalism student who graduated from the University of Miami. Connect with her on LinkedIn // Blog.

By Cassie Glenn

Not long after beginning college, you start hearing the importance of finding an internship. Not only did I complete one, but upon graduation I had four internships under my belt. After travelling to Spain to teach English for a year, I came back to yet another internship. You can call me: The Serial Intern.

As a Broadcast Journalism major, I dreamt of becoming the next Ann Curry. Through an internship in my hometown newsroom, I eagerly applied what I was learning in school. However, news was never my only passion. I love running, travel and, most notably, food. I jumped at the chance to intern for the website Yelp.com. A semester internship turned into over a year helping with everything from writing the weekly newsletter to hosting events.

With my sights forever set on The Big Apple, I knew a summer in NYC would be a perfect opportunity to test my will to live there. I landed a position as intern to the Bookings Producer at CBS’ The Early Show. The program also gave me a chance to learn about different positions at a national network.

“I became skilled at telling stories through video and graduated feeling ready to work.”

My senior year, I served as a production intern for a niche lifestyle network, Plum TV. I became skilled at telling stories through video and graduated feeling ready to work. A year in Europe settled my travel bug and I am now serving as a social media intern for the largest independently owned daily deal site, 1SaleADay.com in Miami, FL.

Employers today want to know how their businesses can use social media to market their brand and want visible results. I am learning how to do that through this internship. Every day I create content for multiple accounts across Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest. I interact with the community, coordinate promotions and analyze growth and engagement. On the side, I am constantly reading industry articles to learn as much as I can.

Five different internships, three cities and a variety of roles later, here is my advice for you:

1. Keep a portfolio

After working all those unpaid hours, you want something to present. Whether it is a video reel, online website or magazine clips, be able to show what you learned.

2. Talk to everyone

One of the best parts about interning is everyone knows you are there to learn. Do not take any conversation for granted- make connections and pick brains. You might even ignite an interest in a different position.

3. Take risks

You will hear it over again- internships are what you make of it. Stay extra hours, craft your own projects and be a leader.

4. Check-in

Internship supervisors have become my greatest mentors. Always check-in and let them know what you are up to, especially if you have an interest in working with the company after graduation.

5. Overachieve

Take notes, ask questions, arrive early, show initiative and dress for success. All clichés but qualities that will be noticed and work in your favor.

While stressing the importance of interning can be monotonous, there is no denying that the benefits come not in the money earned, but in all that you learn.

Thanks Cassie, your experiences are inspiring! Readers, have you ever had more then one internship? How many and what is one lesson you’d share? Let us know in the comments below.

Natalie Dance (@natcdance) is a marketing student at Brigham Young University and a summer associate with Ashoka USA. After graduation, Natalie plans to pursue a career in tech marketing. Her interests include running, salsa dancing, painting, hiking, biking, and reading. She is also a social entrepreneurship enthusiast, an animal-lover, and an ice cream addict. Connect on LinkedIn // G+ // Blog.

By Natalie Dance

I spent my summer interning for Ashoka in Washington, DC. Ashoka is a network of social entrepreneurs (known as Ashoka Fellows) who are out to fix some of the world’s toughest problems—people like Wendy Kopp of Teach for America or Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia. Ashoka finds and supports these entrepreneurs to help them spread their ideas across the globe.

I had a great experience at Ashoka, and I know the things I learned there will be applicable in my future whether I decide to stay in the nonprofit sector or try my hand and the corporate world.  In case any of you are on the fence about a nonprofit internship, here are five lessons I learned.

1. Nonprofits are looking for hard skills

“It’s not enough that you want to ‘help people’… you must obtain the specific skills that will help propel that change forward.”

After interning with Ashoka this summer, I learned that nonprofits have a desperate need for hard skills—skills like finance, accounting, photography, writing, web programming, and videography.  It’s not enough that you want to “help people” and you “hope to change the world;” you must obtain the specific skills that will help propel that change forward. Hard skills are just as crucial in the nonprofit sector as in the corporate or for-profit world.

2. Nonprofits are the best place for career exploration

The dearth of nonprofit employees with hard skills can sometimes work to your advantage as an intern, however; you will have the chance to try a range of projects simply because there aren’t enough people with the both the skills and the time to complete them.

I got to explore a variety of career paths as an Ashoka communications intern. Designing posters gave me insights about what it would be like to work as a graphic designer. Writing and editing Forbes.com blog posts opened my eyes to the possibilities of a career in journalism. Drafting Tweets and Facebook posts let me see what it would be like to pursue internet marketing. I even got to try my hand at storyboarding a video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

3. Who you work with is just as important as what you do

Although I loved the work I did with Ashoka, my team members made my internship so much more enjoyable. I was surrounded by some of the kindest, smartest, and most talented people I have ever met. From my Danish supervisor with an impressive background in political campaigns, to the Chilean former magazine editor who served as our director, to the Ashoka-writer-by-day, lead-guitarist-by-night Stanford grad, each member of the Ashoka USA team helped me grow by sharing new perspectives, knowledge, and friendship. I learned that great teammates are an essential component to finding satisfaction in your work.

4. Ambiguity is a blessing and a curse

Ashoka is a network of social entrepreneurs, so entrepreneurialism is highly valued and assignments are not always spelled out for you. It can be a great learning opportunity when your supervisor comes to you and says, “We should try doing a crowdfunding campaign—can you look into that?”

With few specific guidelines, you have the opportunity to add your own ideas and perspectives to the project. However, loose project guidelines can also leave you feeling a little lost, confused, or stuck. In a workplace that thrives on ambiguity, you must be willing to hit the ground running and ask for more direction when you need it.

5.Don’t lose sight of the “why”

In the day-to-day grind of meetings and project deadlines, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture—the “why” of all your work. Taking the time to regain some perspective about why you do what you do can serve as powerful motivation. For me that perspective came every time I attended a “brown bag luncheon” with an Ashoka Fellow. Hearing the fellows explain how their ideas are solving social problems and and how Ashoka has helped them to get those ideas off the ground served as a reminder and a strong motivator for me.

My experience at Ashoka this summer has been invaluable and will serve me for years to come. I learned so much, and I would recommend a nonprofit internship to anyone.

Thanks Natalie, your experience is inspiring! Readers, did this inspire you to intern with a nonprofit? Search nonprofit internships.

Amber Ellis a a recent graduate of Loyola University Maryland. She currently is an intern with MWW, one of the largest independent public relations firms. Read more about the MWW interns.

By Amber Ellis

As a recent graduate of Loyola University Maryland, I am well aware of the importance and difficulty of getting a job right out of college. When discussing our post-grad plans, I noticed that my friends weren’t all on the same path: some had entry-level jobs, some were doing their usual summer jobs for one more year and others were without a plan at all. And then there was me: I had an internship. Feeling somewhere between employed and unemployed, lost and found, I was unsure how I felt about being an intern. Would this just be a dead end road on my way to success?

When I arrived for my first day at MWW, a notorious public relations firm, I expected to learn the ins and outs of the copy machine and get acquainted with complicated coffee orders. What I ended up getting was an introduction to their extensive internship program, which not only allowed me to do real work that impacted the company, but also gave me the opportunity to work with my fellow interns on a mock pitch that would be presented to the company’s executives. This was much more intense than I had anticipated, but I gladly welcomed the opportunity to be introduced into the real world.

“I expected to learn the ins and outs of the copy machine and get acquainted with complicated coffee orders. What I ended up getting was an introduction to their extensive internship program…”

After being with MWW for nine weeks, I can honestly say that an internship was the perfect path for me to take. The real world doesn’t seem as daunting when you have an entire company that is willing to help you through the ups and downs that come with any major transition. As an intern, I was expected to take time to learn about the work I was doing, ask a lot of questions, and even, on occasion, make mistakes. In an effort not to take any situation for granted, I did my best to make connections with the new people I met and made sure that I was absorbing all of the information that was being thrown my way. I knew that the tools I was given at MWW would be invaluable when my time as an intern was up, and I would have to continue my journey into the unknown.

Luckily for me, the unknown can take a back seat for a little while. Just when I thought my time at MWW was coming to an end, my internship was extended for two more months. While a job is possible, a wealth of knowledge and experience is guaranteed, which is really what I am thankful for. I would recommend an internship for any post-grad who is looking for an invaluable learning experience or is feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders after graduation. MWW helped me turn the burden I was carrying into an unforgettable experience that I do not have to say goodbye to quite yet.

Class of 2012 grads – have you considered a fall internship? Start searching. Share your story below.

Melissa DiVietri (@missydi) is a Senior at Ferris State University, majoring in New Media/Printing Management.  Read more on her blog.

By Melissa DiVietri

I have always considered myself as a dedicated individual who goes the extra mile for every accomplishment. I am a bubble of smiles, eager to learn new things and always prepared for every obstacle placed in my pathway.

I began my search for my summer internship in November 2011. I made an ‘internship board,’ which included all the companies I applied, the job description and sticky notes on responses from human resource departments. I would follow-up with companies every 3-4 weeks on job opportunities. After months of searching, I got a break with the help of networking within my connections. I received a phone interview for a Digital Media position at The Garage / Team Mazda in Southern California. After my offer letter came in the mail, I had less than a few weeks to find housing, book a plane ticket and make a lifestyle that was halfway across the country work for me. I crammed in tremendous hours at my campus student jobs during finals week to afford first month’s rent, apartment security deposit and transportation. Let me say – hard work & determination will pay off!

My first day at The Garage was a memorable adventure; one that I will never forget. My digital media team asked me to attend an Automotive News Seminar in Los Angeles to enjoy a presentation from our Mazda client. I dressed for success by wearing classy business attire and shaking hands with anyone who looked approachable. I wasn’t afraid to jump into this ocean of marketers and advertisers.

Melissa hanging out at her internship

My internship was a challenging position but I learned so much about leadership, business marketing, advertising, trafficking and organizing time management within an automotive environment. I sat with my team in rep meetings while taking detailed notes on the real-world technology services. I wasn’t afraid to ask the reps questions on their services in video, social, display, audience buying or targeting tactics. I forced myself to adapt a fast-paced environment because every day was a new experience; something I wasn’t prepared even with my college experience. When I need assistance, my team members were always available to train my skills to effectively reach my tasks.

My responsibilities as a digital media intern were familiarized in the workflow of a digital advertising campaign. I compiled mass amounts of data, executed plans for campaigns for each quarter and tracked billing records to our other offices. I kept track of all job duties in notebooks; organizing different job duties and jotting down notes on ‘How-To’ do something.

Advertising agencies are reacting to real-world tactics, ideas that are benefiting today’s world. I brushed up on my technology skills by reading advertising books, Advertising Age magazines and e-marketers newsletters. Technology is always changing, so its better to keep up-to-date on the changes than not at all!

I paved my way for success by dedicating long hours and exposing my talents to the agency. When I graduate from Ferris State University, I hope to find an opportunity in advertising or music entertainment marketing. I will leave Team Mazda will a handful of connections and multitude of new skills that I can apply towards my future. I know what real experience feels like while enjoying beautiful Southern California! I hope I will leave an impact as big as the team has left on me.

In his career as a producer and talent agent, Jorge Insua (@JorgeInsua) has worked for the #1 talk show on English-language television (The Oprah Winfrey Show), the #1 talk show on Spanish-language television (The Cristina Show), and the #1 talent agency in the world (Creative Artists Agency, the Los Angeles shop known for representing the entertainment industry’s greatest innovators). Presently, Insua is president of marketing and development of Cristina Saralegui Enterprises (CSE) the global entertainment empire helmed by Cuban television icon Cristina Saralegui.

Jorge as intern with Oprah Winfrey, 1987

1. How did you get started in the industry? How can someone who is interested in your work get started?

I started out as an intern right out of college with “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” I moved from Cleveland, OH after graduating from John Carroll University to Chicago for my internship. (He interviewed the talk show host as part of a senior project — after pursuing her publicist relentlessly for seven months. Winfrey was so impressed with his perseverance, she offered him an internship.) For six months I got “paid in experience” and did EVERYTHING that was asked of me WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE. I got coffee, would have to go up to the 11th floor of the WLS building (the ABC affiliate in Chicago) to do Diet Coke runs for all of the producers, I answered phones, and got everyone’s lunches. As a result, I became the intern who never went home. At the end of my 6 month internship, I was hired by Oprah to work for Harpo Inc. and stayed for 7 years working my way up the production ladder.

I would totally suggest that anyone interested in a career in broadcasting start by getting an internship. Not only does it show you the intricacies of the business but it may also show you that what you think you wanted to do in the business, may actually not be for you.

2. What do you think is the future of your industry?

I think there will always be jobs in broadcasting–whether it be in television, cable or the web.

3. What do you look for when you hire an intern or entry-level candidate?

You want someone with a good attitude. Someone who knows they are there to learn and pay their dues. Someone who is a go-getter and someone who is eager to learn.

4. What is one thing an intern can do to make a favorable impression?

Do everything that is asked of you with a smile on your face. No one wants to be around someone who is constantly complaining. I always knew that my “job” as an intern was to make the jobs of those around me easier without drawing too much attention to myself. If anything, the kind of attention you want to attract is that you are a team player, that you will go the extra mile, that no job is beneath you. People are totally observing you and seeing what kind of person you are. You want to make yourself so indispensable that at the end of your internship, they will want to hire you.

5. Can you share a positive internship story, and a horror story? No names needed…

He's come a long way, but still credits his internship with Oprah as the beginning of his career

Well I think the positive is obvious. I was hired by Oprah, put on her payroll and spent the next seven years working my way up the production ladder from receptionist, to mail room, to production assistant, assistant audience coordinator, audience coordinator, associate producer and finally producer!

My worst intern horror story has got to be one afternoon going to get lunch for the producers at McDonalds in the dead of winter in Chicago. I had to walk 8 blocks in the snow to get everyone their lunch. And, of course, people couldn’t just order off the menu–people had special requests (Big Mac with no lettuce, cheese burger with extra cheese, filet o fish with extra sauce–you get the picture.) I got everyone’s food and walked the 8 blocks back in the snow. As I was giving everyone their orders, there was one producer who did not get her hot apple pie (they had forgotten to put it in the bag.) So, I asked the producer, “would you like me to go back and get your pie?” Thinking in a million years would she make me walk BACK in this weather…guess what she said? “That would be great! Thank you Jorge.”

And, so I had to go back out and get that damn apple pie. I never forgot that. And, because the world works the way that it does…fast forward 15 years and I am now a motion picture talent agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA–the largest talent agency in the world) and who ends up sending me an email to see if I could help her son who was interested in a career in acting??? You guessed it…the apple pie producer. I’m proud to say I took the high road and did what I could for her son.

People love their apple pie  Amazing journey Jorge, hope you keep that photo on your desk! Interns, leave your favorite internship stories in the comments below.

Victoria Shockley (@Victoria_Writes) is a sophomore at North Carolina State University where she’s an English major with a concentration in Scientific & Technical Communication. She currently works as a virtual intern with Women Writers, Women Books, an online magazine by and about contemporary women writers.

By Victoria Shockley

This summer I am working as a virtual intern for the online-only magazine Women Writers, Women Books. This is the first time I have experienced working virtually, but I love it! It’s very flexible and allows you the opportunity to work at odd hours, such as early in the morning or late at night. Being a writer, I often feel most inspired and get my best work done after midnight! Working remotely also makes it easy to balance my internship, my part-time job, time with family and friends, and my three summer classes at college.

Through working as a virtual intern, I’ve acquired a number of new skills. I’ve learned how to upload articles and edit photos on WordPress, and I have done screen-sharing with my editor using www.join.me. We use www.dropbox.com, which allows my editor and me to share documents just by dropping them into a folder on our computers! Since I work virtually and never have any face-to-face contact with my editor, it’s crucial to be able to do remote phone conferencing and to be willing to email progress reports so that we both know where we are on projects. Also, I’m keeping track of and recording my work hours in a detailed time log the way a virtual contractor would need to.

“My advice to anyone planning to do a virtual internship is to determine ahead of time whether you have good organizational and communication skills, motivation, and the ability to manage your time.”

In addition to new technology, I’ve also been able to learn about different styles of writing. Typically I’m used to writing and editing essays for my college courses, which is very formal compared to the more colloquial language of Internet blog posts. I’ve had to get used to the fact that sometimes slang is okay on the Internet, and contractions like “it’s” and “that’s” are acceptable, whereas in a research paper they would be frowned upon. The format is different as well; I don’t have to worry about adding citations or a works cited list! I think it has broadened my writing and editing skills to be able to recognize what kind of style a particular piece of writing should have based on the audience, and whether a word or phrase is acceptable for that style.

My advice to anyone planning to do a virtual internship is to determine ahead of time whether you have good organizational and communication skills, motivation, and the ability to manage your time. Working remotely means you don’t have set hours where you’re in an office, and no in-person supervisor, so you’ll need to be able to independently determine how much work you need to put into a project each day in order to meet deadlines. You also have to be able to organize a list (or multiple lists!) of what projects you’ve started, which ones are finished and need to be approved, and how much time you spent on each one of them. Since you don’t meet in person with your editor or manager, you need to be able to effectively communicate to them (via email and phone) what stage you are at in a project or if you need help or clarification.

In addition, make sure you know ahead of time what your goals are for the internship, and communicate them up front to your supervisor. Mutual benefit for both you and your virtual supervisor is very important, and highlighting what you and your boss hope to achieve by the end of the internship is crucial to making it a valuable experience for both parties.

Victoria, thanks for taking the time to share this with us! Students,  find your own virtual internship. Leave your questions about virtual internships below.

Kara King is a senior Advertising/Public Relations major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with concentrations in Textiles, English and History. She spent her summer working in LA as a fashion marketing intern at LuxeYard, a members only flash-sale site that sells luxury fashions and décor.

By Kara King

As I ended the last semester of my junior year in college, it became impossible to block out my senior year stress – I’m graduating next May, am I ready for a big girl job? How do I even get one of those? What’s setting me aside from every other twenty something with a bachelor’s degree? I was looking for a way to gain marketing and PR experience outside of the classroom, and became determined to find myself a summer internship.

The process was intimidating. I want to pursue a career in fashion marketing but Nebraska isn’t exactly booming with opportunities to work in fashion, and finding an internship that was both interesting and attainable seemed impossible. I decided to move to LA for the summer, a major fashion hub filled with up and coming designers, businesses and trends, and continued focusing my efforts on finding an internship.

“I spoke with the style and marketing directors about crafting a custom fashion marketing internship… I left feeling confident.”

I used many different sites, but only found success with Internships.com.  Through the site, I applied for a style internship posted by LuxeYard and received my first employer response! I was ecstatic, and became even more excited when they told me they had a marketing internship that they wanted to interview me for as well. During my interview I felt totally at ease, like I could really benefit from spending my summer with LuxeYard. I spoke with the style and marketing directors about crafting a custom fashion marketing internship. I wanted to combine aspects from both of the positions I had interviewed for that would give me even more opportunity to gain real world experience. I left feeling confident, and a few days later I was officially LuxeYard’s summer fashion marketing intern!

In the month and a half I’ve spent with LuxeYard, I’ve been exposed to a wealth of opportunities as well as real responsibility. Some days I work with the style team, picking up product samples and providing wardrobe and styling assistance on photo shoots, among other things. Other days I work closely with creative director Kelli McDonald, helping with affiliate advertising, writing articles and interviews, creating graphics and learning about digital marketing. These folks have been incredibly supportive, allowing me to soak up their knowledge and showing me that they are just as invested in my success as I am.

So when I head home in August, I’ll leave with valuable experience, great connections and best of all, the confidence to land a job in fashion marketing.

Congrats Kara, we’re glad you’ve had such a great experience this summer. Readers, check out LuxeYard internships and leave your questions for Kara below.