While in college, Kendra began using internships to explore what type of work she wanted to do. She obtained a particularly helpful internship with a local consulting firm doing video production. “That was a great experience,” Kendra says enthusiastically. “I landed it with the help of my academic advisor, who knew the person who hired me. Through the intern program, I learned the basics of video production, from reviewing and logging footage to creating video edit lists for scripts and producing finished shows. It also gave me the first real exposure to seeing projects through from beginning to end. That's something which is often tough to get in the classroom.”

Kendra worked on that internship up through and for several months following her graduation from college. Once she graduated, Kendra also took on a part-time summer job as a camera operator at the network affiliate, where she soon landed a full-time position.

“I worked in that summer position, along with my internship, for six to eight months. Today, I work at the station full time as morning news editor.”

While the thought of working two part-time jobs may not sound enticing to some people, Kendra appreciates the way in which the two different environments complemented one another. “While everyone is professional in how they go about their work, the consulting firm was a much more formal environment than the television station. That was because there was a greater direct interaction with clients. So I was able to learn my craft from the perspective of two different environments.”

“Also,” she adds, “I can't stress enough the value of advisers and the career office. It was through my advisor that I got both the internship and the summer job. It seems that if the advisors get to know you better as a person, then they have a better idea of what opportunities might suit you. Also, they have more connections and can be a tremendous help to students looking for opportunities and for ways to meet people in the business community.”

The above is an excerpt from The Last Guide to Finding a Great Internship You'll Ever Need, which is available for sale for $17 in our bookstore or for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. Students know that good experiences helps to build a good resume and that good resumes help you land interviews, yet how many of us have been shown how to interview well so that we can get hired? Written by Keith F. Luscher specifically for the job hunting students who use CollegeRecruiter.com. To get hired, you must know how to interview well. Read this book and you will. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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