Past Issues

• Vol 8 No. 3
• Vol 8 No. 2
• Vol 8 No. 1
• Vol 7 No. 3
• Vol 7, No. 2
• Vol 7, No. 1
• Vol 6, No. 2
• Vol 6, No. 1
• Vol 5, No. 2
• Vol 5, No. 1
• Vol 4, No. 2
• Vol 4, No. 1

Business Meeting
Bil Morrill, ICIG Head
University of Oregon
bmorrill@uoregon.edu

It has been a long term already, and we are only half way done, and I find myself thinking about ICIG more than my students at times. What have we been doing, where are we going, and what are we going to do as a group? These are questions I have been asking myself since I joined just over a year and a half ago. In the last 18 months, I have learned a lot from this organization (maybe most importantly, what a chip auction is!). Now it is time to learn some more. I need to know what you want from ICIG. We have had some great Heads (and I feel like I have let them down), and they have brought ICIG to where it is today.

At the ICIG business meeting in San Antonio, there were some ideas talked about. Some of these ideas were a comprehensive web site with journalism and communication career resources, workshop ideas, etc. I wish we would have had a larger group at the meeting (maybe we could have found a better head for this year), and we could have discussed these ideas in more detail, as well as heard other ideas that you may have. I am going to consider this our business meeting, mid-year style.

I would like each of you to think about the following questions, you don’t need to write them down, or send them to me, but just think about them.

• Why did you join ICIG?
• What did you hope to get out of ICIG?
• What are you willing to do to help ICIG?

I joined ICIG because it is the only group that directly deals with what I work with each and every day. I am not sure what I was wanting to get out of ICIG more than a place to throw ideas around, and to have a sympathetic ear when something just don’t go right. What am I willing to do, I guess anything. I’m the head after only 18 months. (What was I thinking?)

What I would like you to write down is what you would like to see from ICIG? How can we serve you better? Do you want more information passed by the email list? More information from the web page? (Mark Nordstrom has done a great job of listing resources there, if you didn’t know that, go take a look.) Listings of internships and deadlines? Whatever it is, I want to know. If you have a suggestion, a quick thought, or just something you would like to add to the brainstorm, please email me at bmorrill@uoregon.edu.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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12 Tips for Internship Success

Gerald McNulty, ICIG Vice-Head & Program Chair
Marist College
gerald.mcnulty@marist.edu

The first day of an internship can be frightening. New places, new people, new everything. Prepare for that. Many internship sites have orientation programs of some type. They may vary from informal introductions to full-blown equipment training schedules. Or, you may be paired with a mentor who will show you how things work. Whether or not your site has a formal program, here are 12 Tips for Success:

1. First impressions count: Make an effort to smile and enthusiastically greet each new person you meet. It will pay big dividends. You may think you won't remember them, but many of them will remember you. And they may not be inclined to help you if you greeted them with slumped shoulders and a shrug on that first day.
2. Get oriented: Find out where to park, how to answer the phones and how to operate the computers. Be sure to get a clear reading on who your supervisor is and where your work station is located. If you don't know, ASK!
3. Know your schedule: If your supervisor doesn't set up a work schedule (with specified hours/days) you need to ask for one. The schedule should include start/finish times and it should include a lunch hour if you're working 6 or more hours per day. Once the schedule is set, stick to it. Don't ask for days off to write a term paper or go to a concert; hold up your end of the bargain.
4. How should you dress? Follow the leaders: When it comes to clothes, it pays to "fit in" at the office. Casual or formal, dress the way your boss does; you'll feel more comfortable and other employees will accept you.
5. Let curiosity be your guide: Ask, ask, ask! It's the only way to learn and it's the best way to get involved. After a few days, you can usually figure out who will answer questions and who won't. Stick with those who are helpful; avoid asking questions when people appear stressed. Instead, keep a pad handy, write down your questions and save them for a less hectic moment.
6. Know the organization: Read the company newsletter, read what's in the newspaper or trade magazines about your organization, talk to others about developments in the company. Be aware and strive to become knowledgeable. Others will pick up on your interest and you will be treated like an involved employee.
7. Do each job well: No matter how small, each task is important. Even menial tasks are necessary in a big organization. Show the supervisor you can be relied upon and trusted to do any job. Over time, you will be given more responsibility. Responsibility brings opportunity, and opportunity opens the door to success.
8. Get organized: Bring a pad and pencil and make a "To Do" list each day. Jot down key names and phone numbers as you are introduced to people (you won't remember them all). Keep track of your assignments and due dates. Ask for priorities; show the boss you can be trusted to turn in a project ahead of schedule.
9. Act professional: Be polite and courteous. Observe how the most successful people spend their time; copy them. Avoid inappropriate comments, erase that "party" message on your home answering machine. Be business-like.
10. Don't overstep: Be aware of boundaries. If you do not have the proper training for a piece of equipment, don't try to use it. If you are in a unionized environment ask what you can and can not do. Respect others.
11. Keep secrets: Many companies deal with private or proprietary information. This is a critical issue. You might come across sensitive material about a client or a competitor. Work issues should be respected, not passed along to your friends or roommates.
12. Believe in yourself: Think about what got you here, all the classes you passed, all the work you did, all the dreams you had. Not everybody gets this opportunity, but ultimately this internship will be what you make it. That starts with valuing yourself and the contribution you can make. The boss will be willing to help you if you believe in yourself!

Copyright 1999 - Marist Communication Internship Program

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AEJMC’s Internships and Careers Interest Group wants your research!

Shawn Neidorf, Research Chair
University of Illinois at Chicago
sneido1@uic.edu

Yes, it is the midst of winter, but it’s also time to think about summer—more specifically, about submitting papers for AEJMC’s annual meeting. The Internships and Careers Interest Group (ICIG) is soliciting entries of research papers about (no surprises here) media careers and internships.

For example, are you working on a paper about how to make the most of internships? Conducting a survey about the impact of gender or race on media career paths? Analyzing students’ expectations of their first media jobs and how those expectations square with reality? We want to hear from you—and soon!

ICIG welcomes research from many perspectives and disciplines, using a wide variety of methods (e.g. survey, observation, content analysis, experiments, etc.) Past presentations have addressed the use of internship supervisor evaluations for program assessment, the experience of women in sports journalism, how undergraduates process persuasive messages about internships, factors that influence the success or failure of first-job searches in journalism and how to prepare journalism students for the convergent newsroom.

Please join the ICIG research tradition. We look forwarding to seeing you in San Francisco in August!

Now for the fine print…

Please note that submissions may not have been published or presented before the AEJMC meeting this summer.

The deadline for submitting papers is April 1. This year, ICIG is using an electronic submission procedure. Here is what you need to do:

1. Winnow your paper to 25 pages (12-point font, doubled spaced). The page limit does NOT include the title page, abstract, or bibliography, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE charts and graphs. Margins should be 1-inch on all sides.
2. Take your name off of your paper (including the cover page, header, footer, and obviously self-referencing citations), so we can send your submission to judges for evaluation without the judges knowing who you are.
3. Write a 75-word abstract of your paper and insert it between the cover page and the beginning of the paper.
4. Save your document as a Word file or in rich text format (.rtf). PLEASE NOTE THAT I CANNOT OPEN DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED IN WORD PERFECT FORMAT.
5. E-mail your paper, as an attachment, to me at sneido1@uic.edu. Put “ICIG Submission” in the subject line. In your e-mail, provide your name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address and university affiliation. (This won’t go to the judges, but it will let me get back to you once your paper has been evaluated.) Also in the e-mail, give me your paper’s title and a brief description of it. YOUR E-MAIL MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 1. I will try to respond to your e-mail with an acknowledgement no more than 48 hours after I receive your submission. If you do not hear from me, please e-mail me again or call me at 708-261-9156.

If you have any questions—or would like to volunteer to judge papers (please, pretty please)—contact me at sneido1@uic.edu or 708-261-9156.

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Strategies for avoiding conflict of interest in your internship program

Nancy M. Somerick, Ph.D. Professor and Director of Internship Program
School of Communication The University of Akron
nmsomer@uakron.edu

In an academic program, it is not unusual for interns to be placed in organizations that compete with one another. For example, media outlets compete for news, ratings and advertising revenue. Nonprofit organizations compete for contributions and volunteers. Corporations compete for market share and customers.

While working in placements such as these, interns may become informed about “inside” information. In addition, while attending internship seminars to discuss their experiences, interns may become aware of what competing organizations are doing or planning to do. In all situations, interns should be told that any information obtained must be treated confidentially and should not be disclosed to family, friends, or to competing organizations.

This policy seems appropriate because in the “real-world,” employees may be asked to sign a “noncompete” agreement. Therefore, it is not too soon for interns to learn ethical – and legal – expectations in a professional setting.

In another situation that may occur less frequently, a student may request two placements during the same semester to maximize experience and networking opportunities by working in “multiple” internships before graduation. For example, recently, a student wanted a news internship at a local radio station and a news internship at the assignment desk at a local television station. Before the placements were approved, the internship supervisor at the radio station and the internship supervisor at the television station were informed of the student’s request and were asked to indicate in writing that they did not object to the dual placements and that they did not consider the placements to be a conflict of interest. In addition, the intern agreed in writing to treat all information obtained at each station in a confidential manner.

Upon occasion, an intern may have a part-time job for one organization and may want to obtain an internship with a competing organization. In this situation, both the current employer and the internship supervisor should be informed and asked to agree in writing that they would not consider the internship placement and the job to be a conflict of interest. And, the intern should agree in writing to keep all information obtained in each organization confidential.

Another problem can occur if the intern’s supervisor asks the intern to take action that could result in a real or in a perceived conflict of interest. To counter this potential difficulty, the intern should have been told before the internship began that this type of activity is not acceptable and that the intern should call the director of the academic internship program immediately to report the incident and to obtain advice.

These are only some examples of potential conflicts of interest. To avoid these and other problems, with the assistance of legal counsel, a policy should be established that can help keep internship programs out of legal and ethical difficulties.

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The 411 on ICIG Communication

Mark Nordstrom, ICIG Newsletter Editor/Webmaster
Truman State University
mnordstr@truman.edu

This web site is intended to be a resource that keeps the Internships and Careers Interest Group active and valuable for members. Reference information and updates on activities are the main content that's needed here, as far as I can tell.

The Internships page is to help all of us find things quickly. Bookmark it on your browser and you always have quick access to the list. Give the address to students and they can browse through the information easily. It's a good reference, and it can be better if you see something that you think should be added and send me a note letting me know the address and Uniform Resource Identifier so I can add it to the list.

The officers page is there so anyone can complain or make a suggestion. Praise is permitted, but generally not rewarded with much more than a thank you. Complaints and suggestions are rewarded with action that makes improvements somewhere in what ICIG does.

The conference page reviews past meetings and gives updates on plans for the next one. This time it's in San Francisco, of course, and please check out the other articles for more information on that. The listserv will also have information and discussions on what's coming up. If you're not a member of the listserv, please use the listserv page to get information on how to join. It's a great way to keep up on activities of ICIG.

This interest group has been operating almost entirely electronically for several years now. The newsletter is published here and postcards give notice of the topics it will cover. This saves us quite a bit of money in printing and postage costs. Having received no complaints I'm starting to believe that it works. I'm still open to complaints if you have them, though. Thanks for logging on and reading.

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