Internship and Careers 1997 Abstracts
Internship and Careers Interest Group
Inside the Advertising and Public Relations Internship • Fred Beard, University of Oklahoma • The importance of internships in the education and future careers of advertising and PR students is well established. Although previous research confirms the benefits and characteristics of internships, this study investigated the proposition that certain patterns of assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors are characteristic of successful internships. To examine this proposition, the author conducted interviews with interns and their supervisors, and analyzed the data qualitatively, seeking descriptive categories. The patterns emerging from the data provide insights into how the participants work together to accomplish a successful internship.
Criteria for Hiring Public Relations Graduates: Employers’ Perspective • Carol Ann Hackley, Quingwen Dong, Clark Robins, University of the Pacific • A longitudinal survey of Public Relations employers shows that there are five categories which should be emphasized for public relations students. These are 1) educational focus, 2) communication skills, 3) analytical ability, 4) professional orientation, and 5) personal. The survey shows that major changes in public relations employers’ hiring criteria over time focus on public relations and organizational emphasis, research capability, person achievements and professional orientation.
Does Money Still Buy Happiness? Effects of Journalism Internships on Job Satisfaction • Edward M. Horowitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Survey data of journalism school graduates was used to examine the impact of media-related college internships on graduatesÕ job satisfaction. By assessing the media industry through internships prior to graduation and the job market, graduates can make career and employment choices that are best suited to their particular career goals. Findings indicate that it is the quality of internship(s) that predicts to job satisfaction, not quantity of internships. Although higher salaries do predict to high job satisfaction, those respondents doing what they want to do are the most satisfied.
Digital Imaging Skills and the Hiring and Training of Photojournalists • John Russial, Wayne Wanta, Oregon • This paper, based on a national survey of newspaper photo editors, details the degree of technological change in newspaper photography. It looks at the importance placed on digital imaging and photography competencies, and it examines the implications for the training and hiring of journalists. It concludes that the shift from chemical to digital processing has led to a relative lack of concern among photo editors about the need for chemical darkroom skills. Many journalism programs, however, continue to focus on those skills. It finds that new technical skills, such as the use of digital cameras and the web, are growing in importance. Skills that reflect convergence of photo jobs with others within the newsroom, such as design and graphics, are growing in importance. But photo editors say the key skill that reflects cross-media convergence • video • is unimportant now and only slightly more important for the near future.
Print friendly
