Interning Tips for Interns

Posted: September 8, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Shereen Kiddle is one half of Milk Kiddle Langmaid PR and she is also my fabulous boss.

Here are her tips for interns:

1. Be clear on the roles and items you can allocate to an intern, with scope for a range of skill sets and competencies.

2. Be clear on the time/s you have available and stick to them – helps better prepare work for you as an intern and helps the PR firm best utilise your skills and time.
3. Ask questions – big and small. Make suggestions, read papers, magazines and watch programs and give ideas (and collect contacts) to show initiative.
4. Be happy to learn and open to engage in a range of areas to maximise your work experiences.
5. Personally, I like people happy to come in and just get started! We have an environment here of inclusion and friendly engagement, so people are valued, along with their skills and appreciation of the time they are donating.

Anthony Alsop, Digital Marketing Coordinator at the Richmond Football Club says it’s the extra work that his interns put in that make them stand out.

“Once you’ve sought out the right people to get the job, gone through the interview process and got the internship, the best way to win us over is do the work you don’t have to. Taking the optional work shows you’re keen and will always look good if you apply for the job down the road,” says Anthony. “From the few interns we have there’s one who does this all the time, and stands out from the pack by a country mile. If the job was full time we’d hire them in a heartbeat tomorrow.”

Successful Intern Profile: Anthony Alsop

Posted: August 29, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Intern Profiles | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anthony Alsop has found his experiences as an intern, landed him to the dream job that he has today. Anthony is the Digital Marketing Coordinator at the Richmond Football Club and is able to combine his passions for technology and sport in his every day professional life.

After being an intern at the Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club (NBL) and Essendon Football Club (AFL), Anthony now finds himself hiring interns to help him with his job at Richmond FC.

Anthony interned with the NBL Melbourne Tigers for three years, while studying a Bachelor of Business (Ecommerce) at Swinburne University.

On his first day at the Melbourne Tigers, Anthony got to work straight away by doing admin for the basketball club, something he didn’t expect.

“I was a bit under whelmed by the facilities there, but that only made me realize how much more they needed interns like myself”, says Anthony.

He helped out at the basketball club once a week and then started working on game nights. Anthony had an incredible time working with the Melbourne Tigers, learning about the inner workings of a sport organisation. He also got the chance to meet some of his basketball idols like Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland and Chris Anstey.

In 2007 Anthony graduated from university and worked in IT for two years, but felt that his passion for sport was urging him to reconsider his chosen career path.

After leaving his IT job and a brief trip overseas, Anthony found that he could combine his passions for technology and sport by working at a sport organisation.

Anthony realised that one internship wasn’t enough, so he emailed the Essendon Football Club to apply for an intern position. He says that his three years experience with the Melbourne Tigers helped his application stand out from the rest.

Even without a sports degree, Anthony’s references and real world experience granted him the opportunity to intern at Essendon FC for six months in their digital department.

“My internships made me realize how hard it can be to get a job in the industry you love. Landing that dream job is a combination of hard work, luck, the right time [and] who you know all working at once”, Anthony explains.

On a day-to-day basis Anthony looks after all of the Richmond FC social media, like Twitter, Facebook and youtube, the official Richmond Football Club website, three weekly newsletters for members, forums, videos and photos.

Anthony has two interns come in once a week to help produce videos for the Richmond FC website. The Richmond footy club posted video internship positions on Twitter and on university job boards. However, Anthony says another intern emailed Richmond FC and they were given a position based on their application.

Anthony tries to make his interns experience at Richmond FC as enjoyable as possible, because of his own experience as an intern.

“I try to get them to meet the players, or get them into some behind the scenes areas they wouldn’t normally get into. We can’t afford to give these guys a wage but we try and say thanks with tickets, merchandise, etc where we can.”

Anthony’s advice to students looking to intern at a sport organisation recommends using social media as a way to create your expert online identity. He says using Twitter, LinkedIn and having a blog can help students network and connect with organisations that they want to work for in the future.

But most of all, Anthony recommends getting out there and putting your degree into practice by interning.

“[I] can’t stress enough how much I think it helps you elevate yourself from your competitors for that dream job,” Says Anthony. “You need to not only know the right people but once you’re there you need to know your stuff too, get as much real work experience as you can because that is what will stay on your resume forever. And while everyone has their different stories, I wouldn’t be working where I am today without my two stops interning.”

You can follow Anthony and Richmond Football Club on Twitter. You can also connect with Anthony on his LinkedIn profile.
 

Anthony also has a blog called Sports Spiel, that organises the Digital Sport Summit, Australia’s premiere sport and digital media event.

For students wanting to apply to intern at the Digital Sport Summit, please email info@digitalsport.com.au