So, I have to confess. I am a reality TV junkie. Those who know me know this. But finally, my TV viewing pays off!
I don’t expect many of you to have watched the Bravo TV Show “Kell on Earth”, but work with me here. I have a point! During a recent episode PR superstar Kelly Cutrone, the show’s star, talked about the importance of an internship. This and other recent “events” got me thinking . . . what’s better than a kick-butt internship?
I mean, honestly. You tell me: When in life are you given the rare and often coveted chance to try your hand at a dream job with no (real) strings attached?
Sure, you have to work your tail off but you are given the chance to learn! It’s a opportunity to make contacts and even friends. You can make a name for yourself . . . and flex your ‘real world’ muscles. You probably won’t get paid . . . especially not in this economy. But level with me people. With the exception of test driving a car, at what other time can you try your hand at something as important as “your career” all the while knowing you are under no obligation to like it? On the flip side, if you are really good, you can earn yourself a paying job (a plus that’s sure to make mom and dad proud!)
It seems like a no brainer to me but maybe I’m cut from a different mold.
Here’s my story, however long: When I was in college I was required to complete an internship to graduate. Since I was studying communications/TV I thought I’d try my hand at reality television production.
During my junior year I worked for a very small, but powerful, British production company called RDF media (They’re the ones that developed and produced “Wife Swap”). And so, that was my first taste of the TV world. I traveled from Fairfield, Connecticut to New York City a few times a week, and boy did I work! I didn’t end up following that path… but I left it all on the line. I’ll never really know how I was perceived by those veteran producers but I never complained, always came prepared, and left work each day knowing this job would help me out in the long run.
Ultimately, I was right. It did.
One day, EP (executive producer for us TV folk) Wendy Roth pulled me aside one day and asked me what I wanted to do with my life. It’s a day I’ll never forget it. She told me I was a hard worker and driven but I needed direction.
I said news. Hard news. TV news. Her advice? When I was done at RDF I should contact my local TV station and get an internship.
So, I did.
I applied all around NJ, NY and CT and eventually ended up in Hartford, Connecticut at WFSB, Channel 3 Eyewitness News. I traveled over an hour each way to get to work. If I was too tired to drive home after a long days work, I’d crash in my best friend’s dorm room or stay overnight at the Days Inn or Holiday Inn nearby. And no, I never got paid.
To tell you the truth, I never worked so hard… and never felt so lucky.
The news director at the time, Lyn Tolan, hardly took no for an answer. I tell ya, she was demanding but awesome for it. Her number 2, Dana Luby Neves (who is now the ND in Hartford), expected the same caliber of professionalism. Both were smart, they required the best and really, why not?
I’m not nearly as intelligent or perhaps as talented as the people I worked with in Hartford, but I made sure they saw how eager and willing I was to learn. I tried to be the first intern there and the last to leave. In fact, I think it’s the only time in my LIFE I was on time for something. Still, I shadowed every reporter who allowed my company. I carried a pen and paper at all times, asked relevant questions and demanded to eat lunch at the assignment desk in the newsroom. I had a fire in my belly…and I was determined to never miss a beat.
When my time was up they offered me an overnight assignment editor job. I took it, and then eventually moved on to my first “on-air” job in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I loved that job, too. But it was Hartford that showed me “how it’s done”. In fact, years later when I was applying for jobs again, it was Lyn who told me she would help me land a job because of how hard I worked as an intern at her station.
And that, my friends, is what it’s all about: proving yourself.
I’m sure you have internship stories of your own, so I encourage you to join in on the conversation. But this is why I’m really writing:
Is it me, or are interns NOT what they used to be?
I’ll try and be nice about this. . . I don’t want to make anyone cry. . . but you all know what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the ones who come to work, take up space, read the newspaper all day, take long lunches, surf facebook or myspace all day (or worse—they watch their favorite show on hulu while on your clock.) They don’t know your product, or even your name and frankly, they don’t care.
They are everywhere… and in my opinion, it’s sad.
I don’t know when the tide changed. . . but I’ve never felt entitled to an internship. Why this sector of the workforce sees this differently than I do. . . I haven’t a clue. But it’s almost as if they feel as though YOU owe THEM. The nerve!
Here at CBS6 we have and have had our fair share of good ones and bad ones. Some of good ones get hired… others go on to pursue other dreams. They show initiative and intrigue. They make you remember why you love your job. . . and on occasion help you to see a different point of view. They’re the ones you look at and say… we’d be lucky to have you on our team.
And the others? Well… they too make their mark.
Maybe all interns should get a talking-to before they start. Perhaps an orientation is in order where they get the you-know-what scared out of them. Or maybe. . . they just need to be leveled with and shown the light– the possibilities–and the privilege of it all.
I certainly don’t have a solution… but I can see there’s a problem.
So, interns of the world—hear me out!
No matter where you come from, how much you think you know or how much you have to sacrifice, I implore you: Show initiative.
Make it seems like you care: Pretend or get lost. You may not realize it in the moment, but there is a long line of eager talent waiting to take your place. . . and frankly, those are the ones who deserve a spot at the table. Those are the ones we want to work with, anyway.
