Do Something You Love
By Melissa Chasteen
I started working when I was 16, doing everything from folding clothes at Abercrombie Kids to performing ultra sounds on patients at a hand rehabilitation clinic. Of all of the random jobs I’ve held, the most beneficial and the one that has provided me with the most useful knowledge has been my internship. I have a passion for music and I’m an avid movie watcher, so when searching for an internship I was hoping to find one where I could not only use my knowledge from Public Relations classes, but knowledge of the film and music industry as well.
I interned at the Oklahoma Film & Music Office this past summer, and for the first time I was able to utilize the skills I gained from my PR classes and apply them to my work tasks. Some of my responsibilities included writing press releases that went on the homepage of the Web site, editing the weekly newsletter and posting articles from various film industry trade papers on the press page. My primary responsibility was researching artists that were going to be performing concerts in Oklahoma and writing about them on the Web site.
The most exciting part of the internship was the external groups associated with the company. The film The Killer Inside Me was wrapping up its filming in Guthrie and workers from the set would constantly call with questions pertaining to Oklahoma lifestyle and a scene was even filmed outside of the office. Also, workers from the TNT's show Saving Grace (which is supposed to be set in Oklahoma) always called with questions about Oklahoma (how we dressed, what was the most practiced religion in the state.) I would research these inquiries and in the process I was able to learn a lot of interesting information about our state!
In regards to advice I have for excelling in your work, the underlying theme is to be FAMILIAR.
· Be familiar with the area surrounding your workplace. One aspect of being an intern is that you’re inevitably the “gopher.” Knowing the restaurants and stores around your office minimizes confusion when trying to fetch various things for your employer.
· Be familiar with various computer software and the Internet. This is a given, but your job will be a lot easier if you can easily navigate through the Internet and if you understand programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
· Be familiar with everyone in your office. Networking is vital when wanting to further your career, and having good relationships with co-workers lets you hear about other career opportunities that you may not have known about otherwise.
I started working when I was 16, doing everything from folding clothes at Abercrombie Kids to performing ultra sounds on patients at a hand rehabilitation clinic. Of all of the random jobs I’ve held, the most beneficial and the one that has provided me with the most useful knowledge has been my internship. I have a passion for music and I’m an avid movie watcher, so when searching for an internship I was hoping to find one where I could not only use my knowledge from Public Relations classes, but knowledge of the film and music industry as well.
I interned at the Oklahoma Film & Music Office this past summer, and for the first time I was able to utilize the skills I gained from my PR classes and apply them to my work tasks. Some of my responsibilities included writing press releases that went on the homepage of the Web site, editing the weekly newsletter and posting articles from various film industry trade papers on the press page. My primary responsibility was researching artists that were going to be performing concerts in Oklahoma and writing about them on the Web site.
The most exciting part of the internship was the external groups associated with the company. The film The Killer Inside Me was wrapping up its filming in Guthrie and workers from the set would constantly call with questions pertaining to Oklahoma lifestyle and a scene was even filmed outside of the office. Also, workers from the TNT's show Saving Grace (which is supposed to be set in Oklahoma) always called with questions about Oklahoma (how we dressed, what was the most practiced religion in the state.) I would research these inquiries and in the process I was able to learn a lot of interesting information about our state!
In regards to advice I have for excelling in your work, the underlying theme is to be FAMILIAR.
· Be familiar with the area surrounding your workplace. One aspect of being an intern is that you’re inevitably the “gopher.” Knowing the restaurants and stores around your office minimizes confusion when trying to fetch various things for your employer.
· Be familiar with various computer software and the Internet. This is a given, but your job will be a lot easier if you can easily navigate through the Internet and if you understand programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
· Be familiar with everyone in your office. Networking is vital when wanting to further your career, and having good relationships with co-workers lets you hear about other career opportunities that you may not have known about otherwise.
Photo from personal collection
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