What does it take to be successful at an internship?

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. My name is Caitlin McPherson and I am currently a student at Sonoma State University. I am graduating in May with a BA in Communications. I would love to work for a Public Relations firm in the Bay Area and am actively seeking a career opportunity]

I have spent the last few months as an intern with Alice 97.3’s #1 morning show “Sarah and Vinnie”. With my internship coming to a close, I would like to share a few words of wisdom I gained while working for the radio station. Don’t limit yourself. I am a Communications major with an emphasis in Public Relations. I never dreamed of working in radio, but when I heard Alice was looking for interns I sent in my resume on the off chance that I would get a response. I received a call from the Executive Producer within 24 hours. On my resume I included all of my experiences, not just those limited to academics.  You never know what you’re going to have in common with others. Talk about yourself and more importantly ask questions.

As Hooman stated, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be an intern in radio but you do need to be socially relevant, and generally intelligent. Networking is key… sometimes it really is about who you know. And check your ego at the door. A coffee run before the sun comes up has a way of putting everyone back in their place.