Taking Advantage of Interns

During a time when the integrity and ethics of PR professionals are under the most scrutiny and is most important, why do some feel that those same values don’t apply within our field? Taking on an intern is a commitment not only to that individual, but to the world of PR. As an employer, you are committing yourself to guiding your intern and teaching them the difference between good PR and bad PR; so when they accept a position, they will continue to contribute positively to the PR world.

Recently, I’ve come across a few interns (some friends) that had accepted internships at firms where their employers seemed less interested in mentoring them, than taking advantage of the free work they offered.

Image by Wonderlane

In a few of those instances, the interns accepted a position at a firm where there were more interns than paid employees. Whether it is true or not, I can’t help but think that these employers are solely bringing on interns in order to cut costs while still maintaining their work load. Think about it – interns are free (or $12/hr tops) and employers don’t have to worry about benefits, salary, vacation time, sick leave, and are not committed to a long-term contract. When the internship is over, a position is not offered, the intern is replaced and the free work continues. Yes, these interns are getting SOME experience, they certainly aren’t being properly mentored or given the one-on-one attention they need to succeed.

Employers also seem to think that interns can be used as their personal email-bots, using the interns to do all their “dirty” work and spend their hours pitching media. While it is important to learn how to PROPERLY pitch media, it isn’t fair to restrict your intern’s time solely to pitching. At the same time, don’t let your intern do follow-up calls for something they didn’t pitch. They are out of the loop at this point and are highly unprepared for questions they may receive from editors, which can reflect poorly on your agency. Guide them through the process, the entire process and be sure they understand and are confident before you stop monitoring them.

Lastly, provide feedback. Throughout my internship, I was given valuable feedback that I feel helped me kick off my career. Even now, I enjoy feedback from my colleagues and take the criticism and move forward with it.

It wasn’t long ago that I was a PR student and I knew the importance of experience. I somewhat understand why students (or recent graduates) feel that it is not only necessary to take on these bogus internships, they feel “lucky” for the opportunity. It is a shame that an employer would take advantage of these eager students and not help mold them into ideal PR professionals. Remember HAPPO!

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