BOLD President Carlos Ortiz Participates In Internship Panel Hosted By Career And Talent Development
BOLD president, Carlos Ortiz, took part in an internship panel for CARTA students and alumni hosted by the Career and Talent Development center on Friday October 9th. The panel was moderated by John Sotham, Career Counselor for CARTA. The panelists included Sara Britto, Public Relations Intern at Pinzur Communications and current Account Executive for Jazz radio station 88.9 FM WDNA; Dave Fair, communications intern for Scripps Media; and Amanda Elena Brito, Curatorial Intern for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. The Talent and Development Center is a resource that aims to help FIU alumni and students with their professional development journey.
John started off the panel by asking panelists about how they were able to land their internships and what that process was like. “I feel like Internships nowadays are a bit of an oxymoron because the whole point of an internship is to gain experience yet recruiters are looking for people with experience. You can make your own experience through a website or a campaign and as long as you have something to show, they are going to see that you have that drive.” said Carlos. Other panelists weighed in about the importance of building connections when looking for new opportunities and how tools such as LinkedIn and Handshake are essential in facilitating the search process.
When asked about advice for students beyond networking, Carlos weighed in about the importance of remaining authentic throughout the interview process. “Something very important is to be yourself and make sure you have your own personal story. Employers already know your achievements and if you are getting an interview is because they know you are qualified—they want to get to know you on a personal level. Make sure you show who you are beyond your work.” he added. Amanda encouraged students to remain positive despite possible rejections as she was rejected for an internship position at PAMM the first time but remained persistent and was selected on her second try.
One of the panel attendees asked the panelists how they can go about networking during this time when almost all interactions are exclusively virtual. “Networking can be kind of scary. Find something in common with that person and that can ease the nerves. People are now more active than ever on LinkedIn so it is really important to invest in your online branding,” said Sara. The panelists concluded the conversation by talking about the times they struggled with their internships, explaining that there’s a learning curve for everything. They urged students to advocate for themselves and to remember that at the end of the day the purpose of an internship is to learn.
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BOLD is a student-run strategic communications agency at Florida International University. Click here to learn more.
Written by: Alejandra Chahine, Director of Public Relations