Job & Internship

November Internship Spotlight

Name: Chris English
Major: Jl MC
Emphasis: Public Relations
Company: Principal Financial Group
Title: Communications Specialist

Duties: I worked as a project manager facilitating designers and publishing specialists in the production of pitch materials that are presented to companies bidding for The Principal as their retirement services provider. The prospect companies I worked on were all very large (none less than $10million in assets) which really put a lot of pressure on me to perform with the utmost attention to detail. The process itself was really fun because I worked on strategic materials for a wide variety of companies from Dale Earnhardt Racing, Inc. to American Eagle Outfitters.

Most Memorable Experience: I would have to say that my most memorable experiences were the day I gave my scholarship presentation and then the day that I heard that I had won the award. The experience overall was a great validation for all my hard work and achievements throughout the summer and it was nice to be able to put it all together and show my co-workers what I had learned and how I hoped to eventually begin my career there.

Special Contribution: On one specific prospect I was able to work side by side with other individuals who were on the more upper end of the presentation planning process. I received a lot of praise for my analysis of the prospect’s demographics which ultimately led to my own suggestion of employing a new piece that would help alleviate problems in the prospect’s current communications model. I also worked on a couple special projects that helped to improve efficiency in our own materials design process.

Advice to Future Interns: Don't underestimate your own abilities. When going into this internship I wasn't sure I could hang in a corporate environment. Instead of dwelling on this, I simply committed myself to putting forth the maximum effort in order to succeed. When I accepted a full-time position earlier this fall it was revealed that the main reason I was the sole candidate was based on my reputation for being reliable and assertive. Also, don't limit your opportunities because of your JLMC emphasis. Just because you've chosen one avenue does not mean that you have to end up at some of the more common jobs attributed to that field – there are a lot of opportunities waiting for you that fit your own skills and personality.

more spotlights ...