Background- My story.

In exactly seven weeks, I will be in the air. I'll be going back in time (3 hours to be exact) as I fly across the United States from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, Washington.

In seven weeks and two days, I will begin an internship with Nology Media, a Social Media Management company.

I am just shy of 20 years old. I'm a small town girl, close with my family and my Appalachian roots, and here I am preparing for a 3,000 mile move to a major metropolitan area! It's unreal.

How did I do this? I'd love to say it was cake. It was somewhat simple, but extremely-- and I mean EXTREMELY-- time consuming. My grades, my social life, and my exercise routine all suffered during the month it took to create this opportunity for myself. It all started in July 2009.

A close family friend named Rod Brooks, CMO for PEMCO Insurance in Seattle, WA, had mentioned to me over the summer that if I had any interest in an internship to let him know and he would give me advice. As a college student just ready to enter my sophomore year, internships weren't at the forefront of my agenda. I wasn't even considering an internship for 2010.

But in December of 2009, things changed. I went to Pittsburgh, PA with my mom and grandmothers to see a performance by the Radio City Rockettes. We went out to a nice dinner in the big city, and the show was wonderful. Walking along the streets in Pittsburgh, I realized that I would love an opportunity to spend some time in a large city. We returned to Morgantown late that night. I decided to send Rod a message saying "Yes, I am interested in internship opportunities for summer 2010." I sent him my interest letter and resume, and gave him full permission to send it to anyone who may be interested.

From there, my search went completely to Twitter. I began to follow a few people that work in some form of PR or with their own PR firms-- @NW_Mktg_Guy, @CMoffitt, @JenGehrt, @lfatzinger, @CommuniquePR, @NologyMedia, @firmani, and @MikeElliott to name a few-- and paid attention to what they were saying. Things were slow for the first couple weeks. I would give them a ReTweet here, a Reply there... but nothing too significant at first.

However, an opportunity for a breakthrough occurred! On February 12, 2010, Communique PR was hosting an online contest via Twitter. They would Tweet a question about their company (which I had researched thoroughly via their website!) and the first two correct responders to each question would receive a free copy of their book, Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR.

Time was on my side. Literally. I live in West Virginia, so I was 3 hours ahead of them. The contest started at 6 AM Seattle time--- which is 9 AM West Virginia time. Conveniently, this is the same time I wake up for class. I sat in front of my computer and waited, waited, waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, I received notification that there had been one new tweet. I eagerly clicked.

The question was simple- "What is the full title of our book?" Easy. I knew this one. I responded immediately. Lo and behold, I was the first respondent. This was excellent because the co-founders of the company had no choice but to read and learn my name as well as address an envelope to me. In other words, they noticed me. Even if it was for something small.

It took slightly over a week for the book to ship to my house. Once I received the book, I started tweeting about it, often tagging @CommuniquePR and the co-founders Colleen Moffitt (@CMoffitt) & Jen Gehrt (@JenGehrt), as well as always ending the tweet with the hashtag #StrategicPR. This encouraged additional conversation with the co-founders.

Rod had mailed Colleen my letter of interest and my resume. After I emailed Colleen with my address information, she said she'd like to speak with me over the phone to consider a possible summer internship position. Ecstatic does not even begin to describe how I felt!

On 2/22/10, I had a phone call with Colleen. I was extremely nervous (Nothing wrong with being nervous, it shows you care) but I smiled the entire time (yes, your smile shines through your voice!) and I hope that my eagerness was infectious. I thought Colleen was so nice, welcoming, and professional. In other words, it went well. One thing that I was asked and was not prepared for: showing a copy of my work. In hindsight, I can't believe I didn't think about it ahead of time. But it was my first time doing this kind of thing. You live and you learn! I selected an interview I had done for JRL 318- Reporting for Print Media- and it was well received.

By 2/26/10, I received an email inviting me to join their team as a summer intern! I nearly cried I was so pleased. I was honestly about to email them back immediately with a "YES!" but was advised not to do so just yet. It was unpaid and there was a rumor that I would be hearing from Leigh Fatzinger, CEO of Nology Media, and that I might receive an offer from him as well. So I held off on giving Communique confirmation just yet. (I had a week to do so.)

Leigh called me on 2/27/10. I recall the conversation well. I was sitting in my room at my parents house, snowed in with about 3 feet of that West Virginia snow. He seemed relaxed with a great sense of humor. He asked me if I was expecting payment. (Which I wasn't, but never sell yourself short.) I told him that it would be a selling point, and would be extremely beneficial when covering traveling costs and my rent payment. He informed me that the position WAS paid. Then he offered me the position.

At this point, I had a lot of thinking to do. I felt I had created a great relationship with Colleen. I loved reading the book that I won from their contest, and had nothing but the greatest respect for her. On the other hand, I am a poor college student and the prospect of getting paid for my work was quite lucrative. I spoke with my parents, grandparents, some close friends, and my mentor. After long lists of pro's and con's, I decided to go with Nology Media.

The following day (2/28/10) I e-mailed Leigh to say that I was flattered to have received the offer. I restated what I believed the terms of the agreement to be and requested a written copy of the terms of the offer, which his office manager sent to me within a day or two.

Then came the hardest part of all. A letter of declination. I am the kind of person that hates hates HATES letting anyone down or telling anyone "no." But I can't really work two jobs simultaneously, now, can I? I had to send a letter to Colleen, who I REALLY liked, saying "thanks, but no thanks" to an offer I couldn't even believe I had been awarded. It was unpleasant, it was tough, but I did it and did it well.

After hearing back from Colleen, I had the green-light to formally accept Leigh's offer. From this point on, it was merely a matter of filling out a bit of paperwork. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, it was completed.

Now, I have an internship for summer 2010!




-Rachel



Stay tuned for future posts:

Tips for getting an internship
How to write a letter of declination