CLARION, PA., Feb., 25-Internships are getting more and more competitive due to today’s economy.
Not only are college kids looking for internships, but so are jobless adults and ambitious high school students. Last year, however, over 70 percent of college graduates had internships last year.

Lauren Berger of Intern Queen, Inc. paid Clarion University students a visit on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Berger calls herself “The Intern Queen” after having 15 internships during the span of her four years of college.

She has been featured in the New York Post, FOX, ABC and was recently featured in BusinessWeek’s Top 5 Entrepreneurs Under 25.

She started her website, internqueen.com, to help students find internships.

On her website, Berger has lists of over 500 different employers. Berger also works as a middleman for students and sends their resumes to whichever employers they choose.
Internships are eight to 10 weeks long and are a good work experience for any student. Berger had 15 internships and said that it is possible for anyone.

In her spring semester of her freshman year, Berger went to the career service center at Florida State, with hopes that she would someday get a job at US Weekly.

Career services quickly told her that she couldn’t get an internship until she was a senior. “We are the generation that when someone says no, we make up our own rules,” said Berger. She went out to a local agency and got an internship with them only a few days later.

After that, she had two more internships – LA Publicity and BWR PR. While BWR PR, she found E!’s Executive News Editor, Ken Baker’s business card and e-mailed him immediately. At the time, he was the news editor for US Weekly – which was her dream job.

A few months passed and finally Berger heard from him. He offered her an “under cover reporter” trip to Barbados and $275 an hour to investigate why Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards got in a fight and ended their vacation early. Berger took the job and worked for US Weekly for the rest of her junior year.

While speaking at Clarion, Berger gave students different internship tips such as build your contacts and always volunteer. She also said that there won’t always be the possibility of a paid internship, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity should be passed up. “Yes it’s inconvenient for an unpaid internship,” she said. “The internship will help you at the end of the day.”

All 15 of Berger’s internships were unpaid, with the exception of her job at US Weekly. Berger mentioned creating an Internship Dream List with at least 10 different options to intern at. “Take baby steps. Start with a list of local internships,” said Berger. “If you’ve already had a local one – build bigger.”

Find the name, number and e-mail address of the Internship Coordinator and then block out two to three hours to e-mail them and apply for internships. Two weeks after, send a follow up e-mail. “If you don’t hear back, go onto the next one,” Berger said. As for resumes, Berger suggested going to Clarion’s Career Service Center for help.

Berger covered everything from attire to phone, Skype and personal interviews to writing thank you notes after every interview.

She suggests that if anyone has any questions, to either go to the Career Service Center or e-mail her on her website. “Your internships don’t need to turn into jobs,” said Berger. “Meet enough people so you can get a job from their networks.

Internships help us make a living – we can find what we’re passionate about. You never know what’s going to happen.”