Written by Taylor Williams
The DePaul PRSSA kicked off their spring quarter on Monday, April 13 with new and virtually-improved programming. By popular demand (via Instagram poll) this first meeting focused on internships and professional development during COVID-19.
DePaul PRSSA hosted the meeting via Zoom and hosted four guest speakers: Chester Lantin, HR Director at Walker Sands, Michael Elias, Director of Internships for the DePaul College of Communication, Olivia Knowlton, Account Executive at ICF Next, and Sydney Hailburton, Career Community Advisor at DePaul.
At Walker Sands, the company is still moving forward with their internship program. The B2B tech-focused agency hosts summer, fall, and winter internship programs. Summer applications have closed and Walker Sands pushed back the summer program for one month. Walker Sands is still hosting fall and winter internship programs. Applications for the fall programs open around June or July.
ICF Next is an agency heavily focused on consumer goods and corporate communications. The status of the agency’s summer program is currently unknown although applications for the summer have officially closed.
Despite the halt of the internship program, business is booming at ICF Next. The agency is currently planning for a “new normal” and focusing on positive outlooks.
At DePaul there are still plenty of internship opportunities. Spring quarter internships were still able to be carried out remotely although some summer programs have been cancelled. Despite this, there is likely going to be many last minute openings for internships. Interested students should keep their eyes peeled for some great opportunities in the near future.
If students aren’t able to secure a summer internship, there is no need to worry. Chester Lantin, Olivia Knowlton, and other recruiters at agencies have made it clear that they are more than willing to have virtual coffee chats and informational interviews.
Students should take this time to polish their resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and other professional materials to perfection. DePaul provides helpful tools and resources, including LinkedIn Learning Courses for optimizing the most out of the site during this time.
The DePaul Career Center is still fully operational digitally, students can find resume help, virtual mock interviews, and building your personal brand. By doing this, students will be ready to secure that next internship in the fall.