Quotes Corner: How Quotes helped me land my dream internship and showed me the true power of networking
By: Allison Jimenez
Finding the right internship that fits your personal and professional goals can be quite the task. In today’s day and age, there are a lot of different questions you need to ask yourself: “Does the company culture fit my needs?” “Will my position be fully remote, in person or hybrid?” “Are there opportunities for growth within the company?” As someone who found myself in this exact position a few months ago, I knew Quotes, the Advertising and Public Relations Club at UCF, would be a great resource to start with. As a member of Quotes for the past two years, I have been exposed to a wide range of opportunities that helped develop my professional brand. From workshops to guest speakers, to the renowned Intern Pursuit job fair, this organization has opened doors I didn’t initially know existed. Attending a speaker series hosted by Quotes is what eventually helped me land my dream position as a Public Relations Intern at Universal Orlando Resort.
After submitting my internship application online through the Universal website, I felt a wave of excitement paired with a bit of nervousness. How would I set myself apart? In a pool of hundreds of applicants with resumes just as decorated as mine, how could I show the employer that I’d be best fit for the job? Later that week, I saw a flyer stating Universal Orlando Resort would be giving a presentation for Quotes students about what it means to be a challenger brand. The two speakers would be Alyson Sologaistoa, Vice President of Public Relations, and Kristen Smith, Director of Public Relations at Universal Orlando Resort. I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get my foot in the door and meet Alyson and Kristen in person.
During the presentation, I made sure to sit in the front, listen attentively and ask thought provoking questions. After the presentation, I made sure to formally introduce myself to both Alyson and Kristen and connect with them on LinkedIn. Taking this extra step shows initiative and is critical to set you apart from other applicants. Additionally, it allows you to get a better understanding of who someone is, and what their professional background entails. A few weeks after attending the presentation, I received an invitation to interview for the internship position. In my interview, I was asked, “Why do you want this specific position?” Since I had attended the Quotes presentation, I had a ton of different ways to answer this question that showed I genuinely cared and had done my research about Universal. A few days later I got the internship!
I want to thank FPRA and UCF’s Quotes for providing students like myself the right tools and connections to pursue my goals. Networking can seem intimidating at first, but it is pivotal in helping place opportunities in front of you that you didn’t know existed. As the Nike logo says: “Just do it.” Consistency is important, following up is important and putting yourself out there is important.
