Scripps PRSSA was thrilled to have a special event with Lauren Berger, the “Intern Queen.” It didn’t take long to see that her title fit her so accurately.
Berger is the self-proclaimed Intern Queen, as well as the founder and CEO of both InternQueen.com and CareerQueen.com. In her time as a college student, Berger had 15 internships. Through her internships and her time as a professional, Berger has acquired a variety of tips and tricks for students to utilize when applying for internships and jobs. She shares her arsenal of advice through speaking engagements, social media and YouTube videos.
Our speaker touched on a wide variety of topics in her time with us, here are some of the highlights!
Stay Connected
Making professional connections is so valuable and important in EVERY. SINGLE. INDUSTRY. But what do you do you once you’ve made a connection? The Intern Queen recommends contacting your professional connections at least three times a year. By checking in, you will deepen your relationship and won’t become a forgotten connection.
Resumes + Cover Letters
Berger briefly spoke about the importance of a well-written resume and cover letter. She stressed how important it is to sell yourself and your skillset. Don’t undersell your extracurriculars and campus involvement opportunities in your resume. Also, don’t be afraid to make your cover letter personal—let the person reading it get a feel for the kind of hire you will be. In addition to these tips, the Intern Queen has multiple videos about resume and cover letter writing on the Intern Queen YouTube channel that are super helpful for students!
Post-Interview Thank Yous
Once you have interviewed with a company, be sure to show your gratitude for the opportunity! Berger recommends sending a thank-you via email following your interview. In your email, express that you would like to send a handwritten note and ask for the appropriate address to send it to. Take the time to write a genuine thank you note to your interviewer.
Be You
When asked about social media, Berger told us to keep it professional to an extent. Don’t be scared to let your personality show on your social profiles! It’s okay to show yourself having fun, just keep it appropriate. She also encouraged us to take pride in our youth and use it as a selling point—a college student that spends hours ok TikTok is bound to know more about social media trends than a middle-aged businessperson.
Lauren Berger shared so much valuable advice with us in the short amount of time we got to spend with her. I encourage you all to take the time to visit InternQueen.com and CareerQueen.com and view some of her videos on YouTube to hear more from the Queen herself!
Olivia Christiansen is a journalism-strategic communication major and can be found on Twitter @ochristiansen28