The Infamous Internship Search (By Sports MBA Student Megan Vincent)

I am currently in a full-time internship in Virginia, so I am very excited that I can still contribute to UNC Charlotte from a few hours away. As an MBA candidate, internships are crucial -- not only do they give you experience, but also a “foot-in-the-door” to the industry and/or company that you want to work for in the future. With that said, I’m sure it would be helpful to talk about how I went about successfully finding an internship. 

For one, I applied tirelessly. At one point, I put aside an entire weekend to hunt and apply for internships. I applied for anything that seemed remotely like what I was interested in (sports, marketing, public relations, communications, etc.).

Secondly, I applied for internships that frankly were not available online. If there was an area of the United States I had family/friends (and therefore housing), I emailed sports professionals in the area. Luckily, many minor league teams and small-scale sports businesses have their employees’ emails somewhere on their website. Usually, I just found a marketer or community relations director and sent them an email directed toward their team and profession, along with a copy of my resume. To my surprise, this approach attracted quite a bit of feedback given the fact that these individuals never met me prior to my email. These targeted individuals directed my resume to the correct person, answered questions, and even offered to meet with me if I was in the area.

Lastly, I met with Robin Boswell, our MBA Career Advisor and head of the Professional Development Program (in which I was enrolled), once if not twice a week. Whether it was discussing my resume, interview techniques, or the best way to search for internships, it seemed there was always a way for her to help. It was also useful just to receive feedback and assurance from her that I would find an internship and I was applying for things that would eventually help my career. She also passed along pertinent internship information to me and helped me find people to connect with.

In the end, I was only offered about three or four interviews; it isn’t a lot, but it’s enough. The Ted Constant Convocation Center called me back the day after my interview and offered me an internship. From my research, I knew it was a good opportunity with a fairly large company (Global Spectrum, Comcast-Spectacor); I also knew they hired interns in the past. I accepted the internship and it has fared extremely well for me. I realized that I enjoy the entertainment side of marketing as much as, if not more than, the sports side. Hopefully this will lead into a career and job for me, but only time will tell.

I hope this was helpful and good luck to you all in your internship and job searches!