How One Intern Won a Dream Job

As we continue the series "How to Win Your Internship and Parlay into a Successful Career" it's time to focus on the ones who are doing it.  Casey Philips certainly is.  She worked hard while in school, took advantage of a number of opportunities and scored an amazing paid internship with Disney right out of college.  Her diverse path has led to an amazing post with the Washington Wizards, Mystics and Capitals.  How fun does that sound?

Remember what I said in Part II: before you get the glamour gig, you got to do the grunt work.  Casey did just that and has an awesome job.  

I've shared the story of my internship with the Houston Rockets.  Part II focused on nine things you should do to ensure a successful internship.  Part III outlined eight specific things you shouldn't do during your internship.   Monday, Chris Bullock, the sports producer who reviews and approves sports department interns for CBS11/TXA21 shared his advice for getting the most out of your internship.  Tuesday, I introduced to you Victor Nguyen, a sports producer for KDFW-TV in Dallas.  Now it's time to meet Casey.

What is your career goal? 
My goal had always been to do on air sports broadcasting, although I never had a real specific focus within that concerning what I covered or in what role (anchor, reporter, sideline, network, local affiliate,  etc).

What do you do now? 

I am the digital correspondent for the Wizards, Mystics (WNBA franchise), and NHL Capitals.  We have recently launched a new online network where I am the sole talent, anchoring and producing a 5-7 minute show everyday, doing daily player interviews, weekly sit downs with coaches, game coverage, analysis on a panel discussing the teams, and putting together stories covering the teams out in the community.  When I took this job, it wasn't supposed to be half that much responsibility because the network hadn't been planned yet. It shows you never know what might be asked of you after you accept a job, and the more prepared you can be in more areas the better.

What did you do for your internship/s? 

I did two internships with CBS when I had just finished my Freshman and Sophomore years in college, one with the Mavericks & Fox Sports Southwest when I was in high school, then I was with the Cowboys after my Freshman and Sophomore years in college, one as a marketing intern for training camp and one with the broadcast department doing editing.  I went to the University of Missouri to major in Radio/Television Journalism and got my Masters in Broadcast Management. After those internships, I stayed at school over the summer to work at the NBC affiliate the school owns. 

What did you hope to achieve during the course of your internship? 

My internships, while all in the Dallas area, were very diverse and gave me a great perspective and understanding of what it takes to put together different forms of sports journalism for different audiences.  My goal with the original internships in high school was to make sure it was something I enjoyed doing and was capable of learning to do it before I made my college selection based on this career.   The internships in college were to help me gain as much knowledge of the business as possible before my main classes on it started to help me get as far ahead as I could.   This business is so competitive I wanted to be as multidimensional and knowledgeable as possible so that I wouldn't be turned down a job because there was an aspect of the business I hadn't learned.  

Did your internship help you get that first job out of school (in your case - what did it lead to)? 

I do feel like my internships all led to each other and eventually to the kind of jobs I've been able to receive.  The earlier you can start internships the better, because it shows companies you have been thinking ahead and planning for your career.  With all my internships, I only had to interview a couple times.   After that, the contacts I made helped get me other internships, but they wouldn't have done that if I hadn't taken the initiative and made myself useful.  Many times this business is about who you know to get the job, but it's about how you perform to keep the job or get a referral for another one. 

After college, I got a full time paid graduate internship at Disney in Orlando working at their ESPN Wide World of Sports in the PR department.  My boss flat out told me my internships were why I had gotten it, because I had a background in both broadcast and marketing.  (remember my story of doing an end-around with the Rockets to get my first media job?  ALL of your experience counts). That Disney job required me to do on camera work, edit video, write press releases, operate our social media platforms, and participate in marketing meetings.  That diverse experience helped me beat out 300 other people who applied to work with the Washington Wizards. Yet again, the person who hired me said it was that diverse experience at Disney that put me above other applicants. 
    

What specifically did you learn during your internship are you able to apply to your professional life?

I think the most important things I learned weren't even broadcast skills based, but the business in general.  I learned what it meant to be a professional woman in the industry and how people would view me (and how to counter or overcome some of those negative assumptions).  Most importantly I learned the general operations, terms, and equipment used.  That can be the most intimidating part of the industry, and if you can be familiar with that before your career is on the line, it can take a lot of the pressure off. 

What was your approach to your internships?

My advice after getting the internship is to ask tons of questions, make yourself available more than is required of you, try not to say no to any assignments, and do whatever possible to make your employer's life easier not more difficult.  Carry yourself in a way they know they can trust you and don't have to baby sit you whether it's in the newsroom or a locker room. In other words, don't act like an intern.  I saw far too many interns get terrible reputations before they even tried to enter the field based on either being viewed as lazy, inappropriate, or difficult to work with.  Be a quick learner, good listener, and know when to step back and let people do their jobs without having to explain everything to you.

Casey reiterates a number of things I have outlined that interns should do to win their internship and parlay it into a successful career:

• Ask questions.  Ask questions.  Ask questions.  The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask. 
• Casey juggled a lot while in school but budgeted her time to accommodate her busy schedule.  It's not easy but, as she proved, worth it. 
• She learned a variety of roles and job functions.  While Casey is currently an on-camera reporter, she learned how to edit, shoot video and produce.  All skills she applies to her current job. 

The takeaway here: take advantage of every opportunity you have while interning!  You never know when you will use what you learned or where that opportunity will lead you.