Standing Out in the PR Industry: Lessons from My Internship Search
Posted on May. 11, 2026 / Subscribe 0
Hello! My name is Claire Sanderlin, and I am a senior studying public relations and advertising at Oakland University (OU). I am originally from Laingsburg, Michigan, and I moved to Rochester to attend OU. I currently serve as a Social Media Coordinator for OU’s PRSSA chapter and as Photo Editor for The Oakland Post, OU’s student newspaper. In addition to my internship, I also work as a licensed property and casualty insurance producer as well as a manger at a BIGGBY coffee shop.
As a student, I have spent much of my college career learning the foundations and strategies of public relations and advertising. At the same time, I have been thinking about how those skills apply to a professional career.
For me, and many other students, the first step in building a career was finding an internship. However, that process can feel overwhelming. There is pressure to stand out among a large pool of candidates while also trying to find the “right” opportunity and determine your direction within the field. To navigate this, I focused on my strengths in visual storytelling through photography and my experience with social media and content creation.
Through this process, I realized that standing out is not just about listing skills, but about demonstrating how you apply them. I created an online portfolio to accompany my resume, allowing me to not only describe my skills, but also provide clear examples of how I utilize them.
I also realized that employers are not only looking for skills and experience, but also curiosity, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. Now that I have secured my internship with PRSA Detroit, I am thankful for each application, each interview, and even each “we regret to inform you” rejection email that helped me refine how I see myself progressing in the PR industry.
I look forward to continuing to develop my skills and build meaningful connections as I begin this next step in my PR journey.
Claire Sanderlin is a Public Relations and Advertising student at Oakland University and PRSA Detroit's spring/summer intern.
0 Comments