by Zachary Katkin

Created on: June 29, 2008   Last Updated: November 05, 2010

When evaluating an internship in the media and entertainment industry a number of factors should be considered, namely your own personal goals. This article is an introduction and tool for anyone considering an internship, but unsure how to evaluate one.

There are four main questions you should ask in order to fully evaluate an internship opportunity:

1) What role does the current institution play in the makeup of that particular industry?

2) What specific duties will you be responsible for as an intern?
3) What opportunities are available post-internship?
4) What was the experience of previous interns?

First, what role does the current institution play in the makeup of the particular industry? As any interviewer/interviewee expert will tell you, you are interviewing the company you are applying for as much as they are interviewing you. Do your homework. What are your personal goals in the media and entertainment industry? Are you looking to develop websites or other interactive media technologies, or are you looking to become an account administrator, dealing directly with executives at high-priority clients' offices?

Find out where the company you will be interning at is, in the hierarchy of companies that dominate in the skill sets you wish to develop. For example, if your ultimate goal is to be the best web developer in the nation, research the company against respected web development communities and portals. You want to be working at a company that is an expert at web development. If you are looking to develop your skills in the recording industry, how does the record label you will be interning at compare to other well known or respected labels? Befriend people in the industries you are breaking into, ask questions and opinions of the place you will intern at.

Additionally, from a business perspective, find out where the company is and where it plans to be. Is the company small with plans to stay small, possibly with a local client base? Is it taking off? Is it already a very recognized facility with top-notch clients? All of these questions and answers should help guide your decision and help you measure this opportunity. All of the answers should fit closely with your goals as an intern.

Second, what specific duties will you be responsible for as an intern? Ultimately, you are being brought on to learn and help facilitate something. What is it you want to learn? Will the particular skills you wish to acquire or enhance be utilized at the internship? Many

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