Landing the job is half the battle. Making sure the job is right for you is the other half. Here’s how.

Seniors may get hurt by unpaid, just-for-credit internships as employers will not bring them in, even for voluntary experience, unless they still have some college credits to earn.
© Kenneth C. Zirkel, iStockphoto

Competition for top talent has pushed offers for media internships earlier. The 2008-2009 slowdown in media hiring has made internships more competitive.

Even in the digital age, it still takes a lot of paper to land a good internship. An internship may be the first and last position you ever get strictly on the basis of what you can send through the mail. Many interns are hired sight unseen just because they present so well on paper.

Keep your promise if you accept an internship, even if a better offer comes along, to preserve a good reputation. The world is small.