Think Up! | 03/06/2009 10:45 am

Executive Interns ... A wowOwow Idea for Surviving the Recession

By Deborah Barrow, Editor-in-Chief

For those of you who have ever been in management, you know that traditional rush every spring to find the best young interns from the halls of academia to come to your magazine/newspaper/website/business office/whatever to offer a hand, in return for course credit and some on-the-job career training. You also know that, often, the intern-finding rush is followed by the frenzy of finding them something suitably interesting to do — a job that often takes so much time that it falls into the "it would be faster if I just did it myself" category — especially since so many of the little darlings come attached to big-shot fathers and mothers elsewhere in the organization or among clients, who want to make sure Junior and Sissy are being given meaningful work that befits their station in life.

But what if the interns came with real, marketable life skills themselves, and just needed to learn a new aspect of their job to keep them up to date? The company would benefit from the knowledge and experience of the intern for very little or no money. And the intern would — for free, mind you — learn a new marketable skill that leads them to the next job.

And, to denote that these interns are actually executives in temporary disguise, you could call them Executive Interns — something they can proudly put on a résumé, to show flexibility, willingness to learn at every age, moxie and an ability to laugh a little at themselves as, together, we face bravely this new world.

It’s our attempt to create a virtuous circle.

That’s the thinking, anyway, behind the wowOwow.com Executive Intern program.

We started this program organically this winter here at wowOwow.com, and felt there might be something of value in our experience that others elsewhere who are running businesses or not-for-profits could use in these times of financial crisis. Happily for us (and for our wonderful first Executive Intern, the brilliant Lois Draegin, and our own up-and-coming Web editor Randi Bernfeld), the Los Angeles Times agreed — and has put the story on their front page and on their website this morning.

Both Joni Evans — our CEO, driving force and the founding genius behind wowOwow.com — and myself come from long careers in traditional print: Joni as the high profile maven of the book-publishing world, who has brought more than 100 New York Times bestsellers to the fore; me, as a more behind-the-scenes, business-side magazine publishing executive at companies such as Meredith, Hearst, Condé Nast and Primedia. Both of us migrated to the Web. And both of us are awash in brilliant former colleagues — many, but not all of them women — who find themselves without work amid the double whammy of the general economic tsunami and the even more disastrous downturn in the media world.

Therefore, it’s no accident that this initiative is born out of the print-Web miasma in which many of our former traditional media colleagues find themselves. Newspapers and magazines are being challenged to move online at a record pace … at the same time the advertising to support such a move has withered on both the print and the Internet side of the equation. The result is great people on both sides of the cyber sea have found themselves without jobs.

These are not ordinary times in America. We find ourselves victims of a recession that is the result of mendacious, libertine excess at the top of the economic food chain, where carelessness and lawlessness festered while lobbyist-led Washington looked the other way. And certain industries are neck-deep in an actual depression — most notably: autos, retail, Wall Street, real estate and media. We offer this idea to you, our dear wowOwow.com readers, in the hopes it might inspire you to think of one of your own colleagues in your community who is only one skill set away from landing, once again, a great job … after a stint as an Executive Intern at your place of business.

As usual, we know you’ll be generous with your thoughts in the comments below.

UPDATES:

58 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I have been a business partner with my local highschool & college for many years.

We have had students intern a few hours a day while school is in session and have hired several over the summer and in permenant positions in previous years!

Our most recent college intern worked summers for us until graduation last Spring where we hired him fulltime as soon as the inck was dry on his diploma.

It broke my heart to have to lay he and the rest of our staff off in Novemeber due to the recession.

By SJMorgan on 03/06/2009 10:56 am

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sorry for the typos….trying to work some since we have no staff….

"I have been a business partner with my local highschool & college for many years.

We have had students intern a few hours a day while school is in session and have hired several over the summer in permenant positions in previous years!

Our most recent college intern worked summers for us until graduation last Spring where we hired him fulltime as soon as the ink was dry on his diploma.

It broke my heart to have to lay he and the rest of our staff off in November due to the recession. "

By SJMorgan on 03/06/2009 11:05 am

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I read this article in the L.A. Times this morning and really enjoyed it. I’m sharing it with friends. It also brought me back to the wOw website that I haven’t visited in a long time. Thanks.

By GailGiberson on 03/06/2009 11:31 am

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Frankly, if I were to Intern, I would want it to be at your place of business if I were to make a choice. There is nothing like being at the ground floor of a relatively new business as WOW is, being able to try new ideas out, learning from your mistakes, and - if I were to guess - perhaps even finding you need a padded room there at WOW when the frustrations of the day call for a "time-out" to re-group. And - as it looks like a large part of the country’s future will be how they make that impact on the web - the learning experience there would be invaluable.

But for those currently unemployed, the world of business is changing at such a rapid pace that it would be so wise to "intern" — more or less, getting an advanced degree of sorts "on site" so you will not be left behind when once again, the world turns. We all need to feel purpose in life, not losing that former "drive" as we gradually become a couch potato while grazing the Internet for openings.

The idea truly isn’t new … for forever, certain colleges and universities have had a semester to year-long college internship program, allowing their students a hands-on chance at seeing if they and their planned-for profession are a "fit". In each case, the young man or woman has had a job offer on graduation from the corporation they have interned with, making it a win-win situation. The same concept holds true for those "temporarily unemployed". This is a terrific idea that should take hold quickly!!! I love it.

By joan larsen on 03/06/2009 11:38 am

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Hi Joan, just wanted to make sure you knew I didn’t miss this. It is a great idea!

By MsDee1 on 03/06/2009 1:03 pm

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Ms. Dee . . I am unfortunately home this end of the week after a small operation so can respond. But, lady, you never do miss much ever . . . and you never fail to add so much to WOW! As to the intern idea, "waiting" for something to turn up is just plain wasteful. I am one that makes my own success … and one way is - with the right credentials - to take matters into your own hands. Do your research first, know the company and what they do, locate the name of the person you want to offer your services - NOT as a VOLUNTEER as I have been in non-profits and that denotes something else - as "an intern", stating what you have to offer and what you would like to learn in so doing. In other words, be SHARP, smart, intelligent, and frankly, irresistible. "Irresistible" works - and I know it. And now I would like to write a separate article on this subject on my own as my mind moves ahead so quickly. See what you have done, Ms. Dee!!!!

By joan larsen on 03/06/2009 1:28 pm

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Joan, my daughter when a junior in college was one of those you described: Irresistible. She responded to a flyer about home sales for a contractor in Austin and delighted the interviewer. When Lindsey asked about the pay, the interviewer told her it was an unpaid internship. Lindsey simply apologized for taking her time, letting her know that she required a paying job. Just a minute, she says, darts into the manager’s office, and they came up with a salary for Lindsey, who won 3 trips for top sales person while there over the course of four years, 2 to Cancun and one to Hawaii. I think the contractor never regretted paying for that internship.

Peace and grace

By BethWillis on 03/06/2009 4:44 pm

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Hi Beth,

Your daughter has a confidence in herself that I find rare in those that young, telling me that she will stand up for herself and will go far in this world. She has to be a source of such pride … and if I am guessing correctly, she has a momma that did much to make her the young woman she is. Belief in self comes over so well in interviews and yet I do not see it played up much in articles on how to get ahead. Perhaps I should write one as there are so many, unlike your daughter, who need the extra boosts that need to be given.

By joan larsen on 03/06/2009 4:56 pm

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It is good in that there was an exchange of ideas and talents. Each had and received value.

This article took me to find your website. I discovered it to be the only article of depth. What is up?

By lynnepope on 03/06/2009 11:46 am

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Lynne

Check the archives there are hundreds of articles on many different subjects. Sometimes an article starts a subject and it works itself into many different ideas, so the title of article can hide what is in the thread. I always learn something new on Wow and have met many wonderful women from all over the world. I found that sometimes I don’t think an article will interest me, but the author’s writing is interesting and am surprised.

By FrannieEm on 03/06/2009 2:27 pm

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I think that interning is fine so long as the organization genuinely takes an interest in the intern. A few years ago, in an effort to get contacts for work in another field, I interned at a nonprofit organization. (I laugh at the idea that nonprofits are automatically nicer organizations.)

Although I have an undergraduate and graduate degree from very impressive schools and worked like a dog, doing administrative work, answering the phone, sorting the mail, arranging chairs for panels, they showed absolutely no interest in me. I didn’t get so much as a cup of coffee or a real conversation after working there two days a week for four months (BTW, the choppy schedule precluded me from taking on paying work.) I was thoroughly pleasant and professional at all times.

I was free labor to them. That was all. It’s bad enough to be treated that way in your early 20s. Try being in your late 40s.

So if there’s a way to check out the bona fides of the organization beforehand, I strongly suggest that the prospective intern do so.

By ReaderReader on 03/06/2009 12:04 pm

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Can I come to work for you?

By TinkaParker on 03/06/2009 12:16 pm

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This article in the L A Times was the impetus to find your website. I am over 50, raised 3 sons, and have participated in all the political and social changes for women. L A is a very difficult place for women in my demographic. Having been laid off from job in October, I was inspired by the article and will "keep on keepin’ on". I have friends who are in the same situation and will pass your site on to them. I look forward to more articles that focus on empowering and inspiring women in these really hard times.

Judith Drury

By JudithDrury on 03/06/2009 12:31 pm

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Judith

The same thing happened to my sister, she is temping at a company that she enjoys and may get hired. She is very good at negotiating for herself and usually gets a better salary than they want to offer.

By FrannieEm on 03/06/2009 2:30 pm

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I’ve got two growing companies and am looking for someone to come on-board as part of my team to really get the word out on the net about who I am and what I’m up to.

I’m registered on all of the sites (at least the ones I’m aware of) and am no quite sure how to go about networking on them to get the full benefit.

I’m simply going to include my websites and put it out there for anyone interested in giving me a hand. I’m not able to pay right now as I’m developing a media platform in order for the book(s) and videos/television to get known but would sure like someone interested in interning for me knowing that the future is bright for making some serious monies.

I was actually interviewed by the NY Times last year and This Old House Magazine and I was called by St. Martin’s Press about a book which went all the way to my meeting with them in NY and getting a lit agent who presented a proposal. That was at the time when things started changing economically and they wanted me to develop the media platform.

So…..here I am - rather challenged and I read the LA Times story this a.m. on Lois Draegin and thought - why not put the word out of WOWoWOW?

Reva Kussmaul, Money Coach & Expert Remodel Coach

MoneyVisions - www.moneyvisions.net

Eye for Detail, Inc. - www.eyefordetail.biz

By RevaKussmaul on 03/06/2009 12:33 pm