Pitt alumnus Erik Hinton says that sometimes, in order to get a job or internship, a student… Pitt alumnus Erik Hinton says that sometimes, in order to get a job or internship, a student must learn to “fake it.”

“It doesn’t mean lie, but be familiar with a lot of things,” he says. “If they ask you if you can do it, you better damn tell them you can, and you better damn get good at it.”

The software engineer for interactive news at The New York Times will be one of eight representatives from various journalisticfields at the panel discussion on nabbing an internship in media, publishing and public relations. The event, cosponsored by Pitt’s English department and The Pitt News, will be held today from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the William Pitt Union.

Hinton will be joined by Stan Wischnowski of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rich Holden of the Dow Jones News Fund, Mike Bothwell of WPXI-TV, Jennifer Knerr of Paradigm Publishers, Jessica Bayer of Qorvis Communications, Regan Morris of BBC and Ron Davenport Jr. of American Urban Radio Networks. The event will be moderated by David Shribman, the executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Morris, a producer for BBC and another Pitt alum, will speak to students about what it takes to get an internship and what they can do to keep it.

She said she got her first internship at the worldwide news organization Reuters while studying abroad in London. A regular customer of Morris’ father’s bar in Downtown Pittsburgh made the connection that got her the position, and the internship eventually turned into a paying job that would be the start of her career.

“I certainly didn’t know at 19 that I wanted to be a journalist. But now, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else,” Morris said.

To get an internship, Morris said that an applicant must act “confident, but not cocky,” show that he or she is willing to learn without appearing inexperienced and, of course, know how to spell.

Morris said that in her experience, companies use internships as hiring tools.

“If you are OK as an intern, they are going to find a way to hire you,” she said.

Caren Marcus, the writing internship coordinator at Pitt and coordinator of tonight’s event, also went from being an intern to getting a permanent position. After her internship at the Pittsburgh Press, she continued to work there for 17 years, until the paper folded.  

Marcus said that students who are seeking an internship should do research on the company they wish to work for and then tailor their resumé, portfolio and cover letter to specifically address that company.

“Admire the company that you are applying for,” Marcus said. “Look on the company website to make sure [you] have the qualifications and the interest in what [the company is] doing.”

Two of the big mistakes students make as interns are dressing unprofessionally and not promoting their own ideas, she said.

“I think students tend to be passive. You can’t sit around and wait for things to come to you,” Marcus said about the way students should act once they attain an internship. “Come up with ideas to present to people. It might mean working extra hours or coming in early to show that you are energetic.”

The importance of the internship experience was echoed by Cindy Skrzycki, a professor in the English writing department. She said that experience is key for students who wish to succeed in the media world. Students should aim to work at multiple internships and take advantage of the many opportunities on campus to gain professional experience.

As for tonight’s event, Skrzycki recommended that students attending the discussion stay for the entire program, ask any questions they might have during the Q-and-A segment and bring a resumé and cover letter if they are actively seeking an internship.

“Look around and find as much information as you can, and then follow up,” she said. “[Don’t] leave early and miss the opportunity to meet someone.”

Hinton, a former columnist and managing editor at The Pitt News, also moved from an internship to a paid, permanent position. After completing school, Hinton landed an internship at Talking Points Memo, a web-based political news organization, as a video-editing intern. Two months later, he was hired as a tech fellow before being hired as a full-time programmer for Talking Points in November 2010.

This September, Hinton left the Memo to take his current position at The New York Times. He said that there is more to getting an internship than just having a nice portfolio, and he plans to elaborate on this tip during the discussion tonight.

“Good clips are incredibly important — and that’s how you are going to get a job,” Hinton said. “But there are tons of people who are great writers and there are tons of people who have worked harder and longer than you have. What will set you apart is being interesting.”