How to Stand Out at Intern Pursuit

Intern Pursuit at the University of Central Florida is one of our favorite events of the semester. An internship fair for communication, arts and film majors, this event’s our chance to connect with students and recruit our next intern cohort. 

Every semester, dozens of students stop by the Think Integrated table, and while meeting every single one of you is easily the highlight of our day, the clock moves fast. Because we want to give you our full attention, we usually only have about two minutes per conversation. Think about how you want to spend those two minutes: Do you want us talking about ourselves the whole time, or do you want to spend it making an impression?

We’re happy to tell you more about Think and our internships, and we want you to succeed as much as you do. To help you make every second count, here is how you can prepare to bring your best self to our table.

1. Come Prepared with the Basics 

When you walk up to our table ready to go, it makes our job easier and gives you more control over your time with us. Before you step into UCF’s Cape Florida Ballroom, make sure you have:

• Your Pitch: Have a concise 30-second introduction covering who you are, your major and what you’re passionate about. Bonus points if you tailor it to why Think caught your eye.
• Your Role: Have a clear idea of the specific internship role (or roles) you want to pursue on our team. Quotes, the Ad/PR club that hosts Intern Pursuit, keeps an employer list on their website. Take a look at our listing beforehand so you come ready to talk about the position(s) you’re interested in. 
• Your Resume: Bring printed copies ready for us to review and mark up. When we’re deciding next steps, such as who we’re going to interview for the role, we often refer to the notes we’ve left on the resumes to remind us of any stand-out moments from our short conversation. Without a resume, it’s harder for us to keep track of who we talked to at the event.
• Your Experience: Keep some of your class projects, past internships or student organization involvement in mind when talking to us. These personal experiences can help you stand out, and we love getting to know you a little more about you beyond the bullets on your resume.

2. Ask Thoughtful Questions

Our best interactions don’t feel like rehearsed interviews. By doing your prior research, you can easily stand out from the crowd and skip surface-level questions like “What does your agency do?” Instead, you can dive into what actually makes working here special.

Ask us about our culture, our clients, our creative process. Even deeper, the Thinkers at Intern Pursuit are often former Thinkterns. You have a chance to learn from people who were in your shoes not too long ago, so take the time to talk to them about what that internship experience was like. 

Asking great questions shows curiosity, initiative and care — all traits any employer would recognize as green flags for a potential intern. 

3. Keep the Conversation Polished and Professional 

Students often tell us that stopping by the Think table feels welcoming and easygoing, which is one of the highest compliments we can receive at an event like this. Many of us standing at the booth are UCF alumni and recent grads ourselves, so we remember exactly what it’s like to navigate Intern Pursuit — sweaty palms and all. 

We love our approachability, but remember that approachable still means professional:

• Offer a warm smile, a confident greeting and handshake, and good eye contact.
• Tuck your phone away so you can be fully present with us. 
• Be dressed to impress, as this is a recruitment event. 
• Be yourself, and remember to treat our conversation like a stepping stone into your professional future, because that’s exactly what it is.

4.Don’t Forget the Follow-Up

Just because you hand us your resume doesn’t mean you’ve officially applied – there’s still a formal application process to follow. Right after you leave our table, write down a few notes about who you talked to and what you discussed while it’s fresh in your mind. Within our application window, consider:

• Sending a personalized LinkedIn connection request to the team members you met.
• Referencing a specific topic from your conversation (e.g., “Loved hearing about your creative process on client campaigns!”). This reinforces your name in our inbox and shows attention to detail.
• Email the right person and follow directions on our paperwork to officially apply for the role. 

Quick Etiquette Checklist

• DO keep the conversation brief. A long line is likely behind you and we want to give everyone our time and attention. Be considerate of your peers as we try to move the line along. 
• DON’T walk up in a big friend group and pitch yourselves simultaneously. Give yourself individual time to shine. 
• DO take a deep breath, smile and remember that we are genuinely excited to meet you!

Ready to start your agency journey at Think? Check out our open roles ahead of time, bring your resume and come say hi to the Think team at Intern Pursuit this Monday, October 5 at 6 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom at UCF. For more internship inquiries, reach out to Kristen at [email protected].