How to Turn an Internship Into a Job

ByABC News
February 27, 2006, 5:26 PM

Feb. 28, 2006 — -- In late 2004, Jamie Fedorko was toiling long hours as an intern on the ill-fated CNBC show "McEnroe," hoping through hard work to turn the internship into a full-time job. The sinking ship of a talk show did not lead to the position he was hoping for, but he turned the experience into a moneymaker anyway.

Like many interns, Fedorko, then a senior at New York City's New School University, hoped the professional contacts made on the internship would help pay the bills after graduation. What he got was a hard lesson on the often transient nature of the New York media business -- and seeds for a book idea.

"McEnroe," the financial network's failed effort to turn tennis legend John McEnroe's notorious attitude into a talk show, was canceled less than six months after its premiere. As the show slumped, the full-time staffers were naturally concerned with their own employment prospects, leading to often aimless days on the job for the wayward intern.

"I didn't feel useful at all, and I really got to see what professional people go through when they know they are going to lose their jobs," Fedorko said.

He began writing missives about his experience as an intern -- calling the work "The Intern's Mantra." He now admits that most of the "mantra" included rants about being overlooked and underused.

"If I had published that as it was, it probably would have deterred people from interning, which is pretty funny," he said.

Instead, he started thinking of his time on "McEnroe" and three years of working at other internships as a list of dos and don'ts for interns looking to land jobs. After the show's cancellation, Fedorko was left to fend for himself along with the rest of the production staff. Rather than chasing another job in the industry, the budding writer decided to turn his experiences into a handbook for student interns.

His first book, "The Intern Files: How to Get, Keep, and Make the Most of Your Internship," hits the shelves in March.