Strategic Communications Specialist Internships
Strategic communications specialist internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience developing messaging strategies and campaigns, mentorship from working communications professionals, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across {{top_industries_phrase}}, with NBCUniversal, Nelnet, and Zoetis among the employers posting roles now.
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Showing 5 of 8+ Strategic Communications Specialist Internships
Role Description:
Corporate Communications Intern – Competitive Intelligence & Strategic Planning
Location: Parsippany, NJ
Internship Summary:
The Corporate Communications Intern will support the Corporate Communications team in competitive intelligence and issues management, strategic planning, financial and corporate narrative, and issues management.
Internship Job Duties:
Competitive Intelligence:
- Monitor social and digital media conversations about Zoetis and competitors for reputational risks or issues management.
- Identify and track industry trends, including shifts in conversation, emerging narratives, and issues that may warrant further attention. Analyze and report on listening data.
Quarterly Earnings Communications:
- Support content development of internal and external social channels.
- Assist with press release and slide development.
- External monitoring of key and trending topics. Support broader team projects as needed, such as communications planning, corporate materials, earnings support, or issues tracking.
Additional Communications Support:
- Research and provide perspective on white space opportunities that could shape the 2028 Corporate Communications plan.
- Support drafting and updating key corporate materials including fact sheets, talking points, and executive bios. Shadow and support real-time issues tracking and response documentation.
Internship Qualifications:
Professional experience/capabilities:
Relevant course work, projects, or community organization involvementSkills & Capabilities:
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint
- Quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- Able to clearly communicate the meaning of data
- Strong written communication skills of business topics Strategic and analytical thinker
The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position:
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $16.00 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $22.00 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $32.50 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $36.00 per hour
The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position if a selected candidate were to be located in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois (Chicago area), Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington (Seattle area):
Student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $17.00 per hour
Student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $24.20 per hour
Student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $36.40 per hour
Student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $40.30 per hour
Intern (Trainee)
Colleague
Any unsolicited resumes sent to Zoetis from a third party, such as an Agency recruiter, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Zoetis mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Zoetis employees, or to Zoetis resume database will be considered Zoetis property. Zoetis will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.
Zoetis will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. This includes any Agency that is an approved/engaged vendor but does not have the appropriate approvals to be engaged on a search.
Notice: Zoetis Recruiters will contact candidates via email from an address ending in @zoetis.com and may also initially connect with candidates through LinkedIn , including LinkedIn InMail. Zoetis does not use Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or other web-based/generic email domains to communicate about job opportunities, interviews, or offers of employment. If you receive a recruitment-related email message claiming to be from Zoetis that does not come from @zoetis.com , please treat it as suspicious. For your security, do not reply, click links, open attachments, share personal or financial information, or send money in response to unexpected or questionable recruitment communications.
Role Description:
Corporate Communications Intern – Competitive Intelligence & Strategic Planning
Location: Parsippany, NJ
Internship Summary:
The Corporate Communications Intern will support the Corporate Communications team in competitive intelligence and issues management, strategic planning, financial and corporate narrative, and issues management.
Internship Job Duties:
Competitive Intelligence:
- Monitor social and digital media conversations about Zoetis and competitors for reputational risks or issues management.
- Identify and track industry trends, including shifts in conversation, emerging narratives, and issues that may warrant further attention. Analyze and report on listening data.
Quarterly Earnings Communications:
- Support content development of internal and external social channels.
- Assist with press release and slide development.
- External monitoring of key and trending topics. Support broader team projects as needed, such as communications planning, corporate materials, earnings support, or issues tracking.
Additional Communications Support:
- Research and provide perspective on white space opportunities that could shape the 2028 Corporate Communications plan.
- Support drafting and updating key corporate materials including fact sheets, talking points, and executive bios. Shadow and support real-time issues tracking and response documentation.
Internship Qualifications:
Professional experience/capabilities:
Relevant course work, projects, or community organization involvementSkills & Capabilities:
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint
- Quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- Able to clearly communicate the meaning of data
- Strong written communication skills of business topics Strategic and analytical thinker
The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position:
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $16.00 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $22.00 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $32.50 per hour
If the selected candidate is a student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $36.00 per hour
The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position if a selected candidate were to be located in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois (Chicago area), Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington (Seattle area):
Student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $17.00 per hour
Student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $24.20 per hour
Student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $36.40 per hour
Student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $40.30 per hour
Intern (Trainee)
Colleague
Any unsolicited resumes sent to Zoetis from a third party, such as an Agency recruiter, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Zoetis mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Zoetis employees, or to Zoetis resume database will be considered Zoetis property. Zoetis will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.
Zoetis will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. This includes any Agency that is an approved/engaged vendor but does not have the appropriate approvals to be engaged on a search.
Notice: Zoetis Recruiters will contact candidates via email from an address ending in @zoetis.com and may also initially connect with candidates through LinkedIn , including LinkedIn InMail. Zoetis does not use Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or other web-based/generic email domains to communicate about job opportunities, interviews, or offers of employment. If you receive a recruitment-related email message claiming to be from Zoetis that does not come from @zoetis.com , please treat it as suspicious. For your security, do not reply, click links, open attachments, share personal or financial information, or send money in response to unexpected or questionable recruitment communications.
Strategic Communications Specialist Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your Strategic Communications Specialist Internship Search
Apply earlier than you think necessary
Large employers in corporate communications, public affairs, and media recruit summer interns the preceding fall, closing cohorts before spring semester starts. Smaller companies and co-op programs post on a rolling basis. Starting your search early means you compete for the full pool, not the leftover seats.
Build a portfolio before you need one
Hiring teams expect limited work history at the intern level, so your strongest asset is documented proof of work. For strategic communications specialist candidates, that means published writing samples, campaign briefs, press release drafts, or media-pitch case studies, with tools and platforms named. Create or compile these before applications open so you are not scrambling.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured programs tied directly to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. At the same time, apply directly to companies running smaller cohorts, since those rarely attend fairs and fill on a first-qualified basis.
Practice the strategic communications intern screen out loud
Strategic communications specialist intern interviews typically include a writing exercise, a media-scenario response, or a messaging strategy prompt evaluated in real time. Practice these formats out loud before your first screen, explaining your reasoning as you go, since interviewers weigh how you think through a communications problem as much as the finished answer.
Strategic Communications Specialist Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a strategic communications specialist internship?
Lead with coursework and projects rather than work history, since hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. A portfolio of writing samples, campaign briefs, or crisis-communications case studies gives recruiters a concrete artifact to assess. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a strategic communications specialist internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it is consistent performance on real deliverables, available headcount on the team, and understanding when return-offer decisions happen so you can ask early. Position for one by treating every project seriously, without counting on the offer to materialize.
When should I apply for strategic communications specialist internships?
Earlier than most expect. Large employers, particularly in corporate communications and public affairs, recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often wrapping up hiring before spring semester begins. Smaller companies and co-op programs post closer to start dates, so openings appear year-round and checking regularly is worth the habit.
Are strategic communications specialist internships paid?
Most professional strategic communications specialist internships in the U.S. are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location. Where an employer has disclosed pay, it appears directly in the listing, so you can compare across roles as you search.
What should a strategic communications specialist internship resume include?
Lead with two or three completed, documented projects rather than work history. For strategic communications specialist candidates, the strongest proof is published writing samples, campaign briefs, press release drafts, or media-pitch case studies, with the tools and platforms used clearly named. Add relevant coursework, keep everything to one page, and link to the work wherever it lives online.
What is a communications rotational internship?
Some larger organizations, particularly in corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, run structured rotational internship programs that place early-career candidates across two or three communications functions, such as media relations, internal communications, and digital content, within a single summer. These programs recruit early, fill competitively, and are designed for people new to the profession, so identify the ones that fit your goals and apply in the first wave of their cycle.
Can international students get strategic communications specialist internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
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