Congratulations! You’ve landed your dream internship. You went through the interview process and killed it, now all that is left is, well, starting your new job. In college, especially in New York City, internships are extremely important for your resume, so here’s how to shine bright during that first week.

Erin Cassidy, a senior at Manhattan, landed a spring internship at a huge conglomerate, Viacom. With a major in Communication, minor in English and a concentration in broadcasting, Cassidy utilized every part of her Manhattan College education to break through in the Viacom world. “The core curriculum within the school of arts has been extremely beneficial as well as the electives I have taken,” Cassidy said. “The classes Manhattan offers for the broadcasting concentration is extremely hands-on, so I didn’t feel completely lost when I began my internships.”

When applying, Cassidy did not cut any corners and just went for it. “I’ve always wanted to work at such an amazing conglomerate like Viacom,” she said. “When applying, I applied on the main Viacom website, and noted that I was interested in Casting and Production,”

She then received a call a month later asking for an interview and then was offered the intern position a week later. “I was ecstatic knowing that my dream internship noticed my resume,” Cassidy said.

Throughout her time at Manhattan, Cassidy heard about internships through the Communication Department and when they spoke highly of Viacom, she decided to apply. Because of her professors and the college’s broadcasting concentration, she found several avenues to take when looking for internships.

Within the extremely competitive world of communications and broadcasting, the myth of having to “know someone” in the industry has been completely washed away. “Don’t assume that everyone that landed an internship got it through a connection or ‘knowing someone.’ Go in prepared for your interview, ask questions and be confident,” she said.

In the next few months Cassidy will be working as an intern with Nickelodeon in the Talent and Casting Department. “During this internship I’ll be coordinating and assisting various Casting Sessions and research new talent of all ages for future projects either for Nick Jr., Nick and Teen Nick,” Cassidy said.

Going into an internship with excitement and eagerness is never a bad idea and learning as much as possible will make that internship experience really last. “What makes me most excited about this internship is the work environment I’ll be around,” Cassidy said. “Having these hands on experiences in the casting and production world will help me be prepared for the real world.”

No matter what you decide to do within the world of internships, applying for anything and everything is a great way to get interviews and application experience with big companies, which can make future opportunities a little less intimidating. “Apply for as many internships as you can and go for every single interview, even if you don’t want it. All interviewing experience helps,” Cassidy said.

After her first week Cassidy is excited. “It’s been great so far and I can’t wait to see what the semester has in store for me,” she said.