Humans of Strat Comm: Erin Ceaser
Columbia, Mo. (Oct. 18, 2016) — In 2008, Erin Ceaser joined Amazon Prime. That began a love affair with the company that went from simple online shopping to a public relations internship in Los Angeles and culminating in a full-time job with Amazon upon graduation.
So how did this strategic communication senior become part of one of the largest companies in the United States? It just took an internship application found on LinkedIn and a strategy to connect with all of Amazon’s top executives so she could send them her resume. Her plan worked and after two phone interviews, she found herself packing for Los Angeles.
“L.A. is a dream,” Erin said. “A quite expensive dream, but a dream nonetheless. The vibe there is great. Everyone there is so dedicated doing what they love. It’s definitely cutthroat though. You have to be serious about [your] passions and future if you want to stay there.”
Along with writing announcements, organizing budgets and attending venue walk-throughs for her internship, Erin played tourist every day this summer. She walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame, hiked to the Hollywood sign and ran into Kendall Jenner at the Cheesecake Factory. During her internship, Erin learned so much and became genuinely interested in improving her public relations skills. She asked questions and did a lot of research so that by the end of the summer she had a better understanding of the industry and was able to participate and contribute beyond her internship status. This led to her being asked to come back for a full-time position after she graduates.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Erin said of her post-graduate plans. “This summer was the greatest time of my entire life, so to know that all my hard work in college paid off and that I can go right back to doing what I love is a dream come true.”
Erin credits the J-School for providing her with the interview skills and knowledge of how to speak to potential employers. She says that the guest speakers, career fairs and workshops were incredibly helpful in preparing her for interviews.
Those experiences led to the opportunity she received this summer. If she can stress anything, it’s to be persistent and not let the internship process get you down.
“Never give up,” Erin said. “Getting internships is not easy. I applied to so many, and if any of them had worked out, I would’ve never been looking when I found Amazon. Just remember that if you don’t get what you were hoping for, something better is on the way.”
Updated: January 8, 2020