Resourcefulness: A Key Quality for an Intern
Robert (Rob) Culos works at Universal Music Enterprises (Ume). Ume is the catalog/re-issue label of Universal Music Group. As Digital Sales and Marketing Coordinator, he mainly works in new media outlets maintaining and designing artists’ websites, writing email blasts, and developing electronic customer relationship management (eCRM). Rob also works with online retailers to make sure that album art, pricing, and promotions are set up correctly. In this interview, he speaks about his past intern experiences, and what qualities he looks for in the interns that work for him.

What internship and job experiences led you to your present job?
My first "internship" was working for my brother’s band on their first national tour. I was the "merch guy." I traveled across the country during the summer, after my freshman year of college. As an aspiring musician, the road showed me how tough of a life that actually was, and that I might rather find a job in music that let me stay in the same place. The next summer, I interned at XM Satellite Radio in Washington, D.C. I learned a ton from my superiors that summer, and I swore to stay in music. I landed a job with Navarre Entertainment Media as a college rep. after that, and I would pass out flyers and set up POP at local stores on my campus in Madison, WI. The pay was awful but I was sent free CDs regularly which made up for it. After a short stint at a recording studio in Chicago, I moved out to Los Angeles and landed a job as a temporary digital production analyst here at UMe. The job was supposed to only last 6 months, but I was offered a permanent position after only 3 months. I started out in digital production and moved over to new media shortly after that.

What qualities and skills do you notice in your most qualified interns?
The best quality an intern can have is resourcefulness. Most any intern these days is computer-savvy and organized, and most interns have at least some basic knowledge of the industry. But, the interns that stick out are the ones who can take an assignment and figure out the best way to get it done. It doesn’t matter if the intern is a walking rock and roll encyclopedia – as an intern, if you can’t create a readable spreadsheet, you will have a tough time most days.

What can an intern do (while interning) to be noticed for a possible job in your company?
The best thing an intern can do (while interning) to be noticed for a job here is to acquire as much responsibility as possible. This is done by mastering the somewhat mundane tasks that are given early on. Once the intern starts to acquire more responsibility, the intern will already be looked at as ‘part of the team.’

What are the glamorous and not-so-glamorous tasks in your job?
First and foremost, this is an office just like any other office. We might play music (really loudly at times), or we may see a celebrity walking through our hallways every now and again. However, as far as the day-to-day work goes, a lot of the work is sitting at a desk and working on a computer with spreadsheets and numbers just like any other business. On the other hand, an intern probably will get to see private band showcases and hear exclusive content before it is released, from emerging artists, bona fide rock stars, and everything in between.

How can a student apply for an internship at your company?
Students can apply on our job site www.careers-umusic.com – but we will not have the summer internship posting up until April.

For more information about this interview, contact Robert Culos, Digital Marketing & Sales Coordinator, Universal Music Enterprises.

E-mail: rob.culos@umusic.com