So you've landed a journalism internship for the summer (or maybe even for the fall or spring) and you want to make the most of it. The key things you want to get from an internship are solid experience, great clips and rave references. The fact that you've landed an internship probably already shows you're a go-getter who will do well in a professional newsroom.

Internships are a great opportunity, but be warned - they can go horribly wrong if you approach them with the wrong attitude.

Think of President Kennedy's famous saying - "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The point is, if you think more about how you can help the publication you're interning for, and less about what it can do for you, you'll probably be successful.   

Here are eight tips that will help you accomplish that:

Work Hard

Sounds obvious, but there's no more surefire way to impress your editor than through good old-fashioned hard work. Arrive early, stay late and in between work your butt off. Remember, most news outlets are short-staffed in the summer, so a hard-working intern should have plenty of opportunities to quickly establish him or herself as a valuable part of the team.

Do the Lousy Jobs

Want to endear yourself to the rest of the newsroom? Volunteer to do the jobs no one else wants. A zoning board meeting? You'll take it! A sewerage commission hearing? You're on it! Do enough scut work and your editor will be more likely to throw a great story assignment your way.

Show What You Can Do

Sure you're still a student, but chances are you've already discovered the things you're good at. So take every opportunity to show off your strengths. Do you excel at banging out breaking news stories on deadline? Volunteer to cover the late-breaking house fire. Are you good at producing well-written features? Crank out a few of those, even if it means doing them on the side, on evenings or weekends.

Ask Questions

No one expects a newby intern to know everything about the news business, so if there are things you really don't understand about what's happening in the newsroom, ask. But don't ask silly questions just for the sake of looking interested; ask about the things you really don't understand.

Listen to the Answers

Again, sounds obvious, but too many interns ask questions and ignore the answers, then have to ask the same question 10 minutes later. If you want to alienate your editor, that's the way to do it.

Learn From Your Mistakes

Chances are, at least once during your internship you're going to do something wrong. Making mistakes is all part of the learning process. But the key is to learn from your screw-ups so that you never - I repeat never - make the same mistake twice.

Be Enterprising

Editors love reporters who can develop their own story ideas, instead of just sitting around waiting to be given an assignment. So develop some ideas for enterprise stories and pitch them to your editor. Your ideas may not all be great, or they may be things the publication has already done, but you'll still get some brownie points just for trying. And if you keep pitching ideas, eventually one of them will be a good one.

Exude Some Good Attitude

I referred to this at the start of this article. Journalism is a collaborative effort. People in the newsroom may not all be the best of friends, but they have to be able to work together. So when you walk into the newsroom show enthusiasm for your work and some friendliness toward your co-workers. Be someone other people want to be around, not someone they want to avoid. Work hard, don't whine, and you'll do fine.

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