Even with having to work long hours all summer, it seems like the hardest part of an internship is applying to get one in the first place. It’s the season when thousands of college students are scrambling to figure out their career paths and land the perfect summer jobs (that don’t require fetching coffee). We all know internships pay off in the long run, but the application process can be exhausting. If you’re like most collegiettes on the internship hunt, then the following will feel far too familiar.
After putting off the internship search until winter break is over, you finally decide to check out some online postings.
It’s still early in the game, but your attempt to get ahead feels like:
Because the process is brutal and the applicant pool is competitive.
So you fight tooth and nail for a position, because you need more experience on your resume…
…even if that experience is based in a different city and unpaid.
As an undergrad looking for an internship, your options are limited. You start looking at the preferred qualifications for a few positions, which are pretty daunting.
And then you look at your own resume, thinking:
So you fluff it up with bigger words and intricate details…
…and hope an interviewer won’t call you out on it.
But even with your revised resume, you still feel inadequate.
After scrolling through a dozen more openings you’re unqualified for, you enter your quarter-life crisis.
When you’re left with no choice, you submit your cover letter and resume to a few internships you’re barely qualified for. You’ve got nothing to lose, right?
And so the long wait begins as companies take their sweet time getting back to you.
It’s almost like they’re all working together to make your life as difficult as possible.
Meanwhile, it seems like your friends are getting all kinds of offers…
…and you’re still in the dark, waiting for any type of reply, like:
You’d appreciate any form of contact right now — a phone call, an email or even snail mail!
After a few weeks of no news, you’re like:
And just when you think you’re totally doomed, you get your first interview.
And your confidence goes through the roof.
It makes you wonder why you were even worried in the first place.
Then you remember how nerve-wracking interviews are…
…and how awkward you are at “selling yourself” to employers.
So you practice your interview skills with a friend.
And you research the company until you know it like the back of your hand.
When the big day arrives, you remind yourself to just act natural…
…and to show professional enthusiasm for the position.
But during the interview, if feels like the interviewer can see you sweat.
Once the interview is over, you breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Until you realize this is just the beginning of your grueling internship search.
Best of luck with your summer plans, collegiettes! You’ll be applying to full-time positions before you know it.