How to Find a Great Internship or Job (and actually get it)

Anymore it is super important for college students to get internship experience. It has become the norm and anyone who does not have some hands-on experience before graduation is definitely at a disadvantage. The problem is that there are so many TERRIBLE internships out there that it's hard to filter through and find the one that will actually give you relevant, useable experience.

Here are my tips for finding the perfect internship:

1) Do some research on your major. What jobs do people with your major typically pursue? What aspect of your general field interest's you the most? Check out http://www.usajobs.gov/ to find job descriptions and salary information.

2) Establish what type of internship you'd like. If you're a business major and decide you'd like to focus on the marketing end of your field, what type of marketing are you interested in? (i.e. television, radio, outdoor, field)

3) Determine what type of time you can allot to your internship. Can you travel out of state for the summer? (This naturally gives you more options) Or can you only complete your internship locally on days off between school and work?

4) Research some of your favorite brands/companies to see if they are hiring. This information can easily be found on the Careers section of their website.

5) Contact your school's career center. They often have internship opportunities that are only available to students at your school.

6) Stalk Craigslist. This is where I found both of my internship opportunities - though it required daily check-ins and probably about 50 rejections before I actually found the right one.

7) Be sure to bookmark all of the internship opportunities that stand out to you if you're finding them on the web. It will be easier to go back and find them later.

8) Physically go to places and ask around. If there is a skyscraper that you happen to know houses a few firms you'd be interested in working for, go in and go to the front desk (and bring your resume...see below). Chances are if anyone is hiring, the front desk man will be able to tell you. He may ask you to leave your resume there with him and he will give it to the appropriate person.

Now that you've found a few internships that you're interested in:

1) Fine tune your resume. This means making sure that your resume is in proper format, HOPEFULLY, it is not longer than a page (as a 20 year old, you probably don't have enough experience to warrant more than 1). If you do have a lot of experience, include the positions you've had that are most relevant to the skills you would need to perform your internship. Limit your description to 3-4 bullets per job.

2) Have someone proofread your resume. Better yet, have the career center at your school proofread your resume (if you can). They know exactly what potential employers are looking for.

3) Write a cover letter. A lot of internships, especially if you found them informally on Craigslist, don't require you to, but it is ALWAYS a good idea. You should write a new cover letter for each job. I used a guide and samples on my school's website, but this one is good as well - http://www.internmatch.com/guides/cover-letter-example-and-template. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS address your cover letter to a person, never "to whom it may concern". Do the work - find out who you will need to send/e-mail this to.

4) Submit all of your materials at once. If the recruiter asks for a cover letter, resume, 3 references, and a writing sample, be sure to submit all of them in their final draft form at the same time.

Now that you've submitted your materials...YOU GET A CALL! YES!

1) Write down your interview time and START PREPARING.

2) Depending on the atmosphere of the place, choose an interview outfit. Never go with anything to glitzy or froo-froo. Black, blue, or grey dress or pant suits are the way to go for females. Same colors for men's suits. Always tuck your blouse or button down in and wear your hair and make-up as natural as possible. It is best to be over-dressed rather than under-dressed. Try your best not to look tacky - I've seen girls go in for interviews wearing mini skirts and dresses, stilettos, tube tops, cropped blazers - this just SCREAMS unprofessional. You are not a teenybopper anymore. Lose the sky high open toe heels and the cleavage and opt for a conservative look. You are going to need a real "big girl" suit in your future anyway, now is the time. Go to a department store or The Limited or LOFT (not H&M) and invest in a nice suit. They can still look cute!

3) Print at least 4 versions of your resume to bring to your interview. Often times, you will be meeting with more than one person for your interview.

4) Go prepared with a few strengths and weakness's, why you are interested in the position, and what you feel you can bring to the table. These are commonly asked question during interviews.

5) Research the company. If the VP of Marketing asks you what you know about the company - you should be able to tell him. It would be helpful to be familiar with trends in the industry as well.

6) FOLLOW UP. This step is crucial. I usually wait 3-4 days before following up with a PHONE CALL. Call and explain who you are, the position that you interviewed for, and you'd like to know whether or not they have reached a decision. Regardless of their answer, thank them for their time.

Even doing all of these things perfectly, you may not get it. BUT do not get discouraged. Have patience, keep looking, and put the same effort into each one and you will be successful.

Quarter Life Crisis (QLC)

A quarter-life crisis isn't really a new concept but the economic climate and job market that the current 20-something generation faces, in my humble opinion, is amplifying the effect and prevalence of QLC's. I began to experience my QLC last summer after I finished my first year at my second university when I found out that I would not be receiving enough financial aid to return to school in the fall...great. On top of that, my boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me...fucking FANTASTIC, right? I started to panic and began asking myself questions like, "will I ever get my degree?" "did I waste my time busting my ass all of these years to get good grades?" "I wonder if I could qualify as an independent?" and then it turned into "WILL I DIE AS A CAT LADY ALL ALONE?!" and "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH MY GRANDPARENTS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!"

I needed a break. So I went to visit some of my good friends in Brooklyn to get my mind off of things. I hadn't laughed that hard in so long. I discovered that 40's of PBR, rooftop party hopping, and shopping at second hand stores distracted me from the problems at hand. In fact, I loved it so much, I moved to Brooklyn the following week and fell even deeper into my QLC. I worked 3 jobs inconsistently, spent all of my money (and a lot of my family's) on clothes and bagels, and did anything that I could to keep my mind off of what I was going to realistically do with my life. 3 months later I was depressed, had no money, pissed off a lot of family that cared about me, hadn't enrolled in school for the following semester, and was still eating Kraft's single cheese because I didn't know how to - and didn't care - to figure out how to cook.

Unfortunately, all of this needed to happen for me before I could get back on my feet again. I am now attending school, live with my new boyfriend, have a job...but I'm still trying to figure all of this out. I'm happy that I fell flat on my face, but now that I've risen again I need to learn how to re-live life independently as a 21 year old. I cook (most of the time), I don't rely on my parent's for my rent or much else for that matter, but EVERYDAY I am faced with new challenges and I'm sure a lot of you are too.

Keep revisiting my blog - I will post when I discover an easy and delicious new recipe or how to dress for different types of interviews, or how to paint and update your childhood bedroom furniture - now that our parents decide to love us from afar, this is where I will put of the stuff that either you can't, or won't, or are too embarrassed to ask for.

Regards,
KTB