Has this ever happened to you?

You’ve just submitted a few applications to some great internships, maybe you even have an interview or two lined up. You’re feeling pretty good about the work you’ve done so far. Your cover letter is impeccable, your resume is polished to perfection, any e-mail or phone contact with a potential employer has been positive. Overall, you’re feeling fairly confident.

Then you wait. What if nothing happens?

That’s where I am now, and the spot I always tend to hit every year. After sending in two or three applications, I consider that “enough for now” and wait to hear back before doing any more potentially unnecessary work. This is often my downfall. I was given some fabulous advice: keep working and keep submitting until I get a hard “yes”.

There is always the possibility that I will get a no for each application. There is always the possibility that I will never hear back from those companies for whatever reason. Maybe it’s an immediate no and they don’t feel the need to inform me, maybe I didn’t send in all required materials (unlikely, knowing me and my perfectionist tendencies) and they have too many applicants to care about my incomplete work, or maybe it didn’t go through.

If anything, laziness will be my downfall. I have learned to call to follow up after sending in an application to ensure that it went through and that they have everything they need from me. I should offer references or recommendations, even if they don’t ask. (If they decline, do not persist.) These should be basic fundamentals, ingrained in my mind. Yet, laziness often takes over. My readers know me by now: I am 100% determined to get to Washington, DC this summer. I have a lot of help but I cannot rely on CP&R and alumnae to get me there, no matter how nice everyone is.

I’ve found to-do lists and setting concrete goals always works for me. So here’s what I’m going to do: First, I have already sent in an application to a non-profit that focuses on women’s rights. I resolve to call them within the week to ensure that they have received it.

Second, I have been referred to a Congressional office by a very kind alum and am expecting a phone call to set up an interview. If I do not hear from the office by the time given, I will call there myself. I will also send out three more applications by the end of spring break.

Something else that works for me are rewards for completing my necessary tasks. If I do all of the things listed above, my reward will also be something concrete, something other than hopefully getting an internship. That something could be a massage or a new dress. Similarly, if I reach the goal of landing my dream internship in my dream location, I will reward myself with concert tickets to a show I’m dying to see this summer.