Phone Interviews and the Necessity for Preperation

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Dani

I literally jumped out of my seat in Seal Court when I received an email stating that an organization I applied for an internship with wanted to set up an interview. I had been groggily waiting for the Motley to open so I could consume my morning coffee, but this did an even better job than caffeine at sending an adrenaline rush through my body. I was overjoyed to hear back so quickly, and I think my response back sounded almost too eager, but it least they knew I was excited, right?

A few weeks later, I got ready for my interview. It was set for 1:30 in the afternoon, and I got off a Motley shift at 1:00, giving me just enough time to briskly walk over to my dorm and begin preparation. I decided I would skype from my dorm room instead of a public area, so I wanted to make sure my room looked presentable. I made my bed which was visible in the camera lens (unfortunately this a rare occurrence for me,) and I put on makeup and a nice top.

In all honesty, I had only set up my Skype account the day before, and I didn’t realize that it takes a full 24 hours before your account is activated. Thus, when the person interviewing me called, it went to my phone rather than Skype. I picked up, and embarrassingly explained that “I guess my Skype isn’t working.” She also apologized, as she was convinced that her internet was spotty and it was her side that wasn’t working.

We ended up just doing a phone interview, and other than my initial embarrassment, it went well. I tried to stay true to myself and give honest, thoughtful answers. For example, one of the last questions the interviewer asked me was what my “dream job” was. This is one of those questions that I never know how to answer. I could have just made something up that I thought tailored to the goals and needs of this specific internship, but instead I was honest, and explained that I wasn’t sure yet, but I had some ideas, and some qualities I would ideally look for in a job. While it is definitely vital to act calm, collected, and confident during an interview, I think in the case of an internship interview like this that is more informal than other job interviews, it is preferable to be genuine rather than forced.

Me, desperately trying to ace my phone interview.

Overall, I did prepare for my interview in certain areas, but not enough in others. I heavily researched the organization I was applying to and all it entailed, but I hadn’t figured out some of the logistical details such as sufficiently setting up a Skype account. Next time, I will make sure to learn from my mistakes, and spend more time making sure my technology is sound, rather than spending those extra ten minutes fixing my mascara.

When it feels like you missed out

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Claire

It can be devastating to find out that you missed out on an opportunity. It could be that you found out about the most amazing internship or job opportunity one day after the deadline passed. It could be that you found out one day before the deadline and despite your best effort to churn out a cover letter, it just doesn’t happen. Or it could even be that you were having quite the week and a deadline just totally slipped your mind. I have certainly had all these kinds of experiences and while they happen for one reason or another, they are still unfortunate either way.

I nearly missed the most amazing opportunity to apply to an internship recently. A few weeks ago, I was connected to a recruiter from an amazing media company. This company had the perfect internship for me, all I had to do was reach out to this recruiter to get next steps about the position and to learn more about a company I would love to work at. But for one reason or another, things got busy and the tasked disappeared from my to-do list. It was fortunate that I was able to catch my error with a timely reminder about the opportunity but it was certainly a close one.

Even the best of us sometimes slip up when it comes to the application process, whether for a job or internship. We have so many balls to juggle from deadlines, to supplements, to letters of recommendation. The best thing I have found to do when you feel like you have messed up or are cutting it close, is to relax. I remember feeling panicked when I discovered how close I was to the deadline. I felt terrible that this amazing opportunity to connect and apply had fell into my lap and I didn’t take immediate advantage of it. But these feelings of panic and regret were going to help me still do my best to take advantage of the situation. I made sure to do simple things like remember common courtesy. I profusely thanked my connection for reminding me of the opportunity. Without her this never would have happened in the first place so it was only professional to thank her. I remembered to slow down when looking at my application materials to make sure that I didn’t make any mistakes. Although I did get my materials in on time and made a fantastic connection, this defiantly applies to when you do actually miss a deadline. It cant hurt to send an email to see if there is still a possibility to apply for the position after the deadline, provided you are professional and courteous. Above all remember that one missed deadline is not going to be the end of the world. There are many opportunities out there, the important thing is not to get discouraged. My specific situation was a good reminder though. To not only stay on top of application materials and connections, but also to be gracious and professional, even if inside you feel like you made a mistake.

Summer Internships: Searching, Applying, and Waiting.

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Dani

Searching for a job or internship involves a lot of unknowns. It necessitates waiting for weeks or months for an answer, second-guessing oneself, and vacillating between one’s options. This Winter break, I entered uncharted territory and began searching for my first-ever internship.

When I hear the word “internship,” I either think of fiercely bright and motivated pre-med students working long hours in high-pressure situations for no pay, or I think of an unsure student who somehow ended up in a drab, dimly lit office, monotonously filing papers and answering annoying phone calls. I don’t know where I got these preconceived notions, but I do know that I was hoping for was something a bit different. Was I expecting to land the internship of my dreams that would leave me with a new sense of wonder and awe towards the world? Definitely not. But was I hoping for something that would give me a clearer sense of what sort of career I might want to go into, while also remaining moderately interesting and informative? Absolutely.

When a few google searches didn’t look super promising, I turned to some more specific websites that focus on job and internship searches such as Idealist.org, internships.com, and handshake. Even though you can tailor the results to certain geographic areas or career types, I still found it difficult to find internships that appealed to me and that I was also somewhat qualified for.

I spent hours perusing the web, copying and pasting names of organizations into an online document, so I could have a compiled list of possible positions to apply to. Once I had a list of about 10 internships that ranged from topics I was vaguely interested in, to ones that I was very passionate about, I decided to pick one, and begin an application.

Somehow the internship that I ended up finding the most intriguing was also the one with the most extensive application process. Normally this would have discouraged me, but since it was break and I had a ton of free time, I decided to give it a shot. The application consisted of a resume, two references, a 5-6 page write-up, and a lengthy set of questions relating to personal demographics.

While there are so many other types of internships I could have applied for, I decided to seek out ones that were social-justice based. This past election and the current state of our nation has left me feeling defeated, sad, and angry all at once. Thus, I felt like the most meaningful way to spend my summer would be to work for some sort of organization that does uplifting and important work that challenges the morals and precedents set by our current government. Even though I have only applied for one internship, I feel good knowing that I sought out an internship that felt right to me. I’m lucky that I’m not pre-med, pre-vet, or anything of the sorts, so I was afforded a lot of leniency in my search.

While I am definitely nervous that all my plans will fail, and I won’t secure my top choice internship, let alone any internship, I keep trying to remind myself that I am only a Sophomore, and I have the rest of my life to worry about settling into a career path. Even if the internship I end up acquiring turns out to be completely unrelated to whatever field I end up going into, I will still inevitably gain skills that will help me in the professional world. Plus, nothing is really set in stone: I can make a decision about what I want to do this summer, and then I can always make another decision. I can have a plan A, and I can have a plan B, C, D, and E if necessary. And after three months of interning, I can have the comfort of knowing that I will return to sunny Scripps, with a new sense of direction and purpose, ready to begin working on those applications for summer 2018.

Debunking Internship Myths

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Emily G.

Internships are full of surprises and can be shrouded in mystery. We think we know what we are getting ourselves into, but often times, internships end up being completely different than we expected. Keep reading to unpack some common internship misconceptions and hopefully learn something along the way!

Internships are “one size fits all.”

The entertainment industry has portrayed internships in movies, tv shows, novels, and basically every other publicly consumed medium. Growing up, I always thought that an internship was a highly coveted position that involved picking up coffee and dry cleaning. I now know that this isn’t necessarily the case. Some internships may involve balancing three trays of Starbucks drinks while running around making copies, but there are internships that involve video editing, phone banking, and even assisting in surgery. All internships provide immense amounts of career insight and experience, but they are a lot less formulaic than we are commonly led to believe.

Asking questions will make you seem like “the stupid intern.”

There are a few damaging stereotypes that can surround the idea of the workplace intern: overworked, incompetent, annoying, and useless. These words couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to interns! Interns are some of the most engaged, thoughtful, and dedicated people in the business. The purpose of an internship is to LEARN. In order to do this, you have to ask questions and figure out the ins and outs of a workplace. There is a learning curve, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t qualified to be there. Asking questions doesn’t make you annoying, it makes you engaged and interested. Yes, you probably will be overworked, but hopefully in the best way possible. Don’t worry about the unfounded beliefs about your position, and go in each day willing to work your hardest and break down those unflattering stereotypes.

Being an unpaid intern means that you aren’t qualified for a paid position.

Unpaid internships are still exist in the working world today. Although more companies are paying interns, unpaid opportunities are still a very common way to gain career experience, and often can lead to a paid position at a place of work. Many times, it seems an intern does the same amount (if not more!) work than an official employee. Just because you are not being paid to be there doesn’t mean that you aren’t valued. You had the skills to get the internship, and you will develop the skills to be employed in that field, if you don’t already have them. As much as employers benefit from having you there, you also benefit from taking an unpaid internship. Your internship is a time for you to learn about a prospective career path and decide if it’s right for you. You are there to gain experience and refine your career goals, and who knows, you might even end your internship with an official job offer!

Interns are disposable, and if you mess up, you’re out.

While this may be true with some internships, the general truth is that the place that you are interning probably is in need of an intern and their primary role should be to teach you. Businesses use interns for a variety of purposes, and typically they are in need of an extra set of hands. They aren’t usually going to throw out that extra person just because some documents weren’t collated properly. It’s okay to make mistakes, and if you butcher something, it’s going to be fine, more often than not. Employers appreciate honesty and dedication, and they understand that sometimes mistakes happen. As long as you are up front about and understanding of what went wrong, it’s fairly likely that they will be too.

Finally, a fact about internships:

5. Interning is one of the best things you can do.

For better or for worse, internships provide incredible career experience. Even a “bad” internship can show you what you do and do not want from your future career and that is invaluable. Internships are full of learning opportunities, and you don’t only learn about jobs, you learn about yourself. Internships can be difficult and stressful, but you grow and evolve as an employee and person in the big working world. So next time you are offered an internship, go ahead and say yes! Your future self will be glad that you did.

What I Learned During my Corporate Summer Internship

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Kohsheen

On May 15, 2016, I packed my mini toothbrush, all my business clothes, and a bag of Philz Tesora coffee into a large suitcase and traveled to Duluth, Georgia for my summer internship at AGCO Corporation. What I knew was that my formal role was a Global Talent Management intern within the Global Business Services department, but I had no idea how it would feel to live alone in a foreign land (Georgia felt so far away) and I had a lot to learn about what my job actually entailed. I still felt a certain amount of excitement that usually accompanies taking a step in a new direction and braving the unknown. My background was all non-profit work, politics, and government campaigns and here I was getting ready to put on my corporate heels and get down to business (pun intended). Last summer, I traveled to a rural village in India where I lived in an orphanage and conducted research on female feticide and infanticide. In contrast, I was going to spend this summer at a large Fortune 500 industrial manufacturing company in Georgia, which felt like a complete 180. Through this experience, I learned a lot about myself and about what it means to work in a corporate job. Although I came to the conclusion that corporate work is not for me, I did learn many important life and transferable skills from this experience. Here is a list of things I learned during my summer internship:

What I learned:

How to make pivot tables on Microsoft Excel
Working on a global team means having to know time differences
Making weekly grocery store and restaurant budgets is a good idea
You do not make as much money as you would expect (taxes, gas, food and living expenses take up a lot of your income)
Making new friends is hard (especially when the other interns have friends and family in the area)
Ask people to do things for you! (Ex. give you a recommendation on LinkedIn, talk about their career path, tell you about cool restaurants in the area)
People are friendly and like to invite you to their house if you tell them you do not know anyone in the area
Go to intern and company sponsored events! They can actually be really fun (I ended up going white water rafting in Tennessee one day and loved it)
Try talking to people as high up in the company as you can (I had lunch with multiple Senior Vice Presidents to make connections and learn about the company)
To keep my receipts and predict future spending based on what I spent during the first month
People can make their internships look super cool on social media, but may not love them so much in reality
Going to meet ups or volunteer events is a really great way to make new friends with similar interests
You may not love your internship, but you will always learn something from the experience if you keep an open mind

I would love to hear all your comments about your summer experiences and what you felt like you learned during your work/internships!

Beyond the Elms

Exploring Careers with Scripps Students

Tag Archives: Summer Internship