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The 31 Stages of Getting Your First Co-Op

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter.
  1. Feeling an initial mixture of excitement, nervousness, and dread as you sign up for the co-op course

 

 

2. Strutting through the door on your first day that your course meets, determined and confident that you will get yourself a job

 

3. …And immediately feeling overwhelmed by all the prep work that you have to do

 

4. Scrambling to put a decent-looking resume together and racking your head for life accomplishments besides finishing a bag of Doritos in one sitting

 

5. Having no eloquent answer to the dreaded “Tell me about yourself.”

 

6. Trying not to sound desperate as you write a cover letter that basically translates into “PLEEEEEAAAASE hire me!!!!”

 

7. Scavenging through Boston searching for “adult” thank you note stationary

 

8. Mustering up the courage to go to a career fair, clutching an overpriced portfolio

 

9. Only to find yourself in a sea of black suits and confusing pamphlets

 

10. Finally receiving access to the NUcareers website and skipping the tutorial because you don’t have time for that

 

11. End up spending an extra 15 minutes trying to figure out how to use NUcareers

 

12. Finding positions you are interested in only to realize you are under-qualified for most of them

 

13. But applying for them anyway because you have to fulfill a certain amount of applications each week

 

14. Crossing your fingers and praying to God that SOME company will hire you

 

15. Checking your email every ten minutes in hopes that you’ve been offered an interview approximately two seconds after you submit your resume to the company

 

16. Realizing that everything takes time and reminding yourself to have some patience

 

17. Nervously panicking when you hear people have been offered interviews and you haven’t

 

18. Rethinking everything about your NUcareers application and your qualifications and basically your life

 

19. Until a miracle happens and FINALLY, a company asks you to come in for an interview

 

20. Spending ridiculous amounts of money on an interview outfit you definitely can’t afford

 

21. Practicing every interview question possible in order to prepare a “right” answer

 

22. But no matter how much you prepared the night before, the interviewer asks you a question you’re not ready for and you stop like a deer in the headlights

 

23. Make up something on the spot to try and save yourself

 

24. Somehow it works and you sigh in relief

 

25. Overanalyzing everything that happened in the interview after it’s over

 

26. Receiving your first rejection and going into a wave of depression

 

27. Picking yourself back up and continuing the interview process like it’s no big deal

 

28. Getting your FIRST OFFER and going into pure celebration mode

 

29. Feeling proud AF as more offers come rolling in

 

30. Finding the best offer that suits what you want in a co-op and accepting the offer

 

31. Relaxing because the process is FINALLY over and well… now you have a job!!!