If you’ve been in the job or internship market, you are probably keenly aware of how competitive it is.
In another life, I would be writing tips and tricks on securing your summer internship this year. Unfortunately, after applying to upwards of 60 internships over the past three months, I remain offerless.
It is so frustrating. Mediocracy no longer cuts it. Even hovering above mediocracy no longer cuts it.
If I get another email saying, “We’ve chosen a candidate with more experience,” I am going to nanny this summer. I’m done.Â
Seriously- what does a girl have to do to get an internship around here?
I feel like I have a pretty well-rounded resume for a college sophomore. I’ve had four previous internships. I’m involved in clubs, a division 1 athlete, and tech-savvy.Â
My resume has been spell checked to no tomorrow and littered with buzzwords for each position to appease AI. I made an online portfolio, and I email to follow up after submitting and interviewing. I’ve followed all of the so-called rules.
I’ll admit it- I’m not a great interviewer. I hate Zooms and phone calls. I cannot convince myself that I’m talking to a real person, especially when recruiters and hiring managers are so bland.
Can we talk about that too? The majority of interviews I’ve had, no matter how much energy I give, I get nothing from the person I’m talking to.
After noticing this pattern, I tried LinkedIn stalking and bringing up commonalities with them, as the TikTok corporate girlies have instructed me to do. I get an awkward pause and maybe at best a forced “Oh really?” in return.
We’re all just tired of it!
While part of this is me complaining about my misfortune, I do want to point out the bureaucracy and backwards nature of the process.
I understand that companies recruiting interns want them to be experienced and competent, but the biggest part of having an internship (to me at least) is to learn.
It feels as if this has become futile, and internships are merely a means of climbing up the totem pole, and rightfully so.
But how are we supposed to get the experience we need if the most basic, menial, and unpaid positions are gatekept for the cream of the crop?
Almost everyone I know who is looking for an internship has the same issues, and these are all competent, hard-working people. Any company would be lucky to have them, but they are not given the time of day.
This is totally the right of hiring managers, and I do think they are making the right decisions, but it’s hard to ignore the paradox here.
Nevertheless, I have not lost hope, and you shouldn’t either if you’re in the same boat!
Let’s keep grinding and applying and researching and schmoozing and checking my phone 10 times an hour, in hopes of getting a coveted offer email.