It’s no secret that the job market is absolute insanity. Whether it’s part-time, full-time, or seasonal, there are only a handful of jobs available and way too many applicants. Especially as a college student trying to gain more experience in my desired field, exploring the job market can be very intimidating with a lot of unknowns, but as my Dad always says, “It’ll all work out in the end.”
As I began my Sophomore year of college this past August, I knew I needed to start looking for summer internships as soon as possible. As a hospitality major, I was hoping for something in a hotel, preferably on the food and beverage side of things. I live about 13 miles north of Boston and only five minutes from a train station, so I knew I had several areas of the city at my disposal. I put all the information into LinkedIn and was left with… two jobs. Ok, could be worse. I changed the location to my hometown and the surrounding area and was left with… nothing.
This was where I started to feel discouraged. After doing some research, I discovered that a lot of major hotel chains only hire interns in their corporate offices and their hotels in other countries, specifically Doha and Milan. The idea that I may have to leave home for an internship never even crossed my mind. I decided that a different country was a little too far for me, so I started expanding my search state by state.
By January, I had applied to 16 internships in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. I still hadn’t heard anything from any of these jobs, except for the three rejections I had received in October. I started playing with the idea that I might not get an internship, and I would have to go through this entire process again for next summer. And that was when I got an email from Jacklyn.
Jacklyn’s email stated that she was a college recruiter for the Hospitality Internship Program at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She had been very impressed with my resume and wanted to schedule a Zoom interview with me. I anxiously scheduled the meeting for the following week and looked into the program a little further. It had provided housing and transportation, which was exactly what I needed if I was going to be spending the summer 403 miles away from home.
When my interview rolled around, I was radiating with nerves. The more I read about the program, the more I wanted the job. Luckily for me, my interview with Jacklyn couldn’t have gone better. She said she had a specific position in the program that she thought would be perfect for me: a managing internship in the cafe at Hershey’s fancy hotel. I don’t think I could’ve come up with a more perfect position for myself even if I tried. From there, I scheduled a second round interview with Josh, the hiring manager for the position I was going for, a week after my first interview. My second interview had me feeling even more nervous, but also really excited. Just like the first one, it also went super well.Â
The next afternoon, I had just gotten back to my dorm after a very long and difficult class. I was telling my roommates about it when my phone started ringing, a Hershey, Pennsylvania number. I hadn’t even taken my jacket off when I quickly answered the call. It was Jacklyn calling to ask if I had any further questions about the program. I asked her if I didn’t get the cafe position, if I would still be considered for other positions in the program. Her voice perked up when she told me that it was a good question, but I wouldn’t need to worry about it because I got the job. I was immediately overwhelmed with a sense of joy and relief. Then Jacklyn said two things to me that I don’t think I will ever forget.
“You are the most qualified candidate I have ever interviewed.” and
“You just give me coffee shop and fancy hotel vibes.”
The greatest compliment I have ever received for my career and the greatest compliment I have ever received for me personally. Once our phone call ended, I burst into tears of joy. If you had asked me about my summer plans two weeks before this, I would have told you I would be at home, working my job from high school. But now, I would be moving into an apartment in a different state with people I had never met before, and would be taking advantage of this amazing opportunity. I made the calls to my family, who were just as ecstatic as I was.
Now that I’m one month out from packing up my stuff and moving away from my friends and family for three months, I’m feeling all the emotions. I know it’ll be hard to be far from home for the first time, but I can’t wait for all the new experiences and friendships that are coming my way. And who knows, maybe I’ll end up back there in the future.