It’s not easy to find an internship. There are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applicants all applying for the same position. Each candidate comes equipped with their own set of skills, attributes, and reasons why they would be the right fit for the position. It is nearly impossible to determine what an employer is looking for so the only thing you can do is apply, cross your fingers, and hope you hear back with an interview spot secured.
I have been on the internship hunt for months now. After a long and strenuous process, I was able to secure two awesome internships for the spring season, but both did not come easy and I am still looking for a summer role.
I started looking for spring and summer internships back in November. I thought I was getting a head start and would have a leg up compared to other college students looking for the same thing.
Turns out, there will always be competition and a long list of other applicants no matter when you start. I started applying to anything that sounded remotely interesting and was in a city I would be able to work in. For me, that is the Denver and New York City metropolitan areas.
As of now, I probably have applied to over 50 different internship programs, including the two spring positions that I was offered. Out of those that I have applied for, I have heard back from about a quarter of them. This is not a high number but unfortunately very typical while applying for these types of jobs alongside other job-hungry college students like myself.
I had interviews for all of the jobs that I did hear back from. Some of those went well and some did not. I definitely have gotten a lot of good interview practice these past months.
After these interviews, I got a lot of formal rejections in emails. At first, these rejections were incredibly frustrating and disheartening. They made me think that I was not smart enough or capable enough for the role. Though, I couldn’t tell what was worse: a rejection after an interviewer out of courtesy or no response to my application at all.
After many, many conversations with my family, friends, professors, and my mentor, I learned that I cannot take these rejections personally. I was reassured that it was not because I wasn’t capable enough or smart enough, someone else was just a better fit. One of the greatest pieces of advice that I was given was “it only takes one.”
And that statement is wholeheartedly true. All you can do is apply and show what you offer and hope that the company sees that. Even if in the same field, every internship is entirely different. The more you apply, the more likely you are to find a company that appreciates and sees potential in you. After all, as my dad likes to say, you can never have too much interview practice! But, In the end, you want to work for someone who wants you to work for them too.
The internship hunt is tough. Try to give it time and don’t stress. It will all work itself out.