At a university like DU, we’re all high-achieving students who are hungry for competitive careers. As such, we want to be impressive to employers. After all, we’re all here, in college, working hard for our degrees and hoping for opportunities to make a difference.
Internship application season is setting in, and I’ve been watching my friends and peers win internships with the Governor’s Office and the State Department, which are truly amazing opportunities. While I’m incredibly happy for them – I know they’ve worked hard, just as I have – it also makes me a little bit anxious.
Am I impressive enough to get opportunities like this? Will it harm my future and my career trajectory if I don’t?
I began scanning my resume, looking for places to bulk it up (even though it was perfectly up-to-date) wondering if there were other “spins” I could put on my accomplishments to make them sound more impressive.
Of course, as the anxiety mounted, I called my mom and told her about the situation. She understood and assuaged my fears, telling me that internships in a specific field were a marvelous opportunity, but weren’t necessarily vital for having a successful and competitive career.
With that in mind, I began to re-frame the way I looked at internships; not as a penultimate step in my career, but as a great chance to network and gain some office experience (which is usually required for upper-level internships). While specific and competitive internships are impressive and highly recommended, they aren’t necessary to a successful career.
Great, my fears about internships had been assuaged! But what about my resume? How could I sound more impressive?
This was where I gave myself a reality check; the more fudging I do on my resume, the more fake I will sound in interviews. And honestly, while accomplishments are impressive, interviewers are going to be more concerned with how you come across in person, not how long your resume is.
Obviously I am not an interviewer and have never hired someone, but I know that I would rather have someone genuine, kind, and hard-working in my company than I would someone who is only concerned about how they look on paper. I think coming across as honest and professional is the most important thing when interviewing or writing a cover letter. People can recognize authenticity when they see it and they will be naturally attracted to it.
Another helpful thing to keep in mind is that companies who are hiring interns know that we are likely to have limited to no experience in office work or in that field.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go for internships that are more competitive or exclusive – I always think it’s worth a shot to go for something that’s not necessarily a done deal. But hopefully, this article can ease some anxious minds about internships. Now go out, and apply confidently!
Thumbnail source: http://progressions.prssa.org/index.php/2014/03/18/five-lessons-ive-lear…