The pressure to find an internship is on for all college kids, and it honestly could be more stressful than the college application process. Everyone is competing for the same top-notch companies, and not having any experience can make you think you are screwed, but I am here to tell you that you aren’t.
Everybody has to start somewhere. Every single professional has been in your exact shoes at some point in their life, so they understand you have to start somewhere! I landed an internship with a very well-known PR agency with no experience, and this is how.
To be blunt, I didn’t leave them alone.
I continuously followed up and kept in touch with them every month. I kept expressing my deep interest in the company to show them how badly I wanted this position. I know everybody tells you to stay in touch, but seriously, it helps so much – more than you realize.
After endless interviewing, I got an offer from a start-up company. However, this company didn’t feel right for me, and I didn’t think this was where I wanted to end up. I figured why not email my preferred company one last time and give it one last shot. I reached out, checked in, and asked if they had any last spots in their program.
The following day, I woke up to an email saying they had a last-minute opening in their program and asked me for a phone call.
“You were so persistent and expressed so much continuous interest in our company. With that being said, I would love to offer you a position in our internship program.”
And that was that. I got the job I wanted. If I didn’t push myself to reach out one last time, they probably would have never reached out to me. But, because I did, they remembered me, and I got the offer.
I know it seems so annoying to bother these companies continuously, but it is so worth it. Some employees might find you annoying, but it shows interest, and it ultimately makes you stand out amongst the other candidates.
Every PR professional I have talked to has given me this same advice: keep your name out there, keep following up, stay in touch, don’t let them forget who you are.
By continuously reaching out and following up, the recruiters will absolutely remember your name. They will remember how much interest you showed in their company, and it will show how much drive you have, which will ultimately translate into the work you would do for them.
I have to say that if I wasn’t this persistent, there is no way I would have gotten this internship because I had no previous internship experience.
Everybody else in my program had some type of experience. Then there was me, the eager rising junior with no experience but determination like no other. If you are nervous about having no experience, I am here to tell you that you can absolutely land an amazing internship with no experience.
Just don’t give up and get discouraged if you don’t hear back. Keep putting your name out there and I promise, it will work out! Finding an internship is very stressful, but you can do it.
Everything happens for a reason.