As January comes to a close, it is time to start thinking about our summer plans. What will you do? Where will you work? Where will you be? These are just a few questions I have to answer in the upcoming months. February and March are the key months for recruiters for internship opportunities. It’s crunch time ladies, time to revise the resume and prep the cover letters.
I have been on the hunt for thee most perfect internship since, about September last year. I am constantly searching internship inquires; whether it’s through the Purdue Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) or online search engines such as internshipmatch.com or indeed.com. As a requirement for my degree, Hospitality and Tourism Management, I have to complete a 400 hour PAID internship, (for those of us who are not math majors, that’s 40 hours a week for 10 long weeks). Paid, a word that comes few and far between in the internship world. Just a heads up, the coolest, most creative, completely desirable opportunities are always the freebies (unpaid). When talking with my friends whom are also on the creative business track, retail management/public relations girls, they are astonished with the fact that I have to complete a 400 hour internship. Most degrees require a maximum of 120 hours, and do not require a stipend. So, facing such requirements has daunted my search, mainly because my dream internship would be in New York City at a marketing firm or with entertainment events, but I guess we can’t always get what we want – at least not right when we want it. However, this hasn’t stopped me from applying to internships out east at places including corporate Ralph Lauren, Conde Nast, and a few hoteliers.
Despite my countless research and findings online, I find myself here, the night before my first interview via Skype with a company that I found through the HTMlistserv at Purdue University. I never thought the university, of all places, would help me find such a great opportunity. Even though I am, what I think to be a pretty involved student, I did not think to use Purdue as my first resource. What a hidden gem I found it to be. We’re such little fish in this big pond. We have to narrow the pool by collaborating with “schools of fish” (puns, cheesiness, deal with it). If you can achieve direct contact with a business or organization through a teacher/faculty/member of Purdue, you are a shoe in. The hardest part of it all is getting recognized. Once that happens, the easy part is the interview. Well, at least that’s what I heard, it’s to be determined tomorrow after my interview.
In preparation for my interview I have been thinking NON-STOP about potential questions and answers, and scenarios, and what I will wear, and how I must correct my terrible posture. I am making lists of my personality traits, future goals, and how I believe this opportunity will take me a step closer to achieving those. These lists are helping me organize my thoughts (and keep me sane) so I can effectively protary myself to the interviewer. My mother told me, “just be authentic,” great piece of advice, mom. As long as I am my true self, and believe whole-heartedly what it is I am aiming, then I cannot fail. I look forward to the challenge tomorrow as I embark on my journey to my future goals, and summer plans. All of you who are in the same situation, I would like to say congratulations, because taking control of your future is such a great thing. Good luck on your search girls, and may the odds be ever in your favor!