Once upon a time, a uOttawa Communications major tried scoring the perfect internship for her first CO-OP work term. With barely one page of work experience and the youthful spirit of a second-year student under her belt, she entered the placement period convinced that finding a summer job would be easy-peasy. She quickly realized just how wrong she was, but with a bit of preparation (and – let’s be honest – pure luck) she managed to snag an internship aimed at fourth-year students. Her employer took a chance on her; she learned more than she could have ever imagined, and all was well.
Surprise: that student was me! But what you don’t see in this fun little anecdote is that, before getting my placement, my first CO-OP season was a complete mess. Even with the hours of pre-placement workshops the school made me do, I was totally blindsided. Balancing interviews with classes felt impossible, and actually doing the interviews was even worse. I struggled to connect with employers and felt fake gassing up the little work history I had. Fortunately, speaking with older students (and my good friend Google) helped me get back on track. I was too busy worrying about how my resume looked and didn’t focus enough on selling the one thing that I knew employers would want to see: my personality, my eagerness to learn, and the ideas I brought to the table.
Three CO-OP terms later, I’ve finally figured out the 5 steps to taming the stressful beast that is placement season!
Keep an open mind: We all have a dream job we’ve been coveting our whole lives, and while you might be that rare student that gets it right off the bat, chances are you probably aren’t, and this is just a stepping stone to get you there! Take your internships as a learning opportunity; apply all over, because you never know what might interest you and where your degree can take you!
Be prepared for anything: When you go into the placement period, be sure you’re ready for whatever an employer might throw at you. Cover letter? Have one drafted and customize it for each job. Portfolio? Done and ready for review! Are you bilingual? Practice common interview questions in French to make sure you’re comfortable. Nothing screams “professionalism!” like an organized intern!
Take notes: I like to keep a notebook with me at every interview, and once it’s over, I’ll track how it went. Ask yourself, “How did I do? How did I feel about the employer? About the role? Looking at it now, how would I rank this job?” and document everything in detail. This will help when you’re making a final choice, as well as next year if you choose to apply to those employers again.
Use your resources wisely: Network! Make LinkedIn connections! Reach out to people who have the job you want. Interns or otherwise, they definitely have tons of information to share about the team’s culture, dynamic, and workload. Find out how you can stand out as a candidate, or what makes an intern successful in that role.
Be yourself: If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, it’s that “fake it ‘til you make it” isn’t always the best policy. Employers appreciate honesty, and it’s so much easier to connect with an interviewer when you’re letting your personality shine through. Plus, by showing your character and ditching the typical interview script, you’ll stand out in the massive pool of candidates that employers talk to every day.
I hope these tips can help you in scoring the perfect internship! Good luck!