The Big Summer Internship
- Jielin Eeo
- Apr 12, 2022
- 5 min read
If you're a junior right now or if you've graduated already, you know that (allegedly) the junior to senior year summer internship is the BIG summer internship. We're all scrambling to network, to apply to as many jobs as we can in hopes of landing a decent paying, cool position that can be the gateway to a post-grad full-time career.
I have a lot of very smart, very qualified friends and acquaintances in my life, and it seems like every time I log onto LinkedIn I see a new feed update that goes something like this:
I am so ecstatic to announce that I have accepted an internship at [crazy amazing company] for Summer 2022! I am so excited to hone in on my [whatever their desired skillset is] with an amazing company. Thank you to [recruiting manager + mentors] -- I could not have done it without you.
While I am genuinely impressed and happy for my peers, I feel like every time I see these posts it is another blow to my self-esteem and self-worth, which is incredibly stupid. I scroll down my feed and take mental notes of all these amazing companies that my peers are working at: Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Deloitte, KPMG, Google, NBC, etc. I have a love-hate relationship with LinkedIn -- as a business student, I inevitably cannot afford to stay off of it. At the same time, every time that I go on it, I throw myself a pity party and bathe in a pool of self-loathing, asking myself why I didn't major in this particular subject or do this particular club or career opportunity when I was an underclassman. Highly unproductive and highly damaging to my personal confidence and motivation, I know, I know.
During a time I was supposed to be having fun and taking advantage of my study abroad, something that I have thought about quite literally every day was job applications. For the longest time, it seemed like I was going to be jobless during the summer, which I was terrified about. I made a whole spreadsheet, tracking the status of each of my applications. At the time I'm writing this, I've applied to 56 internships over the course of 4 months -- 50% of them haven't responded to me.
When I did finally land my first position, I turned down the internship with a company filled with amazing people and a very respectable program, because I had a strong sense that it just wouldn't be right and align with my future career goals. I felt like I had let down a lot of people when doing this, and again, felt that same sense of stupidity for turning down a role for a very hazy dream of what I wanted to do in the future.
My anxieties around job hunting have been reduced because, after 4 months of relentless applications, cover letters, Hirevues, and screeners, I now have the privilege of picking between two positions that would both build my professional skillset and allow me to work on projects that I genuinely enjoy. That has brought a whole other level of stress, but at least it's a good problem to have. In the midst of this, though, I have come across two things that have been helpful for me when navigating internship searches, interviews, and networking. I wish that I had focused more on these from the beginning of my job search process, but at least I know now.
Don't be boring.
Before you say anything, I KNOW, this is such a watered-down and cliche piece of advice. My business fraternity honestly has taught me that you come across a lot of candidates for certain positions or programs that just regurgitate their resume and skill set in hopes of impressing their interviewers. I've found that sharing things that are honestly important to me in the workplace (DE&I, AAPI advocacy, communication, representation) has really benefitted my ability to speak confidently and passionately in interviews. I talk about this, I talk about my passion for music and how I'm in acappella, and I also try to make my questions back to the interviewers engaging as well. Like, if I were an interviewer, I think the last thing I would want to hear at the end of talking to a candidate would be: "What skills are necessary to succeed in this job?" -- at that point, they've probably decided whether or not you would be a good fit, especially if it's a last-round interview.
People are willing to help.
I guess I should've known better given the fact that I had to do this when I was pledging, but networking and talking to your connections is so important. I went into this job search process a bit blindly, thinking the onus was on me to cold-apply and that I would somehow be less worthy if I just relied on others to get my foot in the door. For example, I'm working at a company in London that has an NYC branch with a summer internship opening. I waited a few weeks before asking my direct supervisor some questions about the NYC internship, and she immediately was like, "Jielin! Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll message the NYC lead right now and tell them to flag your application!" I don't know why, but I was genuinely afraid of coming off too strong and seeming like I was just exploiting my supervisor to get another job. I definitely think that there's still a balance and you need to be careful with this, but it never hurts to ask!
Along with professional connections, I also have found it incredibly helpful to connect with my support system about my anxieties when it comes to job hunting. I think that again, as a very anxious person, I tend to spiral and lose sight of the bigger picture and the opportunities that I have been afforded. Everything is relative, and talking to my sister, my boyfriend, and other friends gives me perspective and different opinions that have been incredibly helpful.
Ultimately, job hunting sucks for everyone. But looking back now after the bulk of my applications and interviews are over, I definitely could've made it suck less. And at the end of the day, I know that I am a hard worker. I try my best in school projects and work, and that is something that I am proud of and a good skill to have. Confidence is key, and regardless of whether I'm having an anxious day or not, it's something I always try my best to remember.
To everyone who has a job lined up, congratulations, and I hope your internship is amazing! And for everyone who hasn't or is going to interview in the future, I hope you can relate to this entire post and realize that it's okay to not have it all figured out.
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