We have all been there, #theinternlife is an interesting one. From professors to parents and everyone in between it seems like the universe is telling you to get an internship. The sole purpose of an internship is to advance our careers and build our resumes. Hmm sounds easy, but in reality, it is not always so glamorous. There is a fine line between love and hate that comes with any internship. The process of obtaining an internship is hard enough but then actually learning all about the nine to five grind is a totally different story.
Being an intern is different for every company but having completed three and now working on my fourth internship, I feel qualified enough to write about what it means to be an intern.
Before the job:
The interview is of course stressful, this is your first somewhat adult interview. You practice all of the typical questions like, "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" "tell me a little bit about yourself." All of the typical stuff, but still you feel unprepared. The absolute worst is if the interviewer asks about your experience. In your head, you think "seriously, I have no experience that is why I am here," but instead you give some on the spot answer hoping to win them over. After the interview comes the stress of waiting to hear back from them. You send the polite email thanking them for meeting with you and what not. Then you wait around thinking about if your handshake was good enough, maybe your outfit was not professional enough, and every crazy thought in between. Either you land the perfect internship (mazel tov if so) or it is back to square one of applying and interviewing again.
During your job:
You got the position, you are now a bonified baby adult. Going shopping for this brand new position is so exciting, you can now wear all of those cute pencil skirts and blazers you see in magazines. Unfortunately, with a "big girl outfit" comes a "big girl price tag." How am I supposed to dress like a full-time PAID employee if I do not get paid like one? This whole concept still baffles me. Somehow you pull it off (via maxing out your credit card) and you are ready for your first day.
The first day is a bit awkward but you are confident that you are going to make the best out of this experience. You get a cubical which is honestly such an upgrade from your dorm room desk and your very own company email which makes us all feel important. The days start off slow, people are testing you. They want to know what you are capable of, which is amazing to be able to show off what you've learned in school and finally put it to use, but the pressure is on.
By the second week you feel like you actually work there. Oh, there's Terry the receptionist who you are best friends with and Mark in the cubical next to you, whose life story you already know. People will eventually get used to how you can work and soon the paperwork will pile up. The amount of times I have heard "this may seem mundane but it is really important," is insane. Yes, I get it, excel sheets and filing all need to be done but sometimes it will get boring. Remember that at the end of the internship you will want a letter of recommendation. So do the mundane tasks with a smile on your face!
Before you know it the semester is coming to an end and it is time to say goodbye to your little office family. Now what? Are you supposed to go be an adult and start interviewing for real jobs? That's way too scary to think about. The end of internship feels like an emotional breakup. You just spent three to six months of your time invested into this company. You were in on all the meetings and you felt at home there. Now, it is over and it feels like you just got dumped even though you saw it coming when you accepted the position.
After the job:
It is now time to use all of those networking skills and start applying to real jobs. If you are lucky the same company you interned for will hire you. If not you can thank your lucky stars for that grueling internship because it will SERIOUSLY make the difference in getting the job and now. During your adult interview, you can actually talk about strengths and weaknesses that apply to your field. You will have on hand experiences to discuss and you will already have references. BONUS: You will already have the wardrobe for the job.
Good luck to everyone on the quest for the perfect internship or job. Happy hunting!
