It’s a bleak reality, but the fact of the matter is that not every young professional is going to nab the internship of their choice. While more than 97% of employers planned to hire interns or co-ops in 2014, there will always be competition. Even if you’re more than qualified, someone may still edge you out or have an additional skill the employer finds valuable.
Related: How I Got An Internship With A Millionaire
If you didn’t land the internship of your dreams, don’t freak out just yet. Looking at your situation as an opportunity can be the difference between finding your next job and not getting one at all. If you didn't land the internship, take these steps immediately:
Not landing your ideal internship may seem like the end of the world, but it may actually be a blessing in disguise. There’s a reason why you didn’t get the job - and the only way to understand what you’re missing is to follow up with the hiring manager. While this may seem intimidating, it can actually be an eye-opener.
Here are some basic steps to take: Thank the hiring manager for giving you the opportunity. Then, ask for some insight into why you didn’t land the internship. More often than not, it will have to do with your skills, educational experience, or accomplishments. At a minimum, you’ll start a dialogue with an influential member of the organization, which can work out in your favor.
2. Revamp your application materials
Once you know what you may be missing, it’s time to revamp your application materials. For example, if the hiring manager believed you didn’t have enough relevant experience, be sure to highlight your key accomplishments in your cover letter and resume. In addition, using qualitative measurements, such as percentages, can help hiring managers see your actual contribution to a previous organization.
Keep this in mind, as well: Hiring leaders may only spend six seconds reviewing a resume. In addition to great content, a well-designed resume and cover letter that house links to your social platforms or portfolio may coax them to stick around a little longer.
3. Apply to different departments
Let’s say the hiring manager was impressed by your work history, but decided to go with a different candidate. Why not apply to a different department within the organization? With a new resume and cover letter under your wing, you may have an increased shot at landing the internship. Plus, since you’ve already impressed the hiring manager, you could be first in line for another opening.
Applying to different departments doesn’t mean moving away from what you know. It means taking advantage of your valuable transferable skills. For instance, if your niche is advertising, applying for a marketing internship isn’t too far from your expertise. Plus, a marketing internship can provide you with experience and skills development that you may not have had otherwise.
4. Look into alternative employment opportunities
Believe it or not, there are alternative career opportunities to an internship. For instance, check out flexible work opportunities, including contracted positions or freelancing. While these alternatives may not match your definition of an internship, they can be just as beneficial to your professional development.
Think of it this way: An internship is meant to provide you with relevant work experience and build your resume in the process. If you have a mentor and are gaining real-work experiences, alternative employment opportunities can be as good as a formal internship.
If you didn’t land your dream internship, it’s not the end of the road. Take the time to reevaluate your options and move forward with a plan in mind.
What do you think? What are some other steps to take if you didn’t land your dream internship?
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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