Applying for internships always intimidated me. I would hear my classmates talk about their internships at places like the New York Times or Harper’s Bazaar or Cosmo or Esquire and automatically assume I would never be able to get an internship because I didn’t have enough clips or enough A’s or enough… whatever it was.
If you’re in the same boat I was, you’re wrong.
Worrying about internships seems to have taken up a large chunk of my undergraduate career. I have spent more time worrying about them than applying for them; I thought I wouldn’t be able to manage doing schoolwork and having a job and then having an unpaid job. I was probably right: interning is a HUGE responsibility that you shouldn’t take on until you’re absolutely ready. For me, interning didn’t come until senior year.
As most things do, my internship came to me when I wasn’t even looking for one. My friend Nick was an intern at Atlantic Records and I offhandedly mentioned once at a party that I wish I could intern there. This summer I got an e-mail saying a spot opened up and I should apply—even though it was in the marketing department. I’d always been interested in marketing and interested in music business, so I applied and was asked to come in for an interview.
The interview process was nerve-wracking, but my supervisor and I had a great rapport. We liked a lot of the same music and talking to him was like talking to a friend, which is what I think got me the job. If you’re nervous about an interview, remember that workplaces love camaraderie among teammates, so lighten up a little and show your interviewer how cool you are (while still making it a point to show them how great you’d be for the job).
I’ve been interning at Atlantic for about two months now and was just invited back to intern next semester. Yes, interning is a lot of hard work and if you’re not ready to put your heart and soul into it, don’t do it. If you don’t have time to work for as long as you might be needed, don’t do it.
Remember, you’ll only get as much out of an internship as you put into it.
