Approaching Internships: On and Off LinkedIn

The article is a compilation of some of my older posts which are based on my personal experience. Please understand that there is no one golden rule. Not everything works always. But some of these points below, may help you, as they have helped me over the years.

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If you are applying for internships \ jobs or about to begin, highly recommend that you keep the following in mind;

?? Don't send the email late Friday. HR, recruiters, Admins etc would generally take off on weekends, and even if they do see your email, they might not reply to it, planning to reply later. Fast forward to Monday, their inboxes would be cluttered with emails coming in over the weekend and your application would be lost somewhere below. Hence always preferably apply late Sunday night or early Monday morning so that your email is one of the first things they see.

? FOLLOW UP: The reason I emphasize sending the first email at the beginning of the week is that it allows you to send a follow-up email on Thursday. The purpose of the same week's follow up is to ensure that your first email was not overlooked. In case your first email is immediately acknowledged, there is no need to follow up on the same week and preferably follow up on the next week. Understand that everyone would have to meet their other work deadlines and the internal process to move along with your application may take some time. Always be extremely polite in the follow-up.

?? SUBJECT LINE: Mention the applied for Position/Department/City (in case the Organization has multiple offices/departments)in the Subject line clearly itself. It makes the HR's job much easier and makes your application come off as professional.

?? DO YOUR HOMEWORK: I cannot overstate the importance of this. It does not help to send me an email saying you like the organization and want to intern with us. Go on the website, read up the work, and mention in the email specifically which department/project you want to work it. It makes everyone's lives easier.

?? DO NOT SEND MASS EMAILS: In continuation of the previous point, make sure the body of the email contains details which reflect the fact that you actually researched the place you are applying to and understand the organization you are applying to. Your email should explain how you fit in with their value and beliefs. It makes you stand out from the other applications.

?? Understand that organizations may be getting tons of internship requests. Getting through all those and responding takes time. Be kind and give people time to respond, and understand that they may not always be able to respond. These are some things that most schools or colleges for that matter won't teach you. Unless you are lucky enough to have; a) some amazing Professor who is kind enough to explain, b) seniors in college who would be willing to help, or c) Seniors at places you intern willing to teach you the ropes.

?? If you use LinkedIn for networking you will come across many individuals who regularly share their cold email and SoP drafts with everyone. You will also find many websites that will provide you drafts for the same. Understand that those drafts are meant to be as guidance to your skills - a starting point as such!

??Do not just copy the draft content and add your name and send it across. You are not the only person referring to the draft. 100 other people may have as well. And if 100 people send me internship emails which are carbon copies of each other except their names, you are going to get lost in the crowd. If you want the person reading the email to notice you, show that you have done your homework and put in the effort to write that email. You don't need to email 50 places to crack an opportunity. Just 5 places with concise, well-researched emails.

Reaching out on LinkedIn:

If you are reaching out to someone on LinkedIn, whether for a job or internship or to just connect, DO NOT do the following;

??Do not just send a "Hi/Hello" without any context - People are busy and may not always revert to a random hello without context. Even if they respond, they may have no idea why you are reaching out.

??Do not send your CV or profile without them requesting for the same. They may not even be the right person in the organization for the same. Do not send your CV and demand a response.

??Don't lose hope if people don't immediately respond. Understand that people are busy with their own lives and struggles. They may eventually get back or they may not.

Instead do;

? Send a small crisp opening message introducing yourself and why you are reaching out to them. End with thanking them for their time and a request for their help/guidance.

? Ask them if you can reach out them over email and share more of your work/CV/profile. Alternatively ask for the concerned person in the organization (HR/Admin) who you can reach out to instead.

??? Last but not the least important, whenever you learn something like this, take out the time to share and teach someone else.