In The Steps of a First Gen: The Perfect Internship

How to know if the internship is right for you?

3 things come to mind when I think of an internship and if it’s the right place for you. Pre, During, and Post-internship.

Pre-Internship:

The application can be somewhat of a hassle or it may not be, but we all know when we have that interview set up for the next day we start getting those chills around our body and all those butterflies up to the point you start it. This is what makes it worthwhile, you experience a sense of gratitude, anxiousness, and preparedness that becomes the anchor to the image you will portray to your potential work peer. These emotions should always be felt if the internship is something that you crave to attain. You have put countless hours, days, and maybe even weeks, in preparation for this, through the recommendation letters, maintaining a good GPA, etc; this is where you see that culmination of work unfold, where you are about to open your phone to check on your email about the decision or you receive the phone call of acceptance or denial. This is one indication that this internship is for you.

During the Internship:

Let’s assume 2 different possibilities, one of you got the interview, and the second, if you didn’t get it. If you got the interview, congratulations, but the work is barely starting, it is up to you to wake up on that first day and prepare yourself on how you want to present yourself and how you will let your work do the talking. For me, during my time at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, I showed up with a suit and tie, sometimes khakis, and any combination of the two, shoutout to Steve Harvey for the mix and match ideas, but this didn’t stop me from showing my unique personality and eagerness to learn from mistakes and mentors. If the internship truly is for you, you will grow exponentially by the experience, the people, and the environment, sometimes one thing more than the others, but as long you finish your day with the mindset of success, even if you got constructive feedback on all of your work, you are still growing. The specifics will change given the internship, but as long as the core values for you and the company are to gain success, experience, and growth, it is enough.?

If you didn’t get the internship, don’t worry, it’s an opportunity that closed its door on you, but there were 10 more that opened. The goal for you now is two-fold, the first is to reach out and learn how you could’ve been a better candidate for them, and what you did right during the interview. Second, receive feedback and use it to find a job, a school organization, etc; that uses the skills that you need to build upon. After this, you might find something else that you might not have if you had gotten the internship, so yes, be optimistic about your rejection, but also know you still have time to grow from this and make yourself better than ever.?

Post-Internship:

I’m running low on words, so I’ll finish with this, even if the internship is perfect for you, it doesn’t mean you are perfect for it. This works on both ends, regarding the work you do and receiving constructive feedback, or by being rejected by it, but understanding you will find better opportunities down the road. If you pay close attention, there are recurring themes you should take with you, such as success, experience, growth, preparation, and anxiety. All of these are cumulative, as long as you can achieve these things in any set place, or not, you have found the perfect plan for you.