Hello and Namaste to all!
This post is unlike any of the posts I have written on my blog in the past. It is not about makeup or fashion, or travel... It still is a personal experience of mine which has inspired me to write. Today I share a facet of my experience of summer internships. As you can probably tell by the title I am one of the many unsuccessful applicants, unfortunately. This is not a rant... Neither am I trying to preach anything. I am just sharing my own personal experience and hoping that there are many others who can relate with me.
Now like many applicants, I started my applications pretty early last year, around September. I applied to around 10-15 internships. For any of those who may be curious, I applied for internships in the finance sector. As I eventually found out, this sector is very, very competitive! I did apply for internships throughout the whole academic year however, I ended up being unsuccessful.
I have realised by now where I possibly went wrong with my applications and there are certain things that I would definitely do differently if I were to apply again.
When I started applying for internships last year, I had little clue as to what they required of me and how competitive they could actually get. I definitely took too much time filling out the application forms and too little time practicing online tests and honing my interview skills. Online tests tend to be the first hurdle which can be tough to overcome if you do not practice enough. These tests are used to filter desirable candidates from the so-so ones.
It is also important to submit applications as soon as possible as many employers choose applicants for interviews on a first come first serve basis. I on the other hand, submitted some applications a day before their deadline. Do NOT make this mistake fellow applicants!
Now, no matter how much I review what I did and what I did not, what I should have done and should not, the fact of the matter is that I was unsuccessful. For many unsuccessful applicants like myself, this is the worst possible outcome. Not having the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while at the same time be paid generously is not a good start to one's career. I am not trying to rub salt or bruise your fallen pride anymore. I will not try to make this sound like as if it is the end of the world because, honestly, it isn't!
When you fall down, learn to get back up! This is life after all and things won't always go as you plan. I know that having an internship would have made life maybe a little easier but what if not getting an internship is a blessing in disguise? There are many other ways, besides an intership, to gain work experience and foster one's career. It is up to you how and where you choose to devote your time. Many people would actually be envious of the time that you now have in your hands this summer.
Many of us would be worried that not having a summer internship might prove to be a fatal blow to our prospect of being accepted into a graduate job/scheme after graduation. We do not have the same possibility of returning to university the following year with a graduate job offer that some interns do. Fret not my friends! Although summer internships are important, they are not everything! In fact, many graduates that I met during my internship interviews, had not even applied for any internships when they were at university. However, this does not mean that they sat twiddling their thumbs all summer. Many of them volunteered and some went abroad to different countries to holiday.
I also had a great opportunity to chat to employees from a well known graduate employer recently. Since I am also concerned about not getting a job after I graduate, I asked them how applicants who do not have a summer internship can stand out from the rest of the crowd. You will be glad to know that I received some very reassuring answers. I was advised to capitalise on any experiences that I have which can come from any walk of life. There is also no need to hide the fact that you were an unsuccessful applicant however, it is equally important to put a positive spin to it and share what you learnt from the experience and what you did instead. I guess this shows flexibility and adaptability to the employer and the fact that you have the ability to turn bad luck into something better and also learn from that experience.
Life is a roller coaster ride and it has its ups and downs. But rest assured because going down only means that you are closer to being launched forward. Just because things are not working your way doesn't mean that they always won't. Never give up and always make a sincere effort because hard work is always rewarded no matter how late.
I hope this blog post has been a reassuring one for all those fellow unsuccessful applicants out there. My intention with this post is only to share my experience and offer a different perspective to what some people might see as failure. There is no such thing as failure as long as you don't give up.
So let us all keep trying and hope that success will come our way!
Ambika.
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