There are a lot of misconceptions out there when it comes to internships.
When you hear things like, “You need experience in order to get an internship.”, you’re
most likely hearing that from someone who has never had an internship before.
Because, the opposite's actually true.
Internships exist for you to gain experience.
And I'm going to bust through this common no-experience, no- internship myth and break
down how you can make your first internship happen in today’s video.
Hey there!
I'm Jenna Rein, from theinternhustle.com, and this is Initiative Muscle Monday.
Helping you to start each week with an intentional step toward a successful future.
Let's do this!
So I definitely remember feeling like I had no idea where to start when it came to finding
my first internship.
And on top of that, I thought that no one would even take me on as an intern, and take
me seriously, because I had zero experience.
Spoiler alert - I now know that just about everyone feels this way when they are first
starting out.
However, once I understood how important it is to get some internship experience while
I was in college, I got serious about looking for opportunities.
And what I learned, is that it’s all about finding the right first opportunity.
So what do I mean by the right first opportunity?
Everyone starts somewhere.
Think about this -- Many of the best actors started off doing small-time commercial gigs
and side hustling as a waiter.
They didn’t just jump to Academy Award Best-Picture films.
Now, maybe your dream is to intern for someplace like Google.
That’s excellent, and you should absolutely go after that dream!
But you’re going to need to work your way up to Google.
Given how competitive Google’s internship program is known to be, your first goal should
be to start early and gain as much internship experience as you can elsewhere.
Build up your skills and build up your resume, and then apply for an internship with Google.
Now, you need to start by setting some realistic expectations with yourself, and then identifying
your best fit first opportunities from there.
Ok - So where should you even start when trying to find your first internship opportunity?
Where do you get that first round of experience?
Look, the whole internship search is easier said than done, I know.
But since you likely won’t check every box on your internship dream list this first time
around, I recommend that you at least identify your priorities.
Come up with a list of your priorities and then rank them.
So think about things like company size, the location, paid vs. unpaid internship, the
structure (or maybe the lack there of structure) that an internship program may have, does
the company have perks that they offer to their interns?, do you have exposure to a
specific industry or just general professional experience?
Put it all down, and rank your priorities.
What is most important to you for your first round of experience, knowing that you're not
going to check all of those boxes right up front?
Once you create this priority list, start searching for opportunities that are in line
with your priorities.
Time to bust through the myth that you need experience to get an internship!
At the end of the day, employers just want interns who show a genuine interest in their
company and are self-starters.
If you can present yourself with an eagerness to be a contributing member to their team
and you show up with the work ethic to match, you will find an internship.
There are so many opportunities out there, you just have to be intentional with your
search and not get too ahead of yourself with your first steps.
Continue to build key relationships along the way, and more doors will open for you
over time.
You got this!
Just focus on getting your foot in that first door, do a solid job, and then continue to
stack your experience with the opportunities that follow.
If this video gave you some new insights today, please give it a like and share it with a
friend or two.
And subscribe to this channel and join me over the next few weeks as I bust through
some more myths and share the truth about internships.
In support of your hustle...I will see you next Monday!