The Summer Search

If you’ve ever talked to someone about looking for a summer internship, you’ve definitely been given the spiel about how important they are to become successful later on in life. Experience builds expertise, and experts in any field of work will emphasize how important it is to utilize your summers off to continue developing and building the skills you have been taught in the classroom. In addition to using an internship as a resume builder, the benefits that come with this type of experience are unmatched.

That being said, it’s easier said than done to acquire any summer internship, let alone the one that you’ve been dreaming of ever since you were a little kid. The real world is competitive, especially if you’re on the younger side of the spectrum. It has become very difficult to gain experience without having previous experience, but everyone has to start somewhere. So how do you go about getting that dream job, or that dream internship that you’ve been craving for so long? Well, first thing’s first, patience. It may not come to you on the first try; you may not land your dream job the summer of your freshman year of college, but don’t let this discourage you. There are so many jobs out there that you may have never even heard of, but who knows, maybe one of those jobs is perfect for you. With this comes the next thing that is crucial in obtaining a summer internship: trial and error. Don’t be scared to apply to that random position at that company you’ve never heard of before. The more places you apply to the higher the chance you get accepted to one of them. And really, what’s the worst that’ll happen if you apply, you’ll get rejected? Well, I hate to say it, but get used to that because one of the biggest parts of the job-searching process is learning to accept rejection with open arms and realize that everything happens for a reason, and if it didn’t work out maybe it really is for the better.

In this new world filled with technology and social media there’s always going to be an opportunity for more. More work to do, more content to create, more publics to reach. And with any job comes the responsibility of making sure that your brand’s image is clean and well- maintained. Social media for many people is a way to incorporate a personal interest into any job, and this can be an initiative taken by any individual to change up your daily tasks and add social media to your responsibilities. It is also a crucial part to any organization, and according to Luttrell, “When correctly implemented and properly maintained, a social media plan becomes a tangible driver for new leads and provides a platform for customers to participate in important conversations related to the brands that they resonate most closely with.”

But what happens when you really do get stuck with that dreaded job? The one that you applied to just because, but you never actually thought you’d get it, or even worse, get stuck with it. Well, consider yourself lucky, because any learning opportunity can be made better if you just stick with it and make the best of it. And to read more about how to deal with that, go check out my last blog post, “How to Make Lemonade When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons.”