A few weeks back, I got a call asking if I could share my recent internship experience during the next faculty internship briefing. I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I was delighted for this opportunity to share my thoughts. On the other hand, my imposter syndrome began to rear its ugly head. My fear of public speaking didn’t make things any better.
Should I just go for it? Heck, let’s just do it.
Having accepted the invitation, the next problem was — what do I share? I could ramble on about everything but I shouldn’t subject my audience to an incoherent, extraneous verbal diarrhea. I narrowed it down to three main points that I felt would be relevant to these bright-eyed internship finders.
Not Doing Well Academically
When I first started looking for an internship, I was worried that I would be rejected due to my grades. I was under the impression that employers only wanted the best and I was definitely not on track for first class honors. This fear was amplified when certain internship postings required me to submit my school transcript (with all the letter grades and my CAP, oh no) along with my resume.
I was wrong.
Out of all the interviews I went for, only one actually asked me for my overall grades. And, it wasn’t even my university CAP they asked for. That particular interviewer asked about my GCE A Level results. I was truly astonished, really.
The other interviewers couldn’t care less about my academic grades. They were more interested in what I could bring to the table in terms of work ethnic, attitude, skill set and whether I would be a good fit for them.
Zero Relevant Experience/Skills
It was my first foray into the tech industry. How am I supposed to have prior relevant experience? It was the work experience equivalent of the ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem.
What if I didn’t meet every criteria that was listed on the job posting? Oh man, will I ever be good enough?
To be honest, some job listings seem to be looking for a one-man IT department instead of a particular role. This mythical do-it-all software engineer-cum-devOps juggernaut they are looking for is made of pixie dust.
Error 404: they don’t exist.
I went ahead and applied anyway, even for positions that were looking for ‘Experienced Front-End/Back-End Developers’ or ‘Experience in XXX langauge/framework/library’.
What’s the worst that can happen? — The recruiter moving on after scanning my resume for 5–10 seconds. They probably wouldn’t bother sending an email of rejection. Their life goes on as usual, and so does mine albeit with one less opportunity.
On the bright side, if they happened to be okay with taking in an inexperienced intern, an interview opportunity opens up. Score!
Inadequacy
In retrospect, the toughest obstacle to finding a first-time internship wasn’t my grades or lack of experience. It was myself. My fear of rejection. My fear of not being good enough. My fear of the unknown. I felt that I was inadequate.
My inadequacy was the single, greatest factor standing between me and potential internships. It put doubt in places where it didn’t belong.
It was safe to say that I was probably not the only one that experienced such vulnerabilities. Most first-time internship hunters would have experienced something similar as well.
These invisible shackles hold us back from achieving our true potential. Have some faith in yourself. Don’t let your fears conquer you and stop you from applying for internships that feel ‘impossible’ to get into.
Remember, what’s the worst that can happen?
During the talk, I addressed these three main points while sharing my personal experiences, highlighting each point and their key takeaway.
Towards the end, I brought up one notable issue — what if they don’t reply? Well, that doesn’t mean that you are done. On the contrary, you should keep trying.
Focus on the things that are within your control — cast your net wide, have faith, be patient and check your email. Everything else after that is in the hands of the recruiter, not yours.
It was a terrifying experience speaking in front of a packed seminar room, to say the least. Nevertheless, it was both an enjoyable and memorable moment being able to share my experiences with my fellow faculty undergraduates.
Disclaimer: These views are purely from my personal experience and observations. Individual experience may vary. If you are looking for a guide on how to get an internship at FAANG/other large corporations, sorry pal, you’re in the wrong place. This is merely my two cents worth.
Read more stories from Jeremy and others on Medium
Consider becoming a Medium subscriber. Your membership fees directly support me and many other writers on this platform. You get full access to all the stories on Medium and can cancel any time.
