Finding Internship Opportunities
How can I find a good internship?
I would say first start with your own network. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody, and if they don't, then somebody, that somebody at the end, it's like in "Spaceballs," where he's like, "before I kill you, you are my brother's sister's former roommate," like somehow there's a connection. And so...everybody knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone. So start there. If that doesn't pan out, and you really don't know anyone, go online. The Internet is a great tool to just go to a company, see where you want to go, and call them up, and just say, "Hey, I'm wondering if you have any internships." Call their HR department, just find their number and start there. Do a little research, do a little work. "Hey," you know, you get the operator, "Hey," just be confident also, that's really important. So call up the operator, be confident, and pick up the phone and say, "Hey you know what? HR department," you know what you're doing. They'll transfer you, and you'll be like "Hey, I'm looking for a summer internship." "Well, let me transfer you over here." "Hey, I'm looking for a summer internship." "Oh, I don't do that, Jill does that down the hall." Transfer to Jill. "Hey, I'm looking for a summer internship." And just dig, and keep on going. And all of a sudden, you're with this intern coordinator. There are places to apply online, just keep on looking, keep on going out there, and be aggressive.
How can I stand out when applying for an internship?
The best thing that you can do is to get a Rabi. Get somebody who will help you pull your application to the top because especially when it comes to summer internships a lot of people are applying. And so you have to stand out in some way, and by standing out that does not mean like putting your resume in perfume or having it bright pink. That means having someone who can bring it to the person and say hey this is a super star, you got to hire this kid. That's great, you got to have someone or you don't have to have someone but it helps to have someone who can flag you.
What is a 'rabbi' and how can I get one?
A rabbi is someone who can really cheer lead you through the process and hold your hand through the process. A Rabbi is someone who has been there and done that and who's further along in the company ,and who really has respect in the company who can take you under their wing and help you get an internship. You can work for your rabbi. It's a great way to go to someone who is willing to help you, who sees your talent, and says you're the person I want to help bring to the top. So the easiest way to get a rabbi is if your dad and mom know someone; you call them up, and don't have your dad be like "hey can you help out my son?" You call them up and say "hey, I'm really interested in doing what you're doing, can we sit down for one of these informational meetings? Can we talk about what do you do, and then say by the way, I really want to do what you're doing. I want to do this for my summer internship, and do you think you'd be able to help me. I think that half of it is, that a rabbi finds you, and the other half is you find this rabbi. However, showing interest, and showing t that you are really passionate about this is what you want to do and proving to them that to this rabbi, that if they take you under your wing, you're not going to screw up. You're not going to make them look bad, and I think that's what's really important, is a rabbi needs to know when someone says, "Eric, you've done a great internship. I want to work there," The first thing that I'm going to assess in whether or not I'm going to make that connection, is whether or not you are a qualified candidate, because I don't want to recommend or help you if you're going to screw up but i absolutely want to help you if you're going to be a rock star.
What should I say when I get an HR person on the phone?
When you're on that phone, rehearse this. Rehearse it with your parents. Rehearse it with your friends. Rehearse it in front of a mirror. Don't be like, "Ummm, yeah. My name is Eric. I go to like some school and I really want a summer internship, yo." That's not the best way. Be like, "Hey, my name is Eric. I'm really interested in a summer internship. I was wondering who I can send my resume and cover letter to."
Are there any tricks or tips that can help me with my internship search?
Say you want to be a doctor, right? There are a lot, a lot of hospitals. There are local hospitals. There are clinics. There are big hospitals. There are specialty hospitals. There are doctor's offices. Cast your net wide. Call up these people. Make a list. Have a chart. Have an Excel spreadsheet: company, who you spoke to, their phone number, their e-mail. So when you get on the phone with that intern coordinator, ask her for her direct line, her direct e-mail. That's the money - when you have their direct info. And so, keep this all in a chart. Keep it at your fingertips. And then, at that other column, just have notes. Spoke to her about this. She mentioned that her daughter was about to enter kindergarten. So, next time when you call up, "Hey! How was your daughter's first day at kindergarten?" And it's like, "Whoa! You remembered that?" I mean, that's huge! There was this guy who I once met who, in his Palm Pilot, after he'd met someone, would write down every single detail about them. So two years down the road when they'd bump into each other in Istanbul, he's like, "Oh, how's your son Jack? What is he, twelve now?" And they're like, "How'd you remember that? We met for three seconds." But he kept all these notes. That is such a good tip.
What if a company doesn't have a formal intern program?
An internship is a pretty loose idea in many respects. It can be very, very structured and it can have workshops, and it can have this and it can have that and it can have a point person who is in charge of you. And then on the other side of the spectrum, you call company A, and usually this is a little more local, this is like a small little office or something along those lines. So you call the company and say,"Hey, I'd love to intern for you". "Well, we don't really have an intern program". "Ok, well I'm working for free. Do you think you could put me in touch with someone who might be interested?" Hey, you never know where it is going to go, and that's the point, you can't, you just have to call - you have to make that phone call, you have to make that leap of faith, and you know what, sometimes get on the phone with someone, you're like, "ok, that went nowhere" but don't let that discourage you. Because yeah, you know what, there are going to be times when things will go nowhere. And actually, there might be a hundred phone calls that you made that just are all dead ends. But then, there's that one phone call that is so money, and you're like perfect, and so companies might not have an internship program. Companies might have never had an intern before and you're going to pave the way. And get on that phone, and say, "I'm really good. I'm really responsible. I really, really want to work for your company because X, Y and Z." So before you get on that phone, before you start looking into companies, before you start applying to companies, look into them, know what they're about. So when you get on the phone with someone and say "I really want to work with you because..." Right, and that's, and then they're like, "Oh, you know, he's really smart. He really learned a lot about what we do. I now know why" and someone might help you. Someone might not, and if a company doesn't take interns, then you're out of luck. Before I was in college, I really wanted to intern at a place, they didn't accept people who were in college. Had to find something else, had to be creative, had to look in a different light then, a different angle to see what else I could do in that industry, but not necessarily at that company or at that level.