Believe you are the right one for the internship

A couple of weeks ago I watched the Super Bowl and now I’m enjoying the 2010 Winter Olympics. I love watching sporting events in general, but in particular, I love it when athletes or teams, who are not favored, come from behind and win. I think part of the reason they overcome unfavorable odds is because they have such a strong belief that they are going to win. They don’t see themselves as the underdog or less powerful contender. The athletes in these sports win because they think like winners. Take for example the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl. It was surprising to all of us when the favored Indianapolis Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints. Whether it was surprising to the Saints or the people of New Orleans, who knows? But chances are, they went in to the game sure they would come out on top.

Before the Super Bowl, the sporting world favored the Colts. Considering what life has been like in New Orleans the past few years—the team and city continuing to face incredible challenges since Hurricane Katrina, it would have been easy to adopt a “give up” attitude. The Saints, instead, clearly brought out great resolve to come back better than ever. 

As you prepare for interviews to secure a summer internship, go in believing you are the best candidate for the role. Put any and all fears, doubts, and concerns out of your mind. Become perfectly clear within yourself that you should get this offer. Half the battle is looking past your obstacles and embracing an amazing opportunity.  

Interviewing for internships can be tough because you are frequently put in a position to convince someone you are well-suited to a profession and/or industry you are not that familiar with, hence the purpose of the internship. This can be tricky for even the most confident of people. My hope is that you’ll give yourself permission to be confident that you will be the winner. You deserve no less.

Internships: helping you to define your career

The other night I watched More than a Game, a documentary about LeBron James and his legendary St. Vincent-St. Mary high school team. The documentary depicts the team’s growth in knowledge, experience and teamwork, both on and off the court. And as I watched the movie, it occurred to me that LeBron’s high school basketball experience was really the internship for his professional career.

This is what an internship is meant to achieve–growth in knowledge, experience and collaboration.

Watching the documentary, it was clear from early on that a professional basketball player, without a doubt, was what LeBron was destined to become. Unfortunately, unlike LeBron, many of us don’t have that singular talent, passion and calling at such a young age. I’m a college career counselor working with students as they start thinking about the imminent job search, and the most frequent refrain I hear is: “I don’t know what I want to be. How do I choose?” This is actually a great question, though, and one that all of you should ask yourself.

Many students sit back and take a hit or miss approach to defining their career. This can be a costly process as you jump from one area of possible interest to another (switching majors and jobs along the way!). A better approach is to define areas of possible long-term career interest and pursue internships and job opportunities that match your preferences–likely spelling success for your career pursuits.

A great way to start the process is to take the Internship Predictor on internships.com. The results should provide you with a starting point for exploring your options. And don’t forget–enjoy the journey. It’s a luxury to have the time and opportunity to make good decisions about your chosen career.

When you have a moment, let me know how your search is progressing!

Internship opportunities — a chance to explore

How many of you watched the Super Bowl last weekend? I’m guessing more than a few of you tuned in, if only to see the commercials!

It was definitely an exciting game, showcasing two of the best teams in the NFL. At the party I attended, however, the football didn’t draw the biggest reaction. Rather, it came during the Casual Friday commercial.

The commercial starts with this regular guy, dressed in a golf shirt and khakis—looking pretty good for a casual Friday at work. Then the camera pans out, and the audience gets an eyeful of skin (or in some cases, hair in unfortunate places) and very, very bad underwear. Clearly, golf shirt guy, was the only employee who had a clue about how to dress on casual Friday. My fellow party goers groaned each time the poor guy with the golf shirt and khakis came in “contact” with his scantily clad co-workers.

This commercial underscores the need to be selective in your career choice. As a student you have a fabulous opportunity to research and experiment with the best possible career fit by trying different internships, with the obvious goal that the job you ultimately land will involve wearing more than just bad underwear each Friday. Don’t let these internship opportunities pass you by or you could end up like golf shirt guy–in a company, job and environment you hate.

Before you pursue an internship, determine the companies, industries or functions that hold the most interest for you. If you are unsure of where to start, check out the internships.com Internship Predictor, and further determine preferences that will help to guide your internship search for the perfect fit.

During your college years it’s possible to have multiple internship opportunities to try out a variety of companies and settings to find the right place for you. Take advantage and save yourself the painful experience of golf shirt guy and his hairy, mostly naked co-workers.