Top 5 Advice

I absolutely love the movie High Fidelity, starring John Cusack, not only for its satire of music snobs but also for its top 5 lists. I'm a sucker for rating things: movies, music, snack foods, catch phrases. I also have way too many mental countdowns: 9 days until the Olympics!; 5 weeks until school!; 3 hours until Project Runway! Today I'm giving you a taste of both rating and counting down. Since I only have three more days left in the office, it's time for some Top 5s.

I've been thinking about the top gems of advice I've learned this summer about internships and work. While each piece of information I've gathered this summer sparkles, I've outlined the top five - they come from my experience, from interviews with other interns, and from other people in the office. Here they are:

5. Be persistent. This applies to all areas of internships - finding one, having one, leaving one. When you're in the middle of an internship search, it's easy to get discouraged. But try not to. Use a lot of different resources to keep the search fresh: your career center, eRecruiting through Experience (ask your career center about it!), even internet booleans. Once you've secured your internship, being persistent (but not annoying) towards your superiors shows that you're motivated and eager to learn. Once your internship ends, being persistent and staying in contact can lead to a formal job offer down the road.

4. Establish contacts. Even if you don't think you want to pursue the field you interned in, chances are that people in your company know other people in other companies, or have worked in other companies, or have a passion for the field you want to go into...the possibilities are endless. For example, when we went to interview intern Erin Welch at Nokia Mobile Advertising last week, I discovered that they have an office in Paris...where I want to live in the future. So chat it up during your lunch break - you'll be surprised what you can glean.

3. Internships aren't just resume builders. Besides the obvious boost of "having experience in the field" that internships give you, which you can then play up on your resume, the real heart of an internship lies in what you learn. You're doing your internship to TRY OUT something you think you could love, and maybe over the course of the internship you become infatuated with the work or you come to dread it. Either way, internships are like the walkway leading up to a house - looking forward, you assess the house and see if the architecture is your style. By the time you get inside, you'll have a better idea if it's a place you could see yourself living.

2. Employers WANT to hire you! This is eRecruiting's stand (the software powered by Experience.com that your career center uses to connect you with targeted jobs and employers), and I am happy to relay this information. Entry-level jobs do not have to be dreaded, because employers want to add us young folk, with all the new skills, to their mix! Also, jobs right out of college, thanks to these employers who seek us out, are the first steps to a great career.

1. You CAN love your job! Experience's slogan is "Extraordinary Careers Start Here," and I fully believe that with a little preparation we can find jobs we love. We just have to have faith in our employers, try out internships, be persistent, and most of all, believe in the validity of our dreams.

In High Fidelity, Rob (Cusack) writes down his Top 5 jobs, if money and time period don't matter. I suggest doing the same, just to get your ambition juices going. If you know what you'd love to do, it's easier to make it a reality. Idealism and optimism are my faithful sidekicks, so I hope they've become yours too, after reading our blog and watching our videos. Pessimism gets you nowhere, so don't be afraid to DREAM, like Rob. You can make your dream happen.