In a perfect world, getting a job or internship would be as easy as sending your cover letter and resume to an employer. The perfect job opportunities would just fall into your lap and hiring managers would be fighting over you. Well, if you’ve ever applied for a job, internship or even scholarship, you’re well aware this isn’t the case.
If you simply send in a cover letter and resume, you’re lucky if they get more than a passing glance...and that’s AFTER the endless search for opportunities. Rejection notices are rare and actually getting hired is even more so. I don’t pretend to be an expert on getting jobs, internships or scholarships – far from it, in fact – but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my quest is that you can’t do it on your own. It’s the lucky few that get their dream job or internship on a lark; the rest of us have to do some legwork, which includes networking and making some contacts.
My personal dream is to work for the Olympics in some capacity and I’m studying abroad in London next semester to be there in the lead-up to the Summer Games in 2012. So, I thought, why not try for an internship? The website of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) was utterly unhelpful, so my mom and I started spreading the word that I was on the hunt.
It turns out that one of my mom’s friends has a cousin who works in LOCOG’s technology department! We’ve emailed and spoken on the phone and he’s been nothing but helpful. I told him that, as a journalism major, I’d like to do something in that area and it just so happens that one of his friends heads the press team; he’s going to send over my resume, cover letter and clips.
Of course, this doesn’t guarantee anything and I still have to worry about my student visa application being accepted. But because I got the word out and asked for help, I got to pass Go and collect $200. Your mom may know a guy who knows a guy, too, so in your internship, job or scholarship search, don’t forget the crucial step of being vocal about what you want.
Darci Miller is a New Yorker studying journalism and sport administration at the University of Miami. When she’s not writing for the school newspaper, you can find her at the gym, either working or working out. She loves all ‘80s pop culture (the cheesier the better!), and glues herself to her TV when the Olympics are on. She dreams big, and believes the sky’s the limit!
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