Q. I am starting my first internship in person in two weeks. My other internships were all virtual. I’ve never been in an office before — what do I need to know?
A. Congrats on your first in-person internship! There are several things to keep top of mind:
Build relationships. Although you may have already done this in previous internships through a screen, nothing can replace being in person and making eye contact well, eye to eye (instead of eye to screen to eye).
Arrive on time (better yet, show up a little early), roll up your sleeves, demonstrate a can do attitude. Ask questions, observe, listen, pay attention.
Be proactive — ask your boss to lunch or coffee. Connect with colleagues, both with fellow interns and with other people in your department and other departments you interact with.
Keep in mind even if you don’t love what you do that’s OK — part of the internship experience involves figuring out what types of jobs and companies (and their cultures) you enjoy and which ones you don’t to get more clarity for full-time employment post-graduation.
Most of all, enjoy the process!
Q. You probably get asked this a lot, but I’m looking for a job, applying like crazy and not hearing anything. Crickets. Is my resume going into a black hole? It’s so frustrating. I need a job…now.
A. I’m sorry to hear you’re frustrated. As a former corporate recruiter for many years, I can honestly say your resume is not going into a black hole. Your resume is not only being uploaded into the employer’s applicant tracking system for that specific job, it’s being uploaded to their database overall so its talent acquisition team can source. Essentially, they can find you for jobs you didn’t even apply for.
My next question is, what more are you doing to land a job? Yes, it’s important to apply for a job as soon as you see it posted online but to keep your job search in motion (even when it feels like it’s stalled), you can update your resume. Practice mock interviewing. Conduct informational interviews/networking conversations with former colleagues, bosses and most importantly — people in their network you may not know yet.
Make small tweaks to your resume for each job you pursue (this should only take a few minutes; don’t rush it, but it’s not as labor-intensive as it may sound). You may want to include keywords that aren’t already there. For instance, if you’re pursuing a job in recruiting, but the job description indicates “talent acquisition,” then start referring to it in their lingo on your resume so it is more easily scanned and noticed (and again, if that company builds a pipeline future jobs that haven’t been posted yet, they’re likely going to type words their company uses like talent acquisition over recruiting.
Also, identify the gaps. If the jobs you’re pursuing require a certain skill set or certification, for instance, and you don’t have it, that could be a reason why you’re not getting called for interviews. Start upskilling yourself to fill in those gaps.
Above all, keep going!
Vicki Salemi is a career expert, former corporate recruiter, author, consultant, speaker, and career coach./Tribune News Service