Slowly scrolling down the page I hovered the mouse over one title in particular. Management Assistant Intern. Albeit a bit vague, I decided to click on the link. The same sorts of words jumped out at me. “Excellent communication skills”, “Self-motivated”, “Confident and professional manner”, “Ability to perform under pressure”. Wondering slightly worriedly about the amount of pressure an intern would be subjected too, I read on. Deciding that I would be able to demonstrate these qualities, so far so good; an interview I could handle. Even the seemingly endless requirements of the job, e.g. high-level computer research, comparing charts and spreadsheets and meeting important clients seemed doable. But then further down the page; “The chosen candidate will be able to commit to a minimum of 3 months on a 9-5 basis from Monday to Friday”. Really?
Dedicating myself for such a large period of time would mean that I wouldn’t be able to do any sort of paid work such as waitressing or bartending. On the other hand, the internship did say there was potential for an entry level position after university. Weighing up the two options, I decided to apply anyway. That was a month ago. They never got back to me anyway.
In my desperation, I applied for many internships in many fields from law to fashion. The pitfalls were of different natures, but were always there. “Evidence of one year’s experience in the field wanted”. Scratch that off the list. “In 300 words describe and analyse a news article you read recently that would be useful for your internship with us”. This one I attempted albeit in vain, as the response was a rejection letter several weeks later.
The sheer amount of rivalry and intense interviews for unpaid internships and summer placements astounded me, as I genuinely didn’t think competition would be so fierce. But then in trepidation scouring a “Graduate Jobs” brochure, I understood why. The phrase “Experience in the relevant field mandatory” was found on its pages with an alarming frequency. Ah. So to get there, it is necessary to begin at the beginning, with internships.
The ruthless cycle of “need experience to get a job, need a job to get experience”, is not only true of unpaid summer placements, but also with paid summer jobs. Knowing that I would have to subsidise my student loan during the summer months, I headed down the High Street with my CV to every café, coffee shop and restaurant that there was, assuming that at least one of them would be grateful of an extra pair of hands during their busiest time. Liking the look of the first one, a small independent café, I handed my CV in to the manager. She skimmed it before looking up and saying “Have you done any waitressing work before?”
Ah. I hadn’t expected this so quickly. “Well no, I began”, watching her face set. “But I am very motivated and willing to work. And everyone has to start somewhere, right?”, I continued with a bright smile. All to no avail. “I’ll let you know if anything comes up”, she said, folding my CV in her hand as she ushered me towards the door. It’s a no from her, then.
And it was a no from the other coffee shop and greasy spoon that I passed. In a panic as I came to the last café, a 15 minute walk away, I knew I was going to have to lie if I wanted a chance of getting a job. “So do you have any previous waitressing experience?”, a woman who could have either been the manager or a waitress herself, asked me. Having run out of CVs by this time, I knew I had to improvise. “Yes”, I said, confidently, but with my heart pounding. “Just carrying loaded trays to tables and clearing up afterwards”. This wasn’t entirely a lie, as I had done this at home, albeit with my family as the customers, as it was sometimes my (unpaid) duty to lay and clear the table. Luckily, it seemed to be enough. “Alright”, she said, with a friendly grin. “Start on Monday”. I still have this job a summer later.
Having underestimated not only the fierce competition with internships as well as summer jobs paying only minimum wage, the search for both came as a shock.
In the second year of a four year university degree, I’m in a bit of a limbo. Too old for the high school “work experience” but too young for the penultimate year “internship”, I feel stuck, but still want to spend my summer gaining some skills which could be beneficial to me later on.
