Hi I’ve never had any work experience or intern experience. I’ve applied many times and people just don’t want to hire me. I think I come across as timid or aloof or unapproachable… resting b**** face and what not. But if I try to act friendly, I come across as bubbly and dumb so I really don’t know how to balance it to be honest…
Anyways
I want to land a great internship for Summer of 2017 and maybe one for next summer as well. Should I get some work experience to stand out more? What type of experience should I try to get before applying to the Summer internships? These are science lab internships… I think they might be a bit competitive, so I want to do all that I can to make sure I can get those internships.
I know you don’t always need experience, but I think it’d be nice to make me stand out more during the selection process. Well, honestly, It’s not a matter of standing out… I think it’s a given that most people will have experience, so I feel that I may be at a disadvantage if I don’t have at least some experience under my belt.
What can I do?
Have you tried asking a professor if you can volunteer in their lab? You could start off doing grunt work, if you need to, and work your way up to more involved things. Volunteering (or working, if you can swing a paid position–as a lab tech or something) in a lab on campus or near campus will also have the bonus of allowing you to be involved throughout the school year so that you can get more out of it. You can also look into doing research for credit through your school. Lab experience is really key here, especially if you are applying to competitive summer internships, but other things that are important are having the course background they are looking for (depends on the position you are applying for, but try to have relevant coursework and lab courses completed) and/or doing other things that show you understand the subject matter well, like TAing or tutoring in your subject. It can be hard to get that first lab position, but if you are willing to volunteer or do some basic grunt work or even work during undesirable hours (like nights/early mornings and weekends), it may be easier to find something.
If you can’t get lab experience, then I would recommend you do something work-related, if you have the time, like having some type of job (especially if you’ve never worked before). It will help you get a little extra money (which you could save and could give you more flexibility to take a lower-paying position or even an unpaid position later). It will also give you something to put on your resume and will give you experiences to draw from if you’re asked experience-based questions during your interview, as well as examples to give for a number of soft skills (like working with others, communication skills, the ability to multi-task, reliability, etc). It’ll also help you get work references if you need them later.
Also, if you really think that your interview skills are harming you, then practice interviewing. Ask a friend or roommate or family member to pretend to interview you and give you feedback. Let them know specifically what your concerns are. Check in with the career services center at your school to see if they do mock interviews or if they have workshops to improve interviewing skills. Practice potential interview questions ahead of time, and try to practice in front of a mirror so you can see how you look while you’re speaking.
@baktrax Ah I forgot to mention that I go to a community college. No labs here… and I don’t think professors here do research while they’re here… unfortunately… Do you think nearby universities would be welcoming to CC who want to volunteer at their labs? I would imagine that they’d rather let their own university students work/volunteer for them but I suppose you never know… what’s the etiquette for that?
I’ll try the mirror trick and check our career center to see if they can give me some help! Thanks for posting!
It never hurts to ask if you live near a university to volunteer with them or if you live near any sort of research lab. I know my lab in undergrad used to take in high school volunteers, so I wouldn’t think a volunteer from a community college would be that unreasonable. It’s probably very lab and person specific, but the worst they could say is no. Definitely ask. Just look into some of the research that the lab does, explain who you are, and ask they would be willing to let you volunteer in the lab. Do you live near any nearby labs that are hiring basic lab techs?
What year are you? Being a lowerclassman in and of itself might be what’s holding you back because you haven’t had the chance to do a lot of upper level coursework or labs yet. See if you can find things that are geared towards lowerclassmen. You might have to just wait though. Many students don’t do internships until their third or fourth years so it’s generally harder to find something as a first or second year, no matter where you are. In the meantime, I would recommend getting any sort of work experience you can, especially if you don’t have anything. Have you tried asking any of your professors or anyone at the career center if they have any advice? Surely, there will be other students who have had this problem. They may recommend you just keep applying broadly and widely, but it never hurts to ask. They may know of places nearby that students have had success with in the past.