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Topic: Should I do another internship?
| Author | Message |
| Unemployed-gal | Posted – 1/22/2008 10:20:03 AM | show profile Here's the deal: I'm 25 years old, and still looking for my first job in publishing. I have two internships under my belt, both of which were completed after college. However, in every job interview I go to, I'm always told that as much as people like me, the company always goes with someone with more experience. So my question is, should I get another internship, if only to keep my resume current? |
| foodlit | Posted – 1/22/2008 10:37:07 AM | show profile At this point, I would say no. You're 25. You have two internships. I think doing another would reflect poorly. It would raise the question of why? And you don't want to answer that with 'I couldn't get a job." Do something somewhat related, even if it's just working at Borders or Barnes and Noble. That is at least publishing oriented and will give you flexibility to keep interviewing. |
| Unemployed-gal | Posted – 1/22/2008 11:48:37 AM | show profile Thanks, Pam. I'm starting to get a little bit desperate, and trying not to let it show, so having some outside perspective helps. I guess I am a little bit too old for internships. It's just that I keep asking myself the question, "why can't I get a job in publishing?" I know that my personaility isn't stellar (I suffer from depression and social anxiety), so I keep trying to find other ways to make myself stand out. |
| ZeldaMedia | Posted – 1/22/2008 4:38:27 PM | show profile Internship #3 Hi Unemployed Gal. I wouldn't rule out doing another internship because today's intern could be tomorrow's employee. When I was making a career transition from advertising sales into public relations, I did an internship that turned into a one year paid position. I was doing publicity for a trade book publisher. Also, from the many informational interviews I conducted in this sector, several have said that they are more likely to hire their interns, whose work they know. To the question of: Why can't you get a job and why do you keep interning you could answer: I want to continue being involved in publishing while I look for a full-time job. That way I can develope more contacts in field and keep current in the lastest industry trends. I think this highlights my dedication towards building a career in publishing and a high level of stamina. or something along those lines. .. I wish you much luck. Oh and by the way, I did my last intership when I was considerably older than you and it helped build my portfolio and confidence. |
| shanirfriedman | Posted – 1/23/2008 3:23:35 AM | show profile | email poster You're not too old to do another internship, but how limited is your scope in your job search? Are you only looking at book publishing or have you been searching in all areas of the industry? Have you checked out some of the paid internships on Ed2010 that can fasttrack you to a more permanent position at the same place? Are you willing to work part time or do some freelance proofreading or copy editing? Temping can also get your foot in the door to a full time gig. Are there any classes you could take to enhance your resume? It sounds to me like you have enough experience after two internships (and you probably did internships or something in college that employers would consider valuable). But you're competing with a lot of people who want to get into publising. Good luck! |
| Unemployed-gal | Posted – 1/23/2008 10:43:52 AM | show profile I've been looking primarily in books. I've been temping on and off (to make time for my internships) for the past two years, and even though I've gotten a few networking interviews through some of my assignments, nothing has really led to any job opportunities. I've also been taking some classes on freelancing and I've even seen a career counselor, who helped me revamp my resume. I'm limited also by the fact that I went to a teeny tiny women's college in the middle of nowhere in the south that really didn't give me the chance to intern or get any experience in the field I want to go into (if you can believe it, I spent my college career worrying about who my first year was for Ring Week and which secret society I was being taken out for, and what gift to get for so-and-so, who was getting married--long story). Nobody ever really impressed upon me the importance of choosing a career because all I was told through college was how fantastic I was and how by just going to a women's college and having a degree in English would help me find a job afterwards. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it? So, because books are essentially all that I really know, and all that I really care about, and a career in publishing is something I've been dreaming about since I was in elementary school, I ran away to New York and did a course in publishing at NYU the summer after I graduated, thinking that would give me a leg up in publishing. I've gone on perhaps about 30 job interviews, but nothing has led to an offer, and I'm starting to get desperate--a word I hate to use, but its true. I feel like I'm not getting anywhere using the strategy I'm now using. I know that I'm up against people with better educations than I have and more experience, plus those people don't suffer from the same limitations that I do. I just wish that someone--anyone--would take a chance on me. I knew, moving to New York two years ago, that this would be tough, but I didn't know just how tough it would be. I know I need something--anything--that would make me stand out, and I'm lost and confused right now and unsure about what to do at this point. I obviously can't be a receptionist forever because (and I hate to toot my own horn) I'm too good for that. I've worked super-hard to earn a full-time job in publishing (preferrably at a literary agency, as I'm fascinated by the prospect of overseeing the career of an author from start to finished product. Plus, my two internships were at literary agencies), but I don't know where to go from where I am. I know I sound like a total whiner, which I am, but it was good to get that stuff off my chest. To everyone who answered, thank you for your advice, and I definitely will check out ed2010. |
