My Internship Part 2

I had always imagined an internship was for a college/school leaver searching for experience. Sceptics would have you believe companies are taking advantage of eager jobseekers, prepared to use their skills and then discard them as soon as they are done with them.

What did I want from an Internship? First of all I wanted the opportunity to prove that I had something valuable to offer a company. Secondly, I wanted to fill the glaring gap on my CV in relation to my experience. Surely it is a no brainer, six months on the dole looking for a job or six months working day to day building up new experience? Thirdly, I wanted that feeling of not knowing anyone, of first day nerves and being completely lost in a company where everything is alien, I wanted the opportunity to learn.

Lastly, and most importantly, I wanted to find a way to put my time to good use, to shake off the feeling of whiling away hours, to drop the sense of frustration and replace it with accomplishment. And, as I keep hearing, it is easier to get a job when you are already in a job!

It has only been a number of weeks but from what I have seen so far I like it. I don’t know anyone, I was nervous on my first day and ironing my shirt every evening is tedious. However, everyday I am involved with a new project, all in areas that command my interest. I am not being used and abused, more accurately I feel like a valued member of a vibrant team pulling in the same direction. I’m told this is how internships are supposed to work.

So that was then, now, two months down the line things have changed, and changed for the better. Christmas came and went. The time in work was spent training on the systems used and gradually gaining practical experience with them. Time outside of work was spent getting to know new colleagues as the social side of Christmas made my introduction to Hays much easier.

Then on the 2^nd of January came news that I had not been expecting. “How would you feel, if when you came back from your break you would have a permanent job?” my boss asked, just before I was due to head off for an early January break. My initial reaction was, “with Hays?!” I presumed my boss had worked his contacts and found me a place in another company. No; one of my colleagues on Hays’ marketing team had been offered a job that she was not going to turn down. I was being offered her position.

How could I refuse? The prospect of a permanent position while continuing to follow the learning curve I was already on was not something I needed to be asked twice about. I have been dropped in at the deep end as my responsibilities have increased but by #jobfairy am I enjoying the challenge?!

Job fairy tales are few and far between these days and I definitely do not want to make it sound like every internship ends this way, they don’t. But there is one thing I would like to leave you with.

In August 2012, I was confident in my abilities, and was sure I would be back working in no time, having followed the usual process, application – interview – job offer. Come November, I was not that person. I was frustrated, disillusioned and down. The Hays internship has shown me that with the right attitude, hard work and a big old slice of luck, things can turn around as quickly as they fell apart.

Ok, so as twists go, it wasn't quite Dan Brown but if the dream job is eluding you, why not consider the dream internship.

Would you consider doing an internship? Complete our quick survey on Hays.ie.

My Internship Part 1

You hear it said that there is nothing worse than not having the time to do the things you want to do. They want more time; time with family, time with friends, time to be alone, time to get more things done. However, I can confirm that there is nothing worse than having so much time but not enough things to fill that time.

I was unemployed and looking for a job, time was the last thing I wanted. With every day that flew by; the hours and minutes began to gather pace and shoot out from my grasp, truth be told I didn't have much use for them as they went by. How many times can you tailor your CV or Cover Letter? Apply for another job? Or contact another recruitment agent? There comes a point when your avenues become exhausted and then all you are left with is minutes and hours to fill.

My job search began with jobs that I really wanted, jobs that were appealing to me. Everyday, Google would be hit with term after term, “Marketing Jobs”, “Advertising Agencies”, “Sports Marketing in Ireland” the list was endless as I scoured jobs.ie, irishjobs.ie and perfectjobsforyou.ie, the last one doesn’t exist but I presumed it did.

Three weeks later, almost every application drew no response. Those that did, trained me on how to scan an email for that most disheartening of terms, “unfortunately”. Interviews were few and far between and I was left disappointed by the ones that did materialise. Time after time I got the sinking feeling that the experience I had built up over the previous two years, working in marketing, was so specific to that particular industry that companies could not see it as transferring to their industry. For the love of the #jobfairy please give me a chance, just throw me in for two weeks and I will prove I can do a good job.

Apparently, that is not how it works. As the weeks turned into months my search for a job became more desperate. Hope was becoming my biggest enemy. I would apply for a job and then sit back and let hope take hold. I would imagine myself in new employment, meeting my new colleagues and settling into a job that would be both rewarding and challenging at the same time. My job search was beginning to shift; jobs that had previously not caught my attention were now receiving an application. I wanted a stepping stone to something better, no matter how disinterested I was in the job.

Christmas was now looming ever larger on the horizon, the thought of doing the twelve pubs, Christmas jumper night or any random night out during the festive period was eating away at me. At no time in the year is everyone in as good a collective mood as at Christmas. How would I survive the countless conversations with friends home from abroad, all about how I still had not managed to convince an employer that I was a right fit for their company?

Then, like the star over the manger I saw a light on the horizon. Hays Recruitment were offering an internship opportunity. To be honest I did not see the word ‘internship’ all I saw was ‘opportunity’. 6 months being trained on all aspects of marketing by the best in the business. The advertisement was full of life, opportunity and sparked something in me. Before I knew it I was sitting opposite the Marketing Manager trying to convince him that I would be a great apprentice and hoping against hope that my previous experience would not prevent me from being considered.

That is where we will leave it for this week, please do come back for part 2. I guarantee a twist in the tale worthy of a Dan Brown novel. Ok not quite, but there is a twist!