A few years back, after the News Journal qualified to get a Kentucky Press Association summer intern, I was going through a stack of about 20 resumes and one of them will forever standout and not for good reasons.
The college student listed only one reference, “mom.” There wasn’t even a name for the reference, just “mom” listed. I also remember that she had a vehicle, but did not possess a valid license, which was a little odd in and of itself.
Suffice it to say that we did not even call her to interview for the position.
We have had a few summer interns that have stood out over the years. Some stood out for good reasons and others for not so good reasons.
We had summer intern, who I won’t name, that came to work late pretty much every day. I am not talking about walking in a couple of minutes late. I mean at least 15 to 20 minutes late virtually every day. It became a running joke with one of my co-workers. We made a game out of it where we would make predictions each morning on whether this particular intern would be less than 15 minutes late to work that day or over 15 minutes late to work.
Another college intern, who once worked for us, Jennifer Kaylin Perkins, did a fantastic job. She did so well, that we reached out to her with job offers on two separate occasions after she graduated college.
She accepted our job offer the second time around and worked for us for a little over one year before leaving to take a job as a producer for WYMT. Although she had no experience working in television, less than one year later, she became the news director at the station. I was not surprised.
For college students working an internship this summer, let me offer a few words of advice that might serve you well.
In many ways, internships are extended job interviews. Your boss and your co-workers are paying attention whether you realize it or not. We notice if you show up to work on time. We notice if you are appropriately attired. We notice whether you have a good attitude. We notice the quality of your work. This includes grunt work and whether you sit there and whine about it or strive to do your best on it.
We know that you are going to make some mistakes. We notice how you react to those mistakes and whether you learn from those mistakes or keep making them repeatedly.
If we like how you performed during your internship, then you might be at the top of our list of people to hire once you graduate. Even if we don’t have a job opening when you graduate, if we were impressed by your work, we are probably going to be an excellent job reference for you.
Summer is a time when many high school and college graduates are looking for work so let me offer some advice to would-be job seekers, who are out there.
First impressions matter so don’t show up to your job interview wearing a pair of jeans. Yes, this includes your “good jeans” that don’t have holes in them. Generally, people look their best when they show up for a job interview. If you show up to the job interview looking like a bum, then managers are going to be wondering how the heck you will dress on a typical workday.
Look presentable. If nothing else, get a nice pair of khaki or black pants and a shirt with a collar to wear for your interview. Try not to show up for the interview wearing wrinkled clothes. Iron them or get some wrinkle releasing spray and treat your clothes the night before to get the wrinkles out so the spray will have time to dry before you get dressed.
Show up to your job interview on time.
Do NOT bring your parent or significant other or whoever else along for the job interview whether it is in-person or through a platform like Zoom. This does NOT make a good impression.
For those getting ready to go to college or those already in college, let me suggest getting some type of job doing something so you have some employment history once you do graduate. This can also give you some people, who you can list as a job reference.
