As I look back on my career (all 15 years or so of it), it is crystal clear to me that the smartest move I made was at the start: I was an intern.
It wasn’t always pretty (like the time I had to drive a van into midtown) or glamorous (I once scalded my hand when I jammed it into a turkey carcass. long story for another post). But it was always an education.
I am a huge proponent of the internship process and always go out of my way to give ambitious folks entering the workforce the tools they need to succeed. On that note, I recently received an e-mail from an intern that I worked with several years back. He has gone on to do some wonderful things with his life, and he was kind enough to make my week by sending the following:
“I learned a lot from you especially. You taught me the importance of being a self-LESS individual at the workplace by transferring skills over to people with a willingness to learn. Your willingness to help me during that summer has been a driving force behind my willingness to transfer skills over to those I work with on a daily basis in the development field.”
I won’t lie, the e-mail hit a chord with me. For just a second I felt warm and fuzzy – and proud of myself – that I had a positive affect on an intern. One who was willing to seek me out with no agenda years later. My point is, internships are the gift that keep on giving, for both the internee and the interner.
A newish Website that hopes to provide work placements in entrepreneurial and innovative environments is Enternships.
Pioneered by a student-run society at Oxford University, the Website is a job board for college students looking for that ever-important first gig. Current opportunities can be searched using the text box or found via tag cloud. Right now “Media,” “Internet” and “Marketing” appear to be hot. There is an RSS feed for each category.
Many jobs are UK-based, but we found a smattering of U.S. jobs too.
Listings can be sent to a friend and the sign up is easy – registration free. You’ll be asked your school name, year of graduation, and have to check off your areas of interest.
Once your profile is complete you can upload your resume and apply for internships through the Enternship system.
Most of the posted jobs fall into four categories: Start-up, poject-based work, remote / part-time work, or one-off opportunities.
I actually attempted to post the opportunity to intern for Jobacle, but the site kept telling me I needed to validate my registration info…which I did…several times. Hey folks, that’s why the site’s in beta!
All in all seems like a great resource. If you’re looking for an internship, remember to bite off a little more than you can chew and always shoot for the top. You might be pleasantly surprised at what happens next, both in the short and long-term.
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