The Introvert’s Internship Search

In high school, I was way too scared to talk to employers. But I wanted a job.  So what did I do? EMAILS!?! Emails are the best! You can spend hours perfecting those two lines (that the recruiter will read in 2 seconds). You have complete control.

Anyone can master email. It’s an art that is slow at first, but with practice it speeds up. But there are only so many emails you have to write. Eventually, it all gets routine:

It’s so easy with practice. A good quality email can be typed out deadly fast. But it takes practice…

You stick three reasonable sentences in here and you’re good:

Dear [person with job I want],

Blab la blab laBlab la blab laBlab la blab laBlab la blab la. Blab la bla lalal blab la bl b abababa bla. Blab la bla? Blalbalbal bla. Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa blbla balb alb al. bla!

Bla blab la Bla. I can’t wait to talk to you more. My resume is attached.

Best,

Avery

See? That was easy.

Unfortunately, getting a job requires in-person interaction too. Which is scary. Ugh.

Interview aren’t easy. You gotta sell yourself. That ain’t easy. I’m about as far from a marketing professional as one can get.

Luckily, I have a secret to share with you that will make you a pro like these guys:

Practice.

Yep that’s it. The secret to life, happiness and success. Literally all you have to do. Practice. Prepare in advance.  Use your resources to speed up the process. I would highly recommend doing that now, before you get to real life.

Me? I took ENGI 242 (Engineering Communication) and HUMA 201 (Public Speaking). It was tough work, but I can hold a conversation without looking like an idiot now. Whoo. Now I’m teaching a college course and TAing. My communication skills are years above where they were last year.

College isn’t just an opportunity to get good at your major. It’s an opportunity to get good at life. Part of life is communication, and there aren’t any shortcuts. We are all works in progress, and the sooner you accept that, and be conscious of your strengths and weaknesses, the sooner you can take action to learn what you need to know.

(Studio Ghibli is the best)

Feel free to contact me at averywhitaker@rice.edu.  I like feeling useful!

Avery Whitaker is a Peer Career Advisor from Hanszen College.  He is a sophomore studying computer science and mathematics.

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