The Power of One
Artwork: Lysander Colindres
The job market. All anyone ever talks about is their summer internship plans or what they want to do after graduation. And yes, all of that can be extremely exciting, but also very daunting. The job search can be a difficult and discouraging grind.
I recently spent the last three months constantly scrolling on LinkedIn, setting up informational interviews, and updating my cover letter to be sent out to employers. I applied to 21 summer internships and received 20 rejections. Whenever I saw an email in my inbox with the subject line “Application Status Update,” I would immediately open it, hoping for an interview or acceptance letter. The job search is a vulnerable process. Putting your experiences, talent, and work on the line for someone else to judge is difficult. Unfortunately, the emails usually went something like this:
“We appreciate your interest and the time you've invested in applying for the intern position.”
“We’re sorry to let you know that your application was not selected for the next round. We receive a high volume of great applications and have decided to move forward with other candidates whose skill set more closely aligns with what our teams are seeking.”
This eventually became exhausting and extremely frustrating. I began to question why I even tried to get a summer internship. How do you continue when all you receive is rejections sent by a no-reply email address?
I’m going to be so honest here. I almost gave up. I was so close to throwing in the towel and saying, “I will try again next summer.” I felt like a little fish in an ocean full of applicants.
Until, one day, I opened an “Application Status Update” email, but instead of a rejection, it was an acceptance. I nearly jumped out of my desk out of excitement. I triple-checked the email to make sure they actually accepted me, and then texted my mom the good news.
The job hunting experience taught me a lot about myself. A recent philosophy I have been trying to live by is the “power of one.” All it takes is one moment to change the trajectory of your career. One class. One interview. One acceptance. One person to believe in you. One “yes.”
And the cool part is, you are in the driver's seat of making things happen for yourself. Reach out to someone at your dream agency for an informational interview, go to networking events, and ask questions. The worst that can happen is they say no, and then you move onto the next opportunity.
Here are some newsletters and resources that send out job/internship opportunities in the Twin Cities and beyond to help make the job search process a little easier:
Minnesota Marketing: https://bit.ly/signupmnmc
Big Shoes Network: https://www.bigshoesnetwork.com/email-signup/
UMN Communication Studies Association: https://www.facebook.com/groups/umnCSA/
Handshake: https://handshake.umn.edu/
Maroon and Gold network: https://maroonandgoldnetwork.umnalumni.org/v2/