Why you should adopt the hustler mentality right from your dream internship
Anita Ramani thought all her birthdays had arrived on the same day when she got a call to intern with New York-based fashion designer, Norisol Ferrari while pursuing her Fashion Designing programme at NIFT Ahmedabad. She accepted the internship offer, moved to New York for a three-month internship programme. She became part of a team that designed wardrobes for celebrities and came back with a whole new world of ideas and experiences. Armed with a resume to die for following her prestigious dream internship, Anita found a lot of doors opening to her. Anita was soon inundated with a mini-tsunami of work opportunities – both within India and from abroad.
Mentality to adopt
It’s a cruel fact but, while many dreams of getting accepted in star-studded internship programmes, or in Ivy League colleges such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT, et al, more people are struck by lightning than achieve these goals. So what sets people like Anita apart from the rest of the crowd? It’s their go-getter attitude or the hustler mentality that they adopt. Where some might hesitate like an elderly pedestrian with a walker about to cross a super-highway – unsure whether to reach out via email or make a call to the organization/professor that they wish to intern with. Hustlers would be halfway across that super-highway on roller skates before the old lady stepped off the sidewalk. Hustlers make it their job to push open every door of opportunity they come across and to face every challenge to ensure they get what they are aiming for.
Landing your dream internship
Compared to jobs, internships may not be that hard to get. However, although there are more internship programmes out there than there is the cactus in Arizona, not all have the ability to catapult you to where you visualize yourself to be in the next ten or twenty years’ time. The difference between getting just any internship and getting that golden internship, the one with the pink ribbon on top labeled with a card saying ‘Well done you!’ depends a lot on how you approach it – your attitude.
Seven steps that will help you land your dream internship:
Research and cold call:
You may wonder whether you have it in you to approach reputed professors. Some of whom might be in line for their second Nobel prize or photographers in demand from National Geographic or Vogue, or other individuals or organizations, with whom you wish to intern. But to be a go-getter you need to … well, go get! Make a dream list of who you want to intern with. Find out more about the organizations. And cold call – regardless of whether they are actively looking for interns or not.
There’s no harm in picking up the phone and calling the person/company, or in sending that killer email. However, while sending emails to avoid sending mass emails CC’ing every one of your Facebook contacts, your mother, and your current boyfriend or girlfriend. Address the person/company that you are applying to correctly. Don’t forget to follow basic email etiquettes. Avoid ice-breaking pre-ambles about how you just got your nails did for $9.99 at the mall with a money off coupon. Stick to the point.
Persistence pays:
A hustler will put in every minute, and more, of their time to ensure that they get through that internship programme. Maximize every bit of energy that you have and keep going at it. Right from preparing your resume, much ahead of time and perfecting it as you move on, to reach out to the right people. As a hustler, you would ensure that you are so far ahead of the pack they’ll need binoculars to see you.
Follow up:
After you have sent your application, follow up with the company’s internship coordinator, or college professor. Always check if your application has reached them. Offer to provide more information if required. This shows that you are genuinely interested in the organization. So don’t yawn during the conversation, and on no account ever use the word, ‘whatever’.
Don’t take ‘no’ to be the final answer:
In the 2006 American biographical drama, Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith takes on the role of entrepreneur Chris Gardener, who, in his one year of struggle and homelessness, gets rejected so many times that it would have left any other person crying into their Cheerios. But, Chris refuses to blub into his Cheerios and pushes on. He finally lands his dream job with the company that he interned with, and goes on to form his own multi-million dollar brokerage company.
While rejections can be difficult, you can use them to your advantage and fuel your internal fire further. Look up the ‘Hustler’s and Go-getter’s’ dictionary. Try though you might you will not find the word, ‘No’. They took it out years ago. Do not accept no as a final answer – instead, keep pushing on until you succeed. If a particular individual or company rejects your internship request, find out why and try to work it out. If it still does not work out, don’t be disheartened. Knock on other doors until your knuckles hurt.
Be prepared:
If applying for an internship was as easy as mailing your resume across and going for an afternoon nap, everybody would be doing it. Going for an internship interview prepared is half the battle won. Research the organization that you are looking to intern with. Find out more about their plans, whether they have been in the news lately, where they stand among the competition. Who their employees are and what background’s they come from. This information would put you in good stead during your interview process. The same applies with individuals under whom you wish to intern. If you wish to intern with a professor in line for a Nobel prize, check what he did to deserve it.
Be confident:
You may be interning for the first time in your life, or may have been in other programmes before. But it really doesn’t matter. The way you conduct yourself with confidence, zeal, and a positive body language, can more than compensate for the lack of experience. Keep it appropriate though. Don’t breeze into the interview with a toothpaste ad smile, wearing a Las Vegas Winner’s jacket and ask ‘How’s it hanging, Dudes?’.
Adopt a winning attitude:
Once you have been accepted to the prestigious dream internship programme that you have been trying for, plan to give it 110%. And give yourself a pat on the back when you hit 100%. You’ll come top of your game. Make that positive impact, be noticed and be talked about for what you have bought into it. This would surely open many doors. But, most importantly, be a team player.
Your internship is the first step to a long and prosperous career. Thus making it one of the most important parts of your career life. A positive attitude, a hustler’s mentality, motivation, the drive to innovate, perseverance and due diligence can take you far, and help you stand out.
To sum up, here are three things that you should keep in mind before you go out to bag that dream internship of yours:
Research and learn:
Find out who can help you with that dream internship. Get researching about the person/organization with whom you wish to intern and be prepared with as much information as you can gather.
Take the first step:
Make that call, send that email, meet that person. Take that first step towards realizing your dream. Remember the old proverb – opportunity comes knocking once. Answer it when it does.
Be a hustler:
That go-getter attitude will help you through every stage of your internship life and career.
About the author:
Aniket Singh works for Apple Inc. in California, United States. He is also the author of “Intern Abroad This Summer”.
Aniket holds a BTech degree in Electrical Engineering from the IIT, Madras, Chennai, and a Master’s degree in Wireless Systems from Politecnico Di Torino in Torino, Italy. He has interned at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Ecole Polytechnic Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland during this studies.
Visit him at www.aniketsingh.com
Check out his book at www.internabroadthissummer.com
