after Kelly Corrigan’s Advice to My College Freshman
Scroll to the bottom for a FAQ specific to my internship.
Any intern with an ounce of self-knowledge will agree that an internship is a multi-month exercise in recalibration. In each corporate office building or shady studio- “workspaces,” we interns are either grossly overreacting to every mistake we make or, just as unsettling, underreacting. Here’s my question, as another class of kids gears up to look for another summer internship: What versions of ourselves will we be presenting on a resume, in an interview, and then finally, in the actual internship position?
Will we be the well-meaning but overachiever Hermione Granger, who is sometimes called a try-hard for, well, trying too hard? Will we be the goofy Cory Matthews, who miraculously learned to have fun without cutting any corners? Or will we be a slacker, aka “every single character Seth Rogen has ever played, or written” as stated by TV Tropes? Will we be some unholy mash-up of Sharpay Evans and Regina George, letting our ambition consume us as we radiate superiority to others about landing our prestigious internships?
To every intern everywhere applying or starting an internship soon, could we agree that the entire process is arduous and therefore demands buckets of love, not only to your fellow applicants but also to yourself? And real quick, before you start, let’s just make sure we covered everything.
Those mini Twix bars and M&M fun-size packets that your office endlessly resupplies in candy bowls and glass jars will get to your stomach.
Update files and Excel sheets as if your life depends on them. Try not to get on HR’s radar for any reason…
Unless it’s positive. Make friends with the people in HR! They love meeting people (that’s why they’re in HR). Sleep. Sleep a lot. Go to sleep early. Hit the bed at 10pm, if possible. Those 8-hour work days will take a toll.
Your style of dress says a lot about you, like it or not. Don’t slack. Send memes in Slack, but not too many. Write everything down. Food is the way to the heart.
You will make mistakes. Learn, reflect, and move on. Reach out. Ask questions, lots of them. People will answer! And people love talking about themselves!
Make friends with other interns. When they rise, you rise with them. If there’s a corporate event with lots of leftover food, ask if you can have the leftovers.
Blazers are the secret to the office life. If you have a cubicle, clear a spot where people can sit and chat with you. Check in with your supervisors constantly. Thank people. Be honest. Find connections with your co-workers through their favorite movies, TV shows, and music.
Keep a notebook for everything you’re learning, and for questions that pop into your head at the most inopportune of times. Make friends with interns at other companies. Make use of that [insert city name here] life. Find interesting things to do on weekday nights. Go see movies and musicals and concerts and pop-ups. Every once in a while Yelp something good to eat and treat yourself.
Go above and beyond. If you’re in an opinion-based industry, practice formulating your opinions on paper. Pack your lunch. Busy days are incredibly fun. Slow days are slow. Learn as much as you can.
Always send a thank you note after an internship or internship interview. Do your research. Go to the gym. If you’re not of legal drinking age, go out with the other interns for after-work drinks and grab a virgin. Your drink doesn’t matter; the conversation does.
Make Google your best friend. Don’t know how to configure an Outlooks contacts base? Google it. Excel acting weird? Google it! You’ll seem like a genius to everyone around you just by patiently digging through a billion Google search results for a solution.
Trader Joe’s is a lifesafer—eat in. Ask people if they are genuinely happy at this company. Cherish the sunsets when you leave work. Every step of the process from application to interview to internship, you will feel underqualified. You will feel like you’re not enough. Be patient. Be nice. To yourself, too.
You are worthy. You are capable. You are ready.
FAQ (specific to Cassandra’s 2019 summer internship)
Q: What was your internship?
NBCUniversal’s Universal Content Productions (UCP) studio under Current Programming. UCP is the award-winning studio behind your favorite shows such as SUITS, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, THE ACT, DIRTY JOHN, THE MAGICIANS, DEADLY CLASS, HOMECOMING, IMPULSE, and MR. ROBOT. Upcoming shows include RESIDENT ALIEN, DARE ME, and BRAVE NEW WORLD.
Q: How did you get your internship?
In the summer of 2018 I attended the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) National Convention. Twenty minutes before the career fair closed I gathered my energy and courage and printed-out resumes to enter the floor. I handed out my resumes to all the booths I was interested in. I sat down with a lady at a three-letter corporation that will not be named, who told me I did not have enough “big-name” experience to land their coveted, highly competitive summer internship; that maybe I should try to get an internship at somewhere like the New York Times (!!) before applying there. Just like that, my 9 years of experience was tossed out the window and I left the booth with a bad taste in my mouth.
I pushed onwards. I came across NBCUniversal’s booth, and met a recruiter who talked me through E!’s West Coast internship. I gave her my resume and took her card. A few weeks later, I received a call from a NBCUniversal Campus Coordinator who informed me I was being considered to be a Diversity Fellow, and asked me what departments I was interested in. I took a shot in the dark and told her that though I was more well-suited for journalism departments, I wanted to go into the creative aspects of film and television.
She took a chance on me. In November, I got the call that I was officially a Diversity Fellow. In February and March, she set me up to interview with two different departments within Cable Entertainment. In mid-March, I was offered the position of Universal Content Productions (UCP) Current Programming Intern. I couldn’t be more thrilled and nervous for the internship.
Q: What was your job?
My task every day differed depending on the office’s needs. I updated internal contact bases, managed calendars, organized files, printed out scripts, packed and unpacked boxes of office supplies (a lot of reshuffling occurred right as I began), conducted administrative tasks, and manned the (very busy) phone lines. On the more creative side I kept up to date with a few of my favorite UCP series by reading scripts as they came in and watching the first cuts of episodes sent to the studio; I practiced writing notes as if I were a studio executive and showed them to my supervisors; I read many original pilots by aspiring writers and wrote summaries; I listened in on phone calls with producers, showrunners, and executives; I wrote an original pilot of my own, received feedback from my supervisors, and conducted a mock meeting with executives in my department.
Q: Where was your job?
In the giant skyscraper next to Universal Studios on the 35th (the highest) floor. The views were killer.
Q: Did you commute?
I am eternally grateful to NBCUniversal for offering the West Coast Diversity Fellows housing for the first time since the program’s inception! I roomed with three other amazing gals who interned at E! News, NBC Entertainment publicity, and Nightly News at the Oakwood apartments.
Q: How long was your internship?
It was originally supposed to be ten weeks, but I had to start a week late since I studied abroad in Sweden for three weeks in May.
Q: What was your favorite part?
Being one of the first people to see the first scripts and cuts of my favorite (both upcoming and existing) shows; talking to executives who dropped all the insider deets on these shows; taking a VIP Studio Tour with other Diversity Fellows; taking my family to Universal Studios for free.
Q: What were some stand out moments?
A director in the department asked me to look through a flipbook of Asian American writers and identify the most interesting voices that might be a good fit for our shows. I sent him a list of 13; he made me narrow it to 1. We invited this writer for a meeting and it was incredibly enlightening to hear about his experiences in many aspects of the entertainment industry; plus he and the director got on very well because they were both massive nerds. I felt pride in choosing someone I knew he would vibe with, and whose work could potentially be an additive to our studio.
I also had the chance to act as the assistant to high level executives when their actual assistants were out of the office. Though it was stressful going from having zero experience in desk coverage to covering multiple high-volume desks, I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it. It was invigorating and exhilarating to feel needed and relied upon.
My supervisors were the best and kindest people on earth. They always took time to answer all my questions, point out my mistakes and how I could improve, and encourage me in everything. I sincerely enjoyed every lunch they took us out to, every surprise cupcake they bought us, every laugh we shared geeking out about our studio’s own content, or the fandoms we shared.
Also Christian Slater walked through our office and I stood behind Dove Cameron in the elevator.
Q: What did you learn?
That mistakes are normal, and to not dwell on them too long. That excellence means your best, and doesn’t mean perfection. Adjust, internalize, move on—and don’t make the same mistake again. Also, no matter how much you love your job, there will be days when those 40-hour work weeks will take a toll on you. My respect for working parents has skyrocketed—I cannot comprehend how they can brave the LA traffic home, cook dinner for the family, spend time with the kids, work out, and unwind at the end of the night while getting sufficient sleep.
Q: How does this fit with your major and your goals for your future?
I am a double major in Ethnicity, Race and Migration and Theater Studies. One gives me critical thinking skills and theoretical foundations; the other gives me practical storytelling skills. Working at UCP was the perfect match for who I am as a person; this is a studio that cares deeply about diversity. You can see diversity in our slate of executives as well as the writers, directors, and actors that our studio hires. You can see it in the stories our studio chooses to tell, and who they hire to tell those stories. This is the type of work I aspire to do in the future—empowering voices that have gone unheard for far too long.
Q: Do you want to work at NBCUniversal in the future?
Heck yes. People are genuinely happy here; people are kind; the company cares.
Q: What other internships are there at NBCUniversal? How can I apply for an internship?
So many! That was one of the joys of working at such a big company. I learned about so many positions I wasn’t even aware existed. You can apply through a newly renovated career portal: https://www.nbcunicareers.com/internships.
Q: Do you have any advice for applicants?
Make sure there are zero typos on your resume. Make sure your resume is aesthetically pleasing but don’t go overboard with the graphic design (unless you are a graphic designer). Do your homework. Write a thank-you note within 24 hours of your interview. Apply to many, many internships. Don’t let your lack of experience deter you—someone out there might be willing to take a chance if they can see your passion. Multiple people took a chance on me.
Most importantly, don’t give up. Read this phenomenal blog post about collecting rejections and how fun (?!) they can be.
Good luck to everyone! Most importantly, don’t stress, be kind to others, and love yourself.
Second Star Cass 