Being in a highly professional environment can sometimes make it difficult to find the fun and creative internships. If you’re coming from a background filled with predictable people who value stability and practicality (like moi), you might find yourself feeling like you have to explain your decisions. FYI. You don’t. I wish I knew that earlier. Would’ve saved me a lot of tears and angst, haha. I joke about it now, but oh… if you only knew me months ago!
“Faith is a big part of my life. Trusting Him was basically how I’m still sane at this moment. One thing we can all agree on though is that a new season in your life is coming.”
New doors are opening, old ones are closing, and what the heck do you do?! Here are 5 things that worked for me that I’ll be sharing with you. Think of it as us sharing a little secret.. Shh!
1. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Make a list or mood board of everything you like. This way, you can clearly convey to your future employers who you are because you’re gonna rock that interview!!! Then, apply in a way that will make them remember you. For example, I designed an apron for my first internship. My application was basically designed as a kitchen kit- apron, wooden spoons, and a scroll with my cover letter and resume tied together with twine. Creating it was out of my comfort zone, but I sure as heck stood out. You, my friend, need to GET CREATIVE to GET THE CREATIVE. I’d like to believe that the more extra you are, the better! You need to be the applicant they can’t get out of their heads!
2. SOS! PHONE A FRIEND
Get someone you trust to hold you accountable in this time period. You’re going to need someone other than me to be your rock and cheerleader. This person should check in with you throughout the creative process to make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to. I know. It can get incredibly intimidating. But that’s why your friend is there. They’ll be the one you can bounce ideas off of while they make sure that you apply in a timely manner. Listen to them!!
3. GET OBSESSED
You NEED to understand the people you’ll be working with. As obsessed as I was, I still struggled. Working at such a cool place was basically a shock to me. If you want to know more about my journey with letting go of that corporate pull, let me know! But if you can study each of their social platforms and site, you’ll be in good shape. Someone intelligent was quoted saying, “The more exposed you are to a stimulus, the more conditioned you’ll be”…. or something like that. It might have been Pavlov…
4. FIND THE COMMON GROUND
Like in any conversation, find something to relate to. Pick out phrases or posts in your social media audit to ask questions or compliment your employers about. I say compliment because I’m assuming that they must already be incredible for you to even think about wanting to work for them! But your questions will spark new conversations that can give you a window into who they are as people and what the company stands for.
5. BE REAL
Many people can spot fake right away. In the same way you want your company to be transparent to you, they expect the same. Reputable companies, no matter how fun they are, want quality employees. Let them know what you’re looking to learn in that internship so they can determine if they are the right fit for you. Even if you’re great at faking, you can only do that for so long. Be you. Have fun. This is a one time opportunity, so why ruin it by pretending to be someone else? You are enough.
With that said, good luck, y’all! Let me know if you have any questions about what I did or anything else at all!
With Love,
Susan
Strut with Susan 
Love the ideas you put it all in a blog. Loved it really ! I didn’t know that. Keep it up ♡
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Thank you so much!! I’m so glad it was helpful 🙂
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