New Year New Job

The realities of competing in the job market

Your future begins in 4 Months

January is the perfect time to start preparing for your summer internship or first job after graduation. At The Intern Mentor, we currently have openings for one-on-one coaching that can give you the boost you need to advance to a promotion.

As internship opportunities continue to drop, the competition gets more intense. “The application process for internships has become just as competitive as for full-time roles,” Lesley Mitler, a career coach who specializes in college students, tells the Financial Times.

Inside the Hiring Process

We would get 50+ applicants for just 3-4 openings. And this was before COVID. As a former internship program director, there are some immediate red flags that I continue to see when reviewing resumes and portfolios that would immediately take candidates out of the running. And unlike before COVID, those I work with now, struggle to understand the importance of these callouts. To add to this, even internships look for experience, and when faced with a choice between a candidate with no experience and one with a prior internship... let me just say it was a tough sell to executives if I didn't pick the more experienced.

That said, several of my most memorable and best interns were NOT seasoned. They were in their first internship but understood the intangibles.

This is not to scare you, though I know it is really scary. The bottom line is you don't know what kind of hiring manager will review your materials. Everyone sees different opportunities and has their own list of deal breakers that usually come from past experiences. What you do know is that there are some certain universal skills and traits that are perceived favorably over others. You can leverage this to your advantage. The easiest way to do that is to start thinking from the hiring manager's point of view.

Learning on the Job is a Misconception

To start, why are they hiring interns? For us, yes, we were hiring into a training program, but the need for competent support on these teams was real. Interns were commonly placed on teams that were chronically understaffed and had a good track record with training. Even still, training was focused on the process and perfecting the skills they already had. There was little time or room for error to teach anyone how to do the job from scratch.

In every interview, I spent the first 15 minutes outlining the program and what they could expect. This level-setting of expectations made it easy to find candidates up for the challenge. I wish more hiring managers did this because, without it, you are left to decode and guess what companies are looking for. (This is why I founded The Intern Mentor and am writing this Substack.)

The number one thing I did was to explain that they would be working as assistant designers from day one. This means they would not be there to shadow; they would be there to fill a role on the team, and their learning and development would be their responsibility.

So You're Saying It's Hopeless?

Not at all! In fact, with all the things that have happened (and in some cases, not happened) since COVID, distinguishing yourself is actually easier. Yes, there are more people you're competing with, but it can be easier to compete.

What Were the Key Traits I Saw from Star Candidates?

• Soft skills - How you work and problem-solve are critical.

• Interest and engagement in the process - Asking questions and telling stories about their experiences shows us you want to be here.

• Humility - Awareness that they still have a lot to learn.

• Curiosity and drive to learn - A desire to keep learning and to try new things.

The challenge of hiring full-time employees is that schools don’t adequately prepare students to showcase the skills that matter. I've reviewed dozens and dozens of beautiful professional portfolios, but the interviews have fallen flat—almost always in at least one of those areas.

Like any skill, the good news is these traits can be developed. And that's where mentorship comes in.

I know, I know, you hoped I was going to give you some quick and easy solution, and, well, I kind of did. Working with a mentor is faster and more targeted than taking a course in school. It's way more personalized than any instructor can provide, and working with someone experienced will ensure you get the feedback and support you need to get to where you want to go. Very few people understand their strengths and weaknesses when they're starting out, mostly due to not having been a manager. That's okay, but if you have blind spots, you will need someone you trust to point them out and help you work through them.

Don’t worry. It’s okay, I’ve got you. But it’s on you to take the next steps.

If you're awake now to the reality of the hiring process but everything feels a little muddy, I recommend checking out my book, The Design Internship Handbook, where I lay out the pieces with clear steps and what to look for. The book (only 150 pages) will give you an idea of your areas to work on and steps to level up. You can also schedule a free call with me to see if you’d benefit from some one-on-one with a mentor.