WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:02.810 Hi, and welcome back to a new How Did You Make 00:00:02.810 --> 00:00:05.889 It? I'm Yusra, your host, and this week we're 00:00:05.889 --> 00:00:09.509 discussing how to look for an internship, an 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:12.830 apprenticeship, first job, anything you actually 00:00:12.830 --> 00:00:16.030 need right now. This episode will be pretty short 00:00:16.030 --> 00:00:18.809 because I want to share with you all the insights 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:22.449 that have been asked before and essentially cover 00:00:22.449 --> 00:00:25.550 what you need to build strong foundations in 00:00:25.550 --> 00:00:28.929 your search. So I'll be covering some behaviors 00:00:28.929 --> 00:00:31.850 you can adopt, but also some strategies you can 00:00:31.850 --> 00:00:35.450 implement. But, but, but, before going into that, 00:00:35.549 --> 00:00:39.450 let's focus on two essential pieces. Your written 00:00:39.450 --> 00:00:44.670 resume, CV, and your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:48.329 this is your first contact with recruiters who 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:52.590 are looking into hundreds of resumes per day. 00:00:53.189 --> 00:00:57.280 So my question to you. to start is does your 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.659 resume or does your linkedin really showcase 00:01:01.659 --> 00:01:05.560 what you want to prove what you want to highlight 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:11.280 your immediate responsibility right now is to 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.799 optimize both of them no matter your experience 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:18.200 so you've been a salesperson you've worked in 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.340 hospitality you've been doing babysitting whatever 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:25.510 it is every line Show the line with your new 00:01:25.510 --> 00:01:28.329 ambitions, with the new role you're applying 00:01:28.329 --> 00:01:32.730 for. I have more questions for you. Have you 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:36.810 highlighted the concrete, exact impact of your 00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:40.569 responsibilities within that job? Have you used 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:43.950 numbers to prove it? Did you go on YouTube or 00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:47.310 any social media platform and looked into what 00:01:47.310 --> 00:01:51.319 experts are sharing for you to optimize? Again, 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:53.700 that same resume, that same LinkedIn profile. 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.540 So if so far, your answer is no, that's fine. 00:01:57.819 --> 00:02:02.239 But you know what to do. You need the person 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:06.379 to read your resume and understand clearly that 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:09.080 you're the perfect fit. And if you're not the 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:11.419 perfect fit, that there is so much potential 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:15.979 in that profile. Also, keep in mind that some 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:19.979 companies are using ATS software to screen resumes. 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:24.659 What does it mean? It means that they have hundreds, 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:27.919 if not thousands and hundreds of thousands of 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.620 resumes coming their way. So this software helps 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.979 them essentially doing this first triage, a first 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:40.319 filter of what they are looking for and what 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:42.819 they are not looking for. And to pass that filter, 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:47.379 your resume should be simple. No photos, no complex 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:51.810 design. and with a lot of keywords matching because 00:02:51.810 --> 00:02:54.990 adapting your resume to each job opportunity 00:02:54.990 --> 00:02:59.030 is a non -negotiable but for others who are applying 00:02:59.030 --> 00:03:01.530 directly through a contact through a concrete 00:03:01.530 --> 00:03:05.569 email address you can still remain creative especially 00:03:05.569 --> 00:03:09.069 especially especially if you're targeting a creative 00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:14.810 or innovative field so now let's talk about your 00:03:14.810 --> 00:03:18.800 situation whether you have that mandatory apprenticeship 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:23.919 internship to do or you who can do it doesn't 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:27.159 have to but i would highly recommend that you 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:30.960 seize that opportunity and as i said here are 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.800 the two main behaviors i want you to remember 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:39.699 as you go through the whole process first don't 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:41.719 give up i'm sure if you're listening you've actually 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:44.680 already been through it and you've only been 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:49.270 ghosted or you have received you've just received 00:03:49.270 --> 00:03:52.069 rejections emails actually understanding what 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:54.669 was happening and what went wrong with your application 00:03:54.669 --> 00:04:00.069 but if it's draining you my advice here would 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:04.349 be to set daily weekly application quotas because 00:04:04.349 --> 00:04:07.389 it's not a marathon because it's a marathon it's 00:04:07.389 --> 00:04:10.289 not a sprint so you need to still remain consistent 00:04:10.289 --> 00:04:13.449 with your application right so the second thing 00:04:13.449 --> 00:04:18.410 is I would invite you to remain flexible in the 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:22.509 type of opportunities you're applying for. Because 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:25.610 if at this stage you can't find exactly what 00:04:25.610 --> 00:04:28.569 you want, that's not a problem. Look for the 00:04:28.569 --> 00:04:31.810 closest opportunity. The goal here, during that 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:34.209 experience, it's not going to be life -changing. 00:04:34.329 --> 00:04:37.350 It's not going to be teaching you everything 00:04:37.350 --> 00:04:40.370 that you need to know for your future job. However, 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:45.250 the goal is to develop skills and enrich your 00:04:45.250 --> 00:04:48.389 resume if you get that opportunity that is not 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:52.529 exactly aligned with what you hope for you can 00:04:52.529 --> 00:04:56.269 steer your task toward what what interests you 00:04:56.269 --> 00:05:00.990 you can you can push your job description towards 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:05.089 something else it will only depend on how flexible 00:05:05.089 --> 00:05:08.430 your team is in letting you in discovering more 00:05:08.430 --> 00:05:14.439 okay Let's move on to strategies you can adopt. 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:18.000 Here are three suggestions. But remember, there 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.699 is plenty of advice online from HR professionals, 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:25.360 experts and students themselves who are in your 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:29.259 situation, who have landed apprenticeships, internships, 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:33.220 their first jobs. So I would suggest to spend 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:36.860 10 -15 minutes a day learning from them, especially 00:05:36.860 --> 00:05:41.790 if your career goals are very clear. So the first 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:46.110 strategy you can look into is mobilizing the 00:05:46.110 --> 00:05:50.389 school -university network. Talk to the people 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:53.850 who are working within your university, the school's 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:56.750 corporate relation or internship office. They 00:05:56.750 --> 00:06:00.370 often have leads, contacts or feedback from former 00:06:00.370 --> 00:06:02.610 students. And if the timing is on your side, 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:05.550 sometimes they can direct you directly through 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:09.129 job offers they receive themselves or even to 00:06:09.129 --> 00:06:13.819 students who want to pass on that opportunities 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:17.560 they've just finished. And the second thing is 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:21.540 LinkedIn being your best ally. And my suggestion 00:06:21.540 --> 00:06:24.720 here is to spend more time on LinkedIn than any 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:27.879 other network. And for LinkedIn, here are four 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:31.480 ways to maximize your chances. First, search 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:34.180 for internships using keywords and your preferred 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:37.459 location directly on the search bar. The second 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:41.170 thing is reach out to alumni. people who graduated 00:06:41.170 --> 00:06:44.230 from your school or program for advice or referrals 00:06:44.230 --> 00:06:48.589 and try to be as smooth as possible not to make 00:06:48.589 --> 00:06:51.649 it too obvious that you would highly appreciate 00:06:51.649 --> 00:06:54.550 some support there people are mostly caught up 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:57.649 in their lives and when you're getting too straightforward 00:06:57.649 --> 00:07:01.389 in asking for help without introducing yourself 00:07:01.389 --> 00:07:04.750 without asking questions without asking for advice 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:09.449 some people can feel like it's a little bit too 00:07:09.449 --> 00:07:13.180 much So test it out. If it doesn't work with 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:16.180 one person, try another and try another and try 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:20.779 another. The obvious third step is looking into 00:07:20.779 --> 00:07:25.399 all the offers that LinkedIn has. And lastly, 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:28.660 if you have identified a bunch of companies, 00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:32.420 but they're not hiring, just reach out to one 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:35.019 of their employees and don't ask for an internship 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:38.040 or an apprenticeship directly. Instead, again, 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:41.680 here, ask for advice. An example can be, hi, 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:48.300 my name is XYZ and I'm a 2026 student in this 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:51.779 program. Your career inspires me. Do you have 00:07:51.779 --> 00:07:56.040 five or ten minutes to spare to answer some of 00:07:56.040 --> 00:08:00.240 my questions? Because I would love to work in 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:02.959 the same field. I would love to land a similar 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:06.879 role. Anything that comes to mind which shows 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.670 how... not only interested you are in the job 00:08:09.670 --> 00:08:13.930 but also in the person and the first strategy 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:18.589 is to don't forget about those responsive contacts 00:08:18.589 --> 00:08:24.050 anyone who has been supportive responsive to 00:08:24.050 --> 00:08:27.709 get back to them ask for advice again ask for 00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:31.870 contacts ask for interview tips and follow up 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:35.299 once or twice if it's needed And the bonus strategy 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:38.179 that I will add here is don't overlook opportunities 00:08:38.179 --> 00:08:41.700 abroad, especially if you're currently living 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:44.799 in Europe. Some internships are well paid and 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:48.320 programs like Erasmus can help you financially. 00:08:50.179 --> 00:08:53.460 If after all the hard work you've put in this, 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:57.019 you've managed to land that interview, congratulations 00:08:57.019 --> 00:09:01.259 first. This is incredible. And think about it 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:06.009 like this. If they are calling you for an interview, 00:09:06.129 --> 00:09:08.429 it means that they are highly interested in your 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:12.090 profile. So let's build that confidence, but 00:09:12.090 --> 00:09:17.850 also let's prepare rigorously. First, know everything 00:09:17.850 --> 00:09:22.269 about the company. Know the company inside out. 00:09:22.330 --> 00:09:25.490 Their values, their mission, their LinkedIn updates, 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:29.250 every single thing you can find. Try to read 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:33.690 it once. Try to build these cheat sheets. where 00:09:33.690 --> 00:09:37.950 if throughout the day ahead of your interview 00:09:37.950 --> 00:09:42.110 you're thinking about their values you're able 00:09:42.110 --> 00:09:46.809 to just list them directly on the spot the second 00:09:46.809 --> 00:09:49.889 thing is use your network if you contacted someone 00:09:49.889 --> 00:09:52.730 at the company ask for interview tips or insights 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:56.149 about what the recruiter expects essentially 00:09:56.149 --> 00:10:00.990 the third point and i could not recommend it 00:10:00.990 --> 00:10:05.210 more is prepare with ai feed it the job description 00:10:05.210 --> 00:10:10.009 and ask ai to share with you a couple of questions 00:10:10.009 --> 00:10:14.850 you can potentially expect and it will give you 00:10:14.850 --> 00:10:18.909 more detailed questions beyond why this company 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:22.610 why you why are you interested and if the internship 00:10:22.610 --> 00:10:27.809 is abroad be ready to explain why that country 00:10:27.809 --> 00:10:32.080 why that city and why you And I do have a fourth 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:35.279 point, and this is absolutely optional, but that 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:38.860 can be a game changer. To bring example of your 00:10:38.860 --> 00:10:43.080 past work, you bring your portfolio if your job 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.799 is highly creative. And to be even more impactful, 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:49.559 talk about initiatives you could propose during 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:55.080 the internship. So in summary, you need to prioritize 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:57.759 optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:00.639 the second thing you need to adopt the right 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:04.639 behaviors then to use one of those strategies 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:08.360 to move forward and then prepare rigorously as 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:11.220 much as possible for the interviews you cannot 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.340 imagine how many people are coming unprepared 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:18.600 so if you do come prepared this is going to be 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:23.820 a game changer so above all stay proactive stay 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:26.850 persistent Every application, every contact, 00:11:27.049 --> 00:11:31.509 every interview is a step forward to the internship 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:35.370 that is meant for you. I wish you all the best. 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:42.710 I know it's difficult. Thank you for tuning in 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:45.549 today. I cannot wait to share next week episode 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:50.470 with you. In the meantime, have a lovely week 00:11:50.470 --> 00:11:53.559 and I'll speak to you very soon. And don't forget 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:56.100 to put five stars to the podcast wherever you're 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:57.860 listening to it and give it a follow.