AVOID BEING A TAXI IN A WORLD OF UBERS: CONSISTENCY WHILE APPLYING FOR INDIVIDUAL INTERNSHIP.
Getting an individual internship placement today can be so tedious. Just like it would be if it was a school internship request; the compulsory ones I mean. However, when the long holiday kicks in and you just want to get an internship placement so you can learn for the good of your own growth and experience before you return to school, with no official letter from the school, you just have to avoid being a taxi in a world of Ubers. Over the past 2 years; while having student mentees at school, and a few friends that have asked me about getting internship placements, I am happy to announce that over 10 of them have successfully got placements with this very lesson I am going to share. I learnt some of these on my own and some from my mentors. Hopefully it helps you too.
Picture from Pinterest; Adobe Stock. Stock image:internship
While planning on getting an internship placement, you are probably thinking to yourself; Do I deserve this place? Will I get it?, Am I worth it?, Who do I know that can help me get in?, What if I don’t get taken in?, and so on. Well, I want to share my past experiences getting internships thrice; right from my first-year long holiday to the second year one that found us in the lockdown and the third-year long holiday, and now that my university has chosen a unique kind of internship assessment for finalists, I still implore students to try out an internship experience in whatever holiday they get a chance with.
For starters, it is important to know where one wants to do internship from. Write a list of possible places you want to learn from; not just out of their fancy names or prestige, but look out for a place that will build you. One that will mold you to be a step closer to who you want to be in the next 5 or 10 years. This growth can range from learning within your career, to professional growth, to dispute resolution, community give back and so on. It is important you get a place that you can passionately be of great addition to; it must be a two-way relationship. Set your priorities straight, know what you want to gain during the internship, and at the end of the internship. Know your objectives; for example; do you want to learn more about legal service in the civil society or is it in a government parastatal, or an organization or a law firm. Many times, my senior friends advise its better learning from a law firm or at least gaining some experience from it because law school requires so much practical knowledge on Civil Procedure.
Vanshita Chopra on Pinterest; How to be an intern at the big four
Whether it is a law firm, or an organization that you have identified, read about them on the internet, or research widely and find out about whether they have any placements. Do not and I repeat Do not prioritize getting money at your first internship experience; well, if you get a placement and you’re getting paid a token of appreciation, good for you. But then if it’s a place you want to learn from, think of the greater number of advantages and opportunities, the value addition to your resume, your growth, and much more than the pay. You get to sip from their cup of wisdom and learn from their space.
While doing research about the intended internship place, you can contact the numbers on their website, or get a contact of their Human Resource Manager, Managing Partners or person concerned. It is advisable to take your internship letter physically. Take it in person, present yourself that day like as if you were already going to pick your response letter; be smart, speak professionally, respect everyone like you would if you got the placement, and above all, keep in touch with whoever you left the letter with or whoever you addressed it to. After a week or a few weeks, contact them via call or email just to inquire about the status of your application. Many at times, the person you will contact might get busy or forget to deliver the letter to the right office, or respond rudely to you at first instance telling you off that there is no placement. Do not tire; there are other options on your list, that is why it is important to have a list of at least 3 options or more, that you keep trying to get the placement. Like the phrase; do not put all your eggs in one basket. In your letter of request for internship, do not forget to state that it is a personal internship, and so just in case a letter from your Dean of Faculty is required that statement in the application; because then, you only wanted a learning space, that disclaimer explains it all.
Picture from Pinterest
In my opinion, regardless of whether you have a connection (someone helping you get the placement) or not, try and apply to get the placement on merit. Polish your application, resume and get at least a letter of introduction from your Dean of Student Affairs or a lecturer. Be intentional at it; I learnt from one of my mentors Ms. Tricia Gloria Nabaye; the golden 1-minute rule while on a phone call. When you get an opportunity to speak to someone on phone; either the one connecting you, or the one whose contact you got on the website, or the one you are writing to, in the first one minute of the call, be able to create an impression that will either make the person call you back later for a detailed conversation, or make the person ask you to email or text them, or an impression that will let the person give you more minutes to speak on the call and explain yourself. In brief; be able to announce who you are, what you do, your status as a student, how you got their contact (if you got referred), and what you would like them to do for you/ what you want. Today we the generation z call it shooting our shots. Yes, shoot the shot in 1 minute and let the other person feel they are a big part of your next chapter in life; so they know it’s going to be a blessing for them to take you on.
Internships are bilateral, it’s not just you in the world getting to learn from the said office; you ought to add value to the office as well. Grow their brand and leave an excellent mark, a mark that will make them easily refer you to greater heights, or call you back, or one that can make them proud of who you are becoming even after the internship. While at the internship, communication is key; all that you do, learning, unlearning, suggestions, and much more, put it in writing or speech but endeavor to communicate it to persons concerned effectively.
Do not compare your placement to friends that might have gotten a placement you always dreamt of, be good at the opportunity before you and work swiftly, because then, an internship shapes your growth and expertise, it builds your network, social capital, and enhances the practical knowledge of what you learnt at school. Do not forget to make a mini report for your internship and send copies to your supervisor, or manager, along with recommendations and highlight gratitude of what is necessary. It is not easy handling rejection when you whole heartedly applied to that one place, but then it just probably wasn’t meant for you at that particular time, you have to be consistent and optimistic and try elsewhere; hence the list of your desired places, aspirations and objectives.
Am not sure about the school internships, but if your school gives you a letter of internship placement, I believe the steps are similar to the above experiences. The one internship in my second year virtually was within the lockdown period of 2020. It was with a global law firm, White & Case LLP in London, I found the opportunity online with support from Coffee with Alice mentorship program, I applied and followed the criteria it required, got taken in, and consistently performed my tasks of research, majoring in Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADRs). I submitted as requested in the guidelines without any supervisor; I diligently kept accomplishing my assignments and gained knowledge on ADRs. This put to test my self-discipline which I think most internships ought to teach. As millennials, we need to leverage the internet and be flexible for any changing trends in the world. Today the competition is stiffer, most students want to get an opportunity to learn and experience the job market sometimes when its compulsory or out of self-drive like I did in the past 3 years. You have to put an extra pinch of consistency, and efforts towards this need. These have been my lessons based on my personal experience, I hope one or two readers get to successfully attain internship placements after going through these lessons shared.
I did my first internship in 2019 at M/S Manzi & Co. Advocates in Arua District, my second internship in 2020 virtually with White & Case LLP, London, and my third internship last year in 2021 at Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda) in its Arua Branch. Any additional remarks and questions are welcome in the comment section. This write up was intended for students with questions on how best to get an internship placement amidst so many reflections. Cheers!
Signed
Poni
