How I Got An Internship by Going Viral on LinkedIn
A very candid photo (I totally did not pose for this photo for the sake of this article)
Here’s the story of my job-search journey and what I learned along the way.
The abridged version of this story was published in July 2021 on Concordia.ca
A screenshot of my job applications database
I’ve been rejected everywhere.
This year, I applied to over 50 summer internship positions:
32 Never Answered
25+ Cover Letters
15 Rejection Emails
3 Interviews
1 Follow Up
0 Offers
I had done everything I could think of to create a competitive resume, yet nothing had paid off.
No one wanted to give me a chance.
As frustrating as this was, I went back to the white board and I tried to figure out exactly why I was not able to get any offers. I thought I was doing everything right: writing personalized cover letters, including SEO keywords in my resume, refining my Linkedin page, preparing for my interviews, cold emailing companies and employers, etc.
I eventually asked a few of my closest friends for some feedback and the overarching theme seemed to be that my resume looked ugly and uninspiring, especially for the marketing roles that I was applying for.
So, I created a website showcasing my abilities. I highlighted every aspect of who I am — I wanted to be as transparent as possible and show the world exactly what I do.
Why am I sharing this story?
What you just read above was a part of a post I wrote and shared on my Linkedin feed. Two weeks after its release, it had already garnered over 100,000 views.
My post’s analytics 2 weeks after publication
I was contacted by hundreds of individuals across the world giving me advice and offering me internship opportunities, freelance jobs and full-time work after graduation. More importantly, as my post gained traction, I started getting private messages by many Concordia students telling me that they’ve been through this in the past, while some students even spoke to me about their current struggles finding a summer internship.
Many told me that my post made them feel less alone and that it inspired them to keep looking and to think of new ways to approach employers moving forward.
Even though I wrote this post in an attempt to help myself, I quickly realized that my story was bigger than me, as my openness to share my rejections helped others feel less alone and more connected to those who have struggled in the past and who are currently uncertain of their future.
So, I figured I would share some of the tips I received from the employers who reach out to me. I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.
What People Had To Say:
1. Connections are everything.
Realistically speaking, most jobs are filled through personal referrals and unannounced internal hirings. Often times, job postings are just put out to the public as a formality more than anything. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to every company and situation out there, but for the most part, applying to places can often feel like you’re wasting your time completing forms, writing up cover letters and sending them out into the void.
Based on the advice I got, if you have no connections and none of your referrals can help you out, you either have to apply to 100 or 200 places (I’m not exaggerating) with the expectation that 97% of employers will not even reach out for an interview, or you have to find a way to reach people through cold emails or by creating content that ends up on a recruiters social media feed. Obviously the latter is more serendipitous, but it’s worth a shot. If it worked for me, why wouldn’t it work for you?
2. Offer a solution to whatever problem recruiters are facing.
Don’t initially ask for what you want — Provide value, then ask. Sometimes a recruiter is looking to fill a position that has nothing to do with your own experience and expertise. Maybe you have a friend who is a specialist in whatever position the recruiter is looking to fill. Send an email to the recruiter referring your friend and wishing them a good day.
Who knows? In the future, they might reach out to you if they are looking for whatever skill you can bring to the table. If not, at least you have a point of contact where you can easily follow up if the right position opens up for you in the future.
3. Don’t take no for an answer.
This next piece of advice, I won’t even paraphrase. Word for word, here is what a Concordia alumni and former career counsellor said to me:
“Create a short 1–2 paragraph message intended for the VP marketing of each company you applied to and other marketing VPs. You may be able get the premium LinkedIn for a month free (just remember to cancel it before month end) Write something like this…
Hello (name of person),
I am following up on a missed opportunity. I applied to be an intern at (name company) through the usual channels and … (I received a rejection email or never heard back…whatever happened).
You have the experience in the field I want a career in and although it’s a lot to ask of a stranger with a busy schedule, I would sincerely appreciate if you could take 10 minutes out of your day to have a look at my (personal website or resume) and give me some advice on how to get my foot in the door at your company or even in another one. My promise to you is that when I have an established career I will pay it forward and help someone starting out.
Thank you for considering contributing to my successful career.
Kosta”
4. People are nicer than you think.
Many people who reached out just wanted to give me advice because they related to my post and/or because they wanted to help for the sake of helping. Although most people will leave you on “read,” sometimes the most unexpected person in the world will reply to your email or message because they just want to help.
Many people who I spoke to for 15 to 60 minutes at a time simply requested that I pay the good deed forward when I am much older and experienced like them.
Send out that email. Just because the chances of getting a response are small, that does not mean you shouldn’t try. Who knows what can happen?
5. Don’t take any advice.
This might sound a little ironic considering my entire story is about me asking others for advice and then relaying it to you in this article, but there’s something to be said about the following: The amount of advice that I got from people was appreciated and for the most part useful, but a lot of it contradicted itself.
For example, one person told me that my resume was formatted the wrong way, while another person told me that it looked original and did not require any changes. Or, one person told me my website was too personal, while another person told me they liked how personalized and down to earth it was.
There were moments where I felt like people’s advice created more doubt than clarity in my life. That’s when I realized that no advice out there necessarily applies to every single person.
All Advice Conflicts:
Photo Credit: The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha
Yes, I listen to people’s advice when solicited, but I remind myself that all advice is autobiographical — People will tell you what worked for them.
I like to constantly remind myself that I am in control of my own life and what’s worked for one person won’t necessarily work for me.
6. The most important thing I learned
The most important thing I learned is that, you can be the most qualified engineer or the most creative graphic designer out there, but if nobody knows about you, it’s as if you never existed. That is why I now actively put myself out there if I want people to notice me — I have to show my worth. Otherwise, no one will ever know what I can bring to the table.
There’s a whole world out there waiting for me and you.
Let’s make it count.
Thank you to everyone who reached out and who gave me their time.
PS: For those who are curious, I accepted an internship at Botpress as a Marketing & Growth Intern!
PPS: I was featured on CityNews for this story. Check it out👇🏻
“I was rejected everywhere,” says Kosta Kounadis, a Montreal student whose post about failing to find work went viral on LinkedIn. Samsara Rainville reports. Read more
