It is about that time of year where you know if you are going to be interning somewhere this summer. Applications for the most part have closed and decisions have been made. If you were on the sour end of the decision process do not despair there are still plenty of ways to make sure you have a productive summer.
1. Find a job.
Even if that means you need to go back to bagging groceries find a way to make consistent money. After all what good is summer break if you don’t have money?
2. Ask the company/companies that denied you why they denied you and if there is any way you can contribute.
Get the feedback to find out why your application was not a success to increase your chances next time you apply. Also, odds are if you ask them if you can do free work they will give you some basic data entry to do. This gets your foot in the door and it may develop into an internship.
3. Network.
Reach out to any company that really interests you and try to set up a lunch meeting with one of their employees. This will open up many doors for you and again may develop into an internship. Ask your mom or dad if you can go into work with them for a day even if their job is not necessarily what you want to do. Ask a friend with an internship if it would be possible for you to go into the office to visit.
4. Figure out ways to increase your value.
Research the stock market. Learn how to use excel. Learn how to code. A good website to learn how to code is here and its 100% free. There are plenty of things you can do to increase your self worth to heighten your odds of getting the internship the next time around.
5. Read and write.
There is no better way to sharpen your mind then by reading and writing. Read books that will help you out and that are practical. I would recommend Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi to anyone and the Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham to any business majors.
6. Help out around the house
Luckily for us not finding a job is not the end of the world as we still have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge. Be grateful for these things and show your appreciation by doing chores and playing your part in the house. We are never to old to show our parents we care and that we appreciate what they do for us.
It is not the end of the world that you did not get an internship this summer. I was in your same shoes a couple summers ago but I was able to rebound from that and not let the sea of rejection letters discourage me. Think of the summer as being 4 months of preparation so you can really go in and dominate your internship next year. If anyone wants any more advice on what to do in your spare time this summer feel free to tweet at me @aghanomics212.
Can you think of anymore ways to be productive without having an internship?