职场经验故事:“实习女王”的成功秘籍

职场经验故事:“实习女王”的成功秘籍


Lauren Berger started out as a clueless college freshman at University of Central Florida, whose only work experience was waitressing at a seafood restaurant.

劳伦·伯杰(音译)初入职场时,还是佛罗里达州立大学一名名不见经传的大一新生。她唯一的工作经验就是在海鲜餐厅当服务员。44

But the 27-year-old woman has become an authority on landing internships.

而如今27岁的她已经成为实习领域的专家。

She completed 15 internships by the time she graduated from college in 2006 and started a business helping students find internships in 2008.

截止到2006年大学毕业时,伯杰在大学期间曾拿下15份实习工作,并于2008年开始经营专为大学生找实习工作的公司。

In her recently published book All Work, No Pay, the “Intern Queen” shares her hard-earned knowledge and insider advice on how to become an intern and get the most out of every internship opportunity.

最近,这位“实习女王”还出版了名为《不求薪水,只求工作》的新书,分享自己辛苦积累的工作经验和求职妙招,教你如何拿下实习岗位,如何从每一次实习机会中获取最多。

1. Cold calling can work.

学会打陌生电话。

It all started in the spring of her *freshman year when her *pushy mother called and insisted she get an internship.

伯杰的实习之路始于大一的春学期,当时极为看重事业的母亲打电话催促她一定要找一份实习工作。

Berger headed to Florida State’s career office where she was told that they had nothing for her. “They said, ‘There is one company in town called the Zimmerman Agency, but they only accept seniors,’” she recalled in her book.

于是她跑到佛罗里达州立大学就业办公室,却被告知没有任何工作可以提供给她。她在书中回忆道:“他们说:‘确实有一家芝玛曼公司(音译)在招人,但是他们只接受高年纪的学生。’”

She went back to her dorm and researched the Zimmerman Agency. After taking some time to study the company’s website, she picked up the phone to cold-phone: “Hello, this is Lauren Berger calling. May I speak with your internship *coordinator?”

伯杰回到寝室,开始对该公司进行调研。在来该公司网站上了解了一些情况后,她打通了陌生电话:“ 您好,我是劳伦·伯杰,可以找一下实习项目协调人吗?”

She got through, and the woman told her to send in a resume and cover letter.

电话通了,一位女士告诉伯杰将简历和求职信发给她。

2. Take immediate action when you get a lead.

抓住机会,立马行动

Berger e-mailed her materials to the company’s internship coordinator that evening. She wanted the coordinator to know that this internship was a *priority and didn’t want the woman to forget their phone conversation.

伯杰当晚就把求职材料发给了该公司的实习项目协调人。她希望对方知道这份实习工作对自己而言很重要,也希望实习负责人没有忘记她们之间的那通电话。

The next morning, her phone rang at 8 am. The coordinator was so impressed by Berger’s *promptness, she offered her an interview. “She said, ‘you don’t know how long students take to send in their materials,’” recalled Berger in an interview with Forbes.

第二天早上8点,伯杰的电话响了。她的办事效率给实习项目协调人留下深刻印象,于是得到了一次面试机会。伯杰在《福布斯》杂志的采访中曾回忆道:“她说:‘每次让学生发求职材料,都不知道要等多久。’”

3. Make yourself available.

有求必应

The internship coordinator from Zimmerman wanted to know if she was available to come into the office the following day. “At the beginning of your career, it’s important to do everything you can to make yourself available,” writes Berger in the book. She made herself available on the day and at the time the coordinator requested.

芝玛曼公关公司的实习项目协调人询问伯杰第二天能否去办公室帮忙,她爽快地答应了并按照协调人的要求准时到达。伯杰在书中写到:“在你出入职场时,尽量答应每一件力所能及的事,这一点十分重要。”

4. Prepare for the interview.

面试要打有准备的仗。

Before each interview, Berger would do further researches about the company, including the firm’s mission statement and executive *biographies.

在每一次面试前,伯杰都会详细了解招聘公司的情况,包括公司宗旨,高管简介等信息。

“Look for things you have in common with the people who run the company,” she advises. Berger recommends *incorporating *buzzwords from the mission statement into your interview.

她建议求职者:“寻找自己与公司经营者之间的共同点。”此外,她还建议在面试中,可以体现出公司宗旨中比较关键性的话语。

5. Say you’re ready to start immediately.

告诉对方你可以随时上岗

Sometimes, employers tell applicants they can take time to think about whether they want the job. Berger says you should break in and say, “I know I want this.” Berger’s eagerness and *persistence came through and she got the Zimmerman internship.

有时,雇主通常都会让求职者考虑一段时间再做决定。伯杰的建议是,这时候你需要打断对方,直接表明:“我很清楚自己想要这份工作。”当初正是这份诚恳和执著为她赢得了芝玛曼公司的实习机会。

6. Work hard and send handwritten thank-you notes after your internship concludes.

努力做好每一份工作,实习结束后给雇主发手写感谢信

After each internship concluded, Berger wrote to her employers by hand, thanking them for the experience. She kept *copious notes of all her colleagues and superiors, and sent snail mail notes to each one, three times a year. Since she started as an intern back in 2002, Berger has built a network of thousands of contacts.

伯杰在每次实习期结束后,都会给雇主发去手写的感谢信,感谢他们为自己提供的这次机会。她收藏着与从前的同事、上司大量的往来信件,并通过邮局给每一个人都寄去传统的信件,一年三次。从2002年参加实习到现在,伯杰已经建立网罗数千人的庞大人脉。