Be Aggressive, but Not Too Aggressive

Sofia Grimsgard is a junior at Indiana University in Bloomington, studying Journalism with specializations in broadcast journalism, public relations and graphic communications. She completed an internship with KXAN – a NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas.

Growing up as a naturally motivated individual made me very aware of the effects that my actions would have on my future. I was always thinking about where I wanted to end up, what I wanted to do and what kind of career I wanted to have. I also knew none of my dreams would come true without hard work and persistence – including valuable work experience from a young age. After having three internships so far, I have one piece of advice that seems to have carried more weight than any other: be aggressive, but not too aggressive.

Getting your name out there is of the utmost importance. Tread carefully though: it’s as much about who you know, as it is about who knows you. Get your name published if you want to go into journalism. Join an engineering club if you’re majoring in engineering. If you want to go to law school, join the mock trial team.

The most important piece of advice I think that anyone could benefit from when it comes to looking for a job or internship that has to do with being the right amount of aggressive: reach out, but to an extent. Whether it’s on LinkedIn or Facebook, if you come across someone who works for your dream company, reach out. Send them an email or two. Tell them who you are, where you’re from and ask them about their career before you jump right into asking them to put in a good word. Worst case is, they don’t reply, but at least you tried and got your name out there.

Be respectful, do not reach out every week for the next three months. Limit your emails to once or twice within a month. If you don’t get a response, they may have passed your email on to someone else or didn’t have time for it. And when you do talk with them, update them every once in awhile to keep the connection going. Even if you make a small connection on LinkedIn, when it comes time to look at your application, it can really make all the difference.

All in all, there are so many ways to land your dream job or internship, but I believe the most important way has to do with reaching out to individuals on your own and showing initiative and passion for the position.