The Ride of Your Life

If you are entering the program this fall, and are nervous about landing the perfect internship, you are not alone. All MBA students in the program have felt this way at one time or another. But, don’t worry; there is hope.

The internship search can be a rollercoaster ride. One minute you are on top of the world after getting an interview with a company you are interested in and the next you are feeling dejected when that same company turns you down for an offer. For this reason, I asked a few second-year MBA students who each landed phenomenal internships late in the winter semester last year to share some ideas on what they did after their first, second, third, (and so on) choices for internships fell through. I have included some of their ideas and some additional thoughts below.

1. Stay focused on your goal and maintain the right perspective. Speaking of keeping the right perspective, one student said “There are so many fantastic companies that don‘t recruit at BYU. One of the main reasons why so many great companies do recruit at BYU is because people found internships at a company that didn‘t recruit here and left a good impression. Not getting an internship with a company that recruits at BYU is a wonderful opportunity to open doors for BYU and make a difference for yourself and future students.” Another student I spoke with said “last year I didn‘t have anything once finals were over but I kept looking and ended up with five offers.” Stay focused on your end-goal and maintain a positive attitude. The results will come.

2. Continue to practice and maintain a sense of urgency. Be humble enough to seek guidance and help from others in your internship search. Take advantage of the insights, expertise, and feedback that your Sherpa, second year mentor, can give to you. But, don’t stop there. Reach out to other first or second year students that can give you different perspectives, feedback, and suggestions. Keep networking and practicing your interviews. You need to be prepared when an opportunity presents itself.

3. Use the alumni database and the Holy Grail (Excel spreadsheet filled with connections to hundreds of companies). Speaking of using the alumni database, one student said “I sent dozens and dozens of emails out and likewise did dozens of informational interviews with people at my top companies, who I found through the alumni database and the Holy Grail…each of these contacts helped me understand the company better.”

4. Last but not least, never give up. Keep working hard. Never stop talking to people inside and out of the MBA program about your internship search. You will get out of the internship search what you put into it.

I love the scripture in Ether 12:6 that states, “Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith”. If we persevere and have faith through tough times and trials, the Lord will eventually bless us. This certainly applies to the rollercoaster ride otherwise known as the internship search process. Stay positive, keep working hard, and put your trust in the Lord. The blessings will surely follow.

Mark Lingenbrink, Class of 2011, OB/HR

Interned at: Cisco