Berger - All Work, No Pay

Copyright 2012 by Lauren Berger

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Berger, Lauren.
All work, no pay : finding an internship, building your resume, making connections, and gaining job experience / by Lauren Berger. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: This guide from Intern Queen Lauren Berger shows college students (and others) how to find and land impressive internships and get the most out of them, from work experience to networking to resume buildingProvided by publisher.
1. Vocational guidance. 2. Internship programs. I. Title.
HF5381.B3647 2012
650.14dc23
2011034540

eISBN: 978-1-60774-169-5

Jacket cover photograph and author photograph, copyright 2012 by Felicity Murphy Design by Toni Tajima

v3.1

This book is dedicated to my grandma,
Gladys Levine, who always told me
I would be a writer. I love you.

THE MAJORITY OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS go through a period when everyone tells them no. I was no exception and definitely went through my own seemingly endless period of rejection after rejection. I have to thank the people who told me no. Unknowingly, they made me prove myself day after day.

The Parents

My parents, Sherry and Ira Berger, always told me I could do anything and the world was mine. I think they got a little worried when I took that literally and started calling myself the Intern Queen. Mom and Dad, thank you for loving me so much and just letting me be me.

The Brother

Jonathan, you are hands down the best little guy on the planetand you arent so little anymore. You are the president of my fan club, my bodyguard, and, at times, a really good friend. Im so proud of you.

The Book Team

To Katie Kotchman, my rock star book agent, who believed this would work from day one and helped me so much along the way. And to Lisa Westmoreland at Ten Speed for all of your guidance and encouragement with my first book project. Thank you so much.

The Intern Queen Team

To everyone I work with day in and day outthank you. To my managers, agents, and everyone who has provided any piece of advice along the wayI promise, Im always listening and I appreciate all of your words of wisdom.

The Intern Queen Family

To all of my interns over the years, our Intern Queen Campus Ambassadors, and my fansyou are the brightest, most ambitious students out there and will run the world one day. Thank you for building this with me.

The Friends

I must thank my friendsmy rocks. Ive been lucky enough to have the kind of friendships that last forever. They exemplify everything I stand for and amaze me every day with their loyalty, love, and continuous support.

IN COLLEGE, I FELT LOST. I wanted information on internships but I felt that no one really cared. My friends and I werent on the same page when it came to the importance of internships. They werent ready to think about their future. My colleges career center didnt have any internship opportunities for students until their junior or senior year. I always wished that someone or something existed to help me with the process. Where could I go to find internships and learn what to do once I landed one?

And so I taught myself. I created my own methods of finding internships, and, through trial and error, I learned to make the most of them. I finished college having completed multiple internships (fifteen, to be exact) and a friend jokingly referred to me as the Intern Queen. Near the end of my senior year, I decided that I would use the knowledge gained from my internship experiences to start a businessan online internship destination that would list available opportunities and educate students on how to make the most of them. I would call it www.internqueen.com.

Through my internships, I gained tons of insight about myself, the workplace, and my future. You dont have to do this alone. Let me be the person to guide you on your internship journey. I will provide you with strategies and techniques to find and land great internshipssomething nobody shared with me.

The state of our economy calls for action. As young people, we must stand up and make things happen. If you are considering this book, or reading this introduction, you should be proud. Its easy to sit around, do nothing, and wait for opportunities to come to you. The most valuable thing I learned from my fifteen internships was that I had the ability to make things happen. Obstacles motivate me; rejection motivates me. And I learned how to deal with obstacles and rejection over the course of my internship journey.

Yes, this is a book about internshipshow to get an internship, make the most of it, and leverage it for your future. But personally, it means so much more. Ultimately these experiences carried me from where I was to where I wanted to be. They taught me that anything is possible.

Learning and educating yourself through real-world experience will help you reach your goals. You have two optionsto continue reading and take control of your life right now or to put the book back on the shelf. This is your life. You have an opportunity. Let me be a resource for you. Start this book, put my tips to use, and I promise youll gain valuable experience unlike anything else.

I have squeezed every last bit of myself into this book. My passion for internships, helping young people, and inspiring my generation is like no other. And I promise that my energy is contagious. Enjoy my bookand your upcoming journey.

Lauren Berger, the Intern Queen

AS A COLLEGE FRESHMAN, I focused on everything except opportunity. My days consisted of binge-studying and social activities. I knew that big career decisions would command my attention in the not-so-distant future, but my focus was elsewhere. I didnt have an answer to the infamous question, What do you want to be when you grow up? My parents and teachers would always say, Lauren, get your act together and figure out what you want to do. But no one provided an action plan that I could follow to move forward. I was always being told I had lots of potential, but I didnt understand how to turn that into success.

So in 2002, when my mother called and said, Get an internship, my initial reaction was that I wasnt interested. When I realized my mom wasnt going to let up, I began to seriously consider internship opportunities. Ironically it was my lack of direction that led me into the career center to find more information.

Without rejection, I wouldnt have developed the thick skin that I have today. In fact, my first internship experience began with rejection. I walked into the career center and eagerly announced, My name is Lauren Berger, and Id love an internship. My dream job is to work for Us Weekly magazine. The two women from the career center stood there and stared at me. They said, Were sorry, Lauren, but you need to be a junior or senior to intern. There is one company in town called the Zimmerman Agency, but they only accept seniors. We have nothing for you.