Your guide to going from ‘Applied’ to ‘Hired’ on Internshala

You are finally ready to step into the professional world. You have even found the right internships and jobs to apply for and courageously put yourself out there. However, even after all these efforts, you cannot seem to get out of ‘Applied’ or ‘Not selected’ zone. So we have prepared a short guide to help you fly out of there and into the ‘Hired’ wonderland.

1. I have applied for an internship/fresher job but have not heard back from the employer. What should I do?

You spent hours on your application, yet there has been nothing but dead silence from the employer’s end. You check your Internshala dashboard every day, but all you see is ‘Applied’ or worse, ‘Seen’ (sigh). You are puzzled why the employer has not shown the courtesy of sending a rejection. You are starting to believe all the rumours about how harsh the ‘real’ working world is. But let’s pause and think about it for a second, shall we?

In an ideal world, the employers would go through each application and share feedback on why they rejected an application. Isn’t that the least they can do if they have got an application? But, is that feasible? For most posts, employers receive a huge number of applications. Therefore, it may not always be possible for them to respond to your application and give a reason for rejecting your application. 

While we don’t have any antidote to rejection, we can offer some advice that has worked for us and other students that we have talked to over the past 10 years. One way to increase your chances of getting hired is by applying for as many internships or jobs as you are qualified for and that align with your interests. Other than this, you can review your existing applications to find out if you are making any common mistakes that may be leading to a rejection of your application. You can also check out these stories to understand what worked for them and see whether the same could be helpful in your case.

2. What should I put on my resume?

If you feel a little lost every time you think about what to write on your resume, then here’s how you can get started.

Go through the job description of the internship(s) that you are applying for. Next, note the skills required and the responsibilities that you will carry out once you are hired. For instance, say you are applying for a marketing position wherein you need to create email campaigns, and the internship requires skills like copywriting and collaboration. Hence, you should mention these in your resume. But simply stating that you have these skills is not enough; you should also give examples wherein you have demonstrated these skills. For example, if you have a blog, you can share a link to that under the work samples section in your resume. Or, if you run an Instagram account, you can share a link to that as well to show skills such as copywriting, knowledge of content creation trends, familiarity with design tools, and know-how of analytical tools like Instagram Insights. For the collaboration part, you can mention working on a group project(s). You can share how you contributed, the challenges you faced and overcame, and what were the results of the said project. 

If you do not have the necessary skills yet, you can first work on acquiring them through online trainings, personal projects, workshops, and likewise.

Sometimes, you might see a skill that you do not have and wonder if you can still apply. Well, the answer depends on how important that skill is for the job. For instance, if you are applying for a web development internship, then you need to have skills such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and so on, but you may not need to be proficient in SEO. When in doubt, ask yourself, can you carry out the responsibilities that the employer has stated without having a particular skill? If the answer is yes, go ahead and apply. If not, maybe you can take some time to work on these skill(s).

To summarise, when you are writing your resume, mention skills, and projects that relate to the internship or job that you have applied for. 

To learn more, read How to make a resume for internships – The complete beginner’s guide.

3. How should I answer the ‘why should you be hired’ question in my application?

Let’s begin by talking about how not to answer this commonly asked question. 

Do not just Google the answer and copy that. This is called plagiarism and definitely does not help you make your case. Instead, take some time to think about why you want this internship (yes, that stipend looks good but what else?) and what skills you possess that make you the right candidate.

Through this question, an employer primarily wants to know – why you want to work for their company in that role and what makes you the right fit (skills, interests, and experiences). You can research the company and explain how the work they are doing is aligned with your interests and goals. For example, perhaps you are applying for an ed-tech company. In this case, you can talk about your interest in the online learning space and anything that you find engaging in the organisation’s work. If you are applying for a marketing position, mention the necessary skills such as communication, management, and creativity. Moreover, perhaps you can refer to the kind of campaigns they did that you found interesting. You can also look up news and updates about the company. If you find that they are currently struggling to solve any problem that your work can help with, write that in the answer. 

Since an example can speak louder than 1000 words, here’s a sample answer to the ‘why should you be hired’ question.

Lastly, show attention to detail and make the answer as error-free as possible. Avoid grammatical and punctuation errors. If you need help with this, you can try Grammarly, a free online tool that suggests changes to make your writing better.

If writing in English is a major barrier, you can try English with Internshala. Since the Queen’s language is not the easiest one to learn in the world, a little practice never hurts. 

4. Interviews are a bit unnerving (read: horror show feels) for me. How do I prepare myself?

Like most things in life, it comes down to preparation and practice! To begin with, think about responses to common questions such as tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses, and why should we hire you. You can read this article on common interview questions and answers to get guidance on framing these responses. 

Once you reflect on these answers, conduct mock interviews with your friends and family. The more you practise, the more you will be at ease when the time comes for showtime. Once you have practised, take some time to make sure that everything else is in order. Try to find a quiet place, check network connectivity, be appropriately dressed, keep a notepad and a pen nearby, and stay hydrated! If you still feel jittery, remember that an interview is not an interrogation (even though it definitely feels like that!) but a conversation. Think of it as a chance to speak about your interests and learn about the company’s work.

Once you are done with an interview, you can ask the interviewer about the next steps. If you think the role is a perfect match, you can also send a thank-you note to your interviewer to thank them for their time and reiterate your interest in the role. 

5. I have given my interview but have not heard back. 

So you survived the interview but have not heard back from the employer in a while?  If it’s been a week and the wait is killing you, you can follow-up with the employer. If you get a positive response, congratulations! When you have celebrated the moment, the next step is to review your job offer to make sure everything is in order such as stipend/compensation, responsibilities, and so forth. If there’s a discrepancy between the job post and the job offer, you may write to us at complaints@internshala.com, and we will help you in the matter.

If you receive a rejection, then take a moment to appreciate all that went right and how far you came in the application process. If you have received feedback from the employer regarding it, that’s great! You already know what did not work. However, if you are wondering what may have gone wrong, here are a few common reasons behind the rejection of a candidate:

i. Not researching about the company or role.
ii. Arriving late.
iii. Not describing the relevant skills and experience with examples.
iv. Not being a cultural fit.
v. Lacking enthusiasm for the role.
vi. Not having the required expertise in a skill.

Apart from the above-mentioned reasons, there can also be other reasons such as many qualified candidates and disagreement between team members regarding your selection. While it’s important to work on what went wrong, do not lose hope, keep applying, and take moments to recharge. 

If you landed on this page before applying for an internship or fresher job, then go ahead, register on Internshala and start applying! If you need a little more help with the application process, you can check out the Internship & Job Preparation training. Use BLOG10 to get a discount of 10%.

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