From ‘Shortlisted’ to ‘Not selected’ to ‘Hired’ : Hera’s journey
About the Author: Hera Hassan, a student from University Institute Of Technology, Burdwan, shares her journey of getting two internships at AWOHES and SAVEMONK.
Like a harbinger, it came
and filled the empty spaces
in my barren CV.
I owe mighty thanks to Internshala
for fueling my passion
for Content Writing.
It all began this summer, my life-changing internship journey. I always had this thing at the back of my mind about earning online, getting certificates, beautifying my resume, etc. And one day, I came across an internship platform called Internshala. So, I tightened my seatbelt, buckled up my shoelaces, and fastened towards my dream internship.
Although I’m a Computer Science student, writing has always been the pinnacle of my interests. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to dive into the world of English Literature; the Internshala platform finally helped me hone my writing skills. I have had a sweet & sour experience on this platform. Well, sour in the beginning because all my applications were rejected. My resume was pathetic as I had no idea how to make it presentable. On top of it, I had no work experience, which was the major reason for my despondency. I applied for 4-5 internships, in one go, desperately hoping to get selected in one of them. As there were hardly any options available in Gaya (my hometown), the only way out for me was to apply for a virtual internship. Not losing track, I kept striving for an internship, and one day, finally, ‘Shortlisted’ read my dashboard; if only I could somehow explain, how lovely that moment was – full of hopes, excitement, and self-boost.
I checked my email almost every day. Each time I saw the dashboard, there was a magical confidence shaping up inside of me. After waiting for a week, they finally gave a verdict – ‘Not selected’. However, the story does not end there. I received an email from Internshala about the reasons I might have been rejected and how to work on them. Those words still reverberate in my ears – to not lose hope, work on my application, and apply for more internships.
The major force that drove me towards my preferred internship was not the stipend, but my love for writing, and the learnings I’d gain with the experience. I wrote a beautiful answer to the question – ‘why do you think you should be hired?‘ while applying for a content writing internship at AWOHES (a Delhi based NGO). I checked their website and blog posts and, though unpaid, it allured me with the kind of work they were doing for humanity. Next day, I received a message from the organization regarding my application, and finally, my dashboard read – ‘Hired’. My journey from ‘shortlisted’ to ‘not selected’ to ‘hired’ has been phenomenal in so many ways. From getting my work published to having a great work experience, I had an awesome time working with them.
After the episode at AWOHES, I edited my resume to make it more presentable, built a stronger profile, and sincerely answered all the questions in the applications. After putting in these efforts, I was shortlisted in 8 companies in a span of 15 days. After being shortlisted for a company named SAVEMONK, I was asked to write a sample article using the given keywords. Then, I was interviewed online by one of the employees, an account of which you might enjoy reading.
Interviewer: Hello Hera, I’m from Savemonk.
Me (heart beats getting faster; nervous): Hello Sir, how is the work proceeding?
Interviewer: I went through your article. How much time did you put into this content?
Me (confused whether to answer honestly): I started working after 12 am and completed it by 2 am. It took me some time to do the research on the topic. (Sighing deeply on mentioning the truth)
Interviewer: Great. So tell me something about yourself.
Me (feeling comfortable with the question): I’m a Computer Science student, studying in West Bengal. Writing for me is love. I read, write, and take part in literary activities. I usually hunt for new words in my free time. And I am here to improve upon my skills.
Interviewer (impressed): Good. How many such articles can you write in a month for us?
Me (no idea whatsoever, how to reply to this question): I guess, I can write about 12.
Interviewer: We have a minimum requirement of one article per day. Will you be able to do that?
Me (Startled): That means thirty articles a month?
Interviewer: Yeah, close to that. The articles will be similar to each other. So, not a lot of research work is required.
Me (Not wanting to lose the opportunity): My classes will begin next week, but I want to take a shot at it.
Interviewer: Do you have any idea about SEO?
Me: Yeah, I helped some of my seniors, while they were hunting for keywords, optimize their web page to make it distinct from the rest.
Interviewer: Okay. The articles you’ll write will be SEO centric. Do you know about our website?
Me (smiling): Yeah. I had a look at it, yesterday.
Interviewer: It’s great to know that you are interested. We offer a decent stipend that is subject to increment next month onwards based on your performance.
Me (sarcastically): I would compel you to make it twice next month.
Interviewer: That’s a good spirit to have. I’d get back to you after a discussion with my team.
Me: Sure, Sir.
Later, I got a message congratulating me for my selection, followed by an offer letter. Dreams were finally coming true, my confidence was sky-high, and I was ready to take up exciting challenges that awaited at Savemonk.
“Confidence, honesty, and a little knowledge about the work can take you farther in your expeditions.”
If Hera’s experience motivates you, you can check out the latest Content Writing internships and internships in Delhi.
Editor’s note – If you also have an interesting story to share, you can now participate in Your Internship Story Contest 2017 and win cash prizes and goodies worth INR 1 Lac!
