Internships, revisited

Rachel

I caught a little heat from my boss after she read my last post on internships because I failed to mention that my job now actually sprung from an internship she granted me five (whoa!) years ago with Wells Fargo. Oops.

So here's my Wells Fargo internship story.

I had just graduated from college with a degree in Journalism and an emphasis in advertising. I needed a job. My neighbor worked for Wells Fargo and said they were hiring. So I applied for a banker job. Banker. A Journalism major? I know.

It was interesting at first. I might as well have superglued  my calculator to my right arm. After learning the ropes at my branch, I heard about the marketing department. Light bulb! I knew what I wanted to do.

Here are the steps I took:

• Requested an informational interview with the Marketing Manager.
• Received word that she was willing to meet with me! Celebrated by buying a new outfit to wear for the meeting.
• Arrived embarrassingly early (I think 45 minutes. This is not advisable. I really should have stopped for coffee to kill time — decaf, of course).
• Attempted to ask insightful, intelligent questions during the interview.
• Sent a thank-you note. 
• Wrote one of my college professors asking him for advice on what to do from there.
• Traveled to Europe with my BFF  and realized I wanted to move to be closer to her and my friends.
• Requested a job transfer.
• Arrived at new branch.
• Checked into new region's marketing set up. Found out they were looking for an INTERN!
• Hiring manager called her college professor asking for student recommendations (the SAME college professor I had asked for advice).
• Applied for the internship.
• Was given 24-hour notice for the interview.
• Was super nervous and choked a little during the interview but mentioned the informational meeting I'd had (bonus!).
• Miraculously an internship offer was extended.
• I accepted!

Five years later, I've graduated from intern to marketing consultant and I'm ever so thankful for every opportunity that's come my way. I really I think it comes down to knowing what you want, learning everything you can about it (and all things related to it) and demonstrating all the great things you have to offer to contribute to it. I'm still earning my stripes in my job, and all the basics continue to help me as I work toward whatever comes next.