Persistence equals progress!

The last few months, I have been observing my friend go through the process of getting an internship. David, a broadcast journalism major, wanted to intern at a local Boston news station. He had a contact through a family friend and called him early on in the school year. He was told to call the station around January when they begin accepting internship applications. When January arrived, David excitedly called the contact and reminded him of his dedication to this potential internship.

When David didn’t get a response from the program coordinator, he became frustrated and concerned. I reminded him not to give up and be determined. Persistence shows interest, responsibility and passion. David decided to follow up by calling the coordinator. Finally, a few weeks later he received a phone call back for an interview. He felt the interview went really well and was confident that he would hear from the interviewer within the next few days. When David had not heard from him after two weeks he knew he had to do something. He was tired of calling and did not have the interviewer’s email address. The one thing he did have was the office address. David decided to write his interviewer a hand written thank you letter. Although it seems weird as most people avoid snail mail at all costs (especially for work correspondence), he knew it would not hurt.

His thank you note said something to the effect of:
Dear X,
I enjoyed speaking to you this afternoon. I think that I am a great fit for your internship program. As we discussed in our conversation, I am journalism major with experience writing for my college newspaper. Like you said, I think this would be a great first internship for me. Thank you again and I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
David

Remember while writing a thank you note to be grateful and concise. It is also a good idea to recap a part of the conversation to spark a memory.
A few days after his letter was received, David got a phone call. He was accepted to the internship program! David was so excited and realized that his persistence paid off. David learned that although sometimes times you feel like a nuisance, its better to be overly enthusiastic than lethargic.

The moral of the story is a little bit goes a long way. Take that extra step. Make that extra phone call. Write that extra letter. It’s better to go above and beyond. Remain confidant and determined and your passion with shine through.

--Lauren