Best Fit Opportunity

What's funny about being a student at MIT is that there are so many opportunities. Do you want to be pre-med? We have an event for that! Do you want to learn how to use end note? The library is running a seminar on that! Do you want to learn about thesis presentation? These are the names, subjects and room numbers of the thesis defenses in your major!

A lot of these 'easy' opportunities are no longer beneficial to me. Often this is because I have already tried something similar. Somehow, I think I've come to a saturation point for CPW; I no longer enjoy the rush of students and events in the same way. I learned how to plan, register, advertise, and execute an event for both small and large groups of people. I don't need more practice at that skill. Other times, the opportunity simply isn't relevant to me anymore. It can be simple: I can't apply to scholarships for rising sophomores but I still get the emails! Or it can be complicated: there is an upper limit to how helpful career and major information fairs can be. To be clear, as a freshman and sophomore, these events were critical to me narrowing my interests. These events helped me in a process of elimination. I learned that I do better in one on one interviews rather than the rush of a career fair. I now focus my energy setting up meet ups and interviews rather than diluting it on prearranged opportunities where I do poorly. The easy opportunity doesn't fit me because I already used it to my best advantage.

Now, I'm searching for opportunities that are a good fit for me. I don't need generic opportunities that show up in email blasts. These well publicized events are often low effort and low impact. I've gone to dozens of seminars and talks due to publicizing emails; I don't remember any benefit from most of them aside from the free food. What I need are carefully tailored opportunities that fill in the gaps of my experience. These niche opportunities aren't well publicized or low effort, but often they offer a big impact.

The carefully selected (or created) opportunities are the ones that you both have the best shot at and will garner the most reward for. For example, my Smithsonian internship was intended for students who didn't have much experience working at a museum. That was exactly the opportunity I needed; I was exactly the candidate they wanted. Now that internship is the foundation for my resume, displaying my interest in the field and interpersonal skills.

No opportunity is going to be perfect. If you find an opportunity that inspires you but has a problem, pursue the opportunity and get creative in improving it. At the Smithsonian, I was disappointed I wasn't working directly with their conservation studio but I ended up befriending one of the interns and also going to the Museum Conservation Institute symposium. That experience was a stepping stone to the opportunity I have now at the MFA. The internship I have now was a perfect fit for my interest - working directly with research conservators - but I was worried that it didn't pay. So, I got creative and pursued funding from other sources. The extra work you put into tailoring a self-made opportunity will pay off! I can now write about my successful pursuit of funding in addition to my hands on experience.

You have to find an opportunity that is the best fit for you. In that moment, look towards where you want to be in the future. Identify the experience, skills, or qualifications you need to get there. Then find opportunities that fill those gaps. Clearly demonstrating your dedication and excitement for the field, you'll make important career connections. If you create opportunities, no one else applying for a job will have that same unique experience and resulting skill. Focus on the best fit opportunities once you know what you want!

3 Keys: Through the internship

So you have an internship and you've been there for a while. The glow is wearing off and your familiarity with the copy machine might be starting to wear on your nerves. But you want to keep up the good work you had that first week! You really want to do a great job!

Well there are 3 Key means to make sure you stay on the right track during your internship.

Read more for these 3 tips.

Stay humble 

You are not too educated or too haughty to get coffee, photocopy or do any other menial task. This should be obvious. Stuffing envelopes or entering data into excel spreadsheets may not be what you look forward to in the morning, but it's what you do with a smile once you get to work.

Take a little initiative with these things. If you're entering data, offer to find averages of attendance. Proof read the program of events before you make 500 photocopies. Ask if anyone wants fair trade or organic coffee. These little moments of initiative won't require much from you but will certainly get you noticed.

Perhaps most obvious: don't complain at work. You're welcome to do so to your family and friends off hours. But smile through the day and keep a good attitude.

Stay motivated

No matter what you should be doing you best work. Whether your boss has a bad attitude or the metro wasn't great that morning, you should be doing the best you can. Keep asking for things to do and projects to work on. If you can suggest a new idea, brainstorm against another coworker you feel comfortable with.

Try to avoid negativity at your internship. Appreciate what you can do and the accomplishment that you get out of your assignments.

Keep looking for opportunities. The adrenaline of the first week might have worn off, but the opportunities haven't gone away. Keep looking for them!

Meet with your supervisor

If you can, take the time to meet with your supervisor and get a sense of what you are doing well, how you can improve, and how you can better understand your supervisor's role in the company.

Ask about how your supervisor got into the field, what they enjoy about the company, what trainings they suggest.

Their advice will be very valuable to you - along with the fact that you are showing interest in them and motivation for your career. This can be a good way to work in networking if you're on the less chatty side.

3 Keys: Through the internship

So you have an internship and you've been there for a while. The glow is wearing off and your familiarity with the copy machine might be starting to wear on your nerves. But you want to keep up the good work you had that first week! You really want to do a great job!

Well there are 3 Key means to make sure you stay on the right track during your internship.

Read more for these 3 tips.