Written By Kirstein Velasquez

Dreaming of becoming the most competitive internship candidate? Hoping to bag that opportunity to work at your dream company as early as the third year? Fret not because Eto Kami Ngayon 2021’s third and final speaker Mr. Mark Jay Dela Cruz, an accomplished fourth-year standing BA Organizational Communication student, went deep into his hour-long lecture on the nitty-gritty aspects of job hunting, profile building, and everything internship. 

In this work-from-home setup, Mr. Dela Cruz explained, he was able to freelance a wide range of practical careers remotely in a leisure environment. This is evident in the roster of his internship roles which includes Graphic Design Artist at Kippap Education PH, Marketing Associate at Webpuppies Digital SG, Marketing Specialist at Lamudi PH, and Learning Package Developer at Virtual Benilde and Ascendens Asia. However, he clarified that working in these opportunities would not have been possible if not for the current quarantine restrictions imposed in the country. 

But one may ask, just how stellar and exemplar should you be to be accepted not just in one, nor two, but five different firms? You may want to boost up your extracurriculars and be literally “extra” in your interests, simply because the answer lies in your application documents and profile.

But before diving into the complex and wordy writeups, let’s begin by knowing why an internship is essential for OrCom majors and why it is also one of the most dreaded events in the program. First, it is a required subject taken during the midyear period of the third year. This also means that accomplishing the minimum 200-hour internship is a graded requirement. The workload is obviously heavy, hence it will be difficult, taxing, and tedious. Lastly, internship positions are seasonal. They don’t always open when you need them. Mr. Dela Cruz strongly recommended being proactive and begin searching and applying for prospective internships as early as the second semester of the third year. 

Our greatest asset is the holy trinity of application documents: the resume, curriculum vitae, and our creative portfolio. 

Perfecting your Resume

A good resume is customized to tailor fit to what the organization is looking for. You must not use the same template for applying to human resources, marketing, public relations, and communications. Mr. Dela Cruz emphasized the importance of making specific resumes for certain departments because you need to highlight your skills and experiences that best fit and are relevant to the job description. 

You may also design your resume according to the identity and brand of the company. For example, use the same color palette in your resume as the colors of the company logo. You could also use the website design of the firm as your inspiration for the overall aesthetics of your resume. 

A good resume is always updated. Mr. Dela Cruz suggested to only use the most relevant and significant achievements and academic background for the job, so this is your sign to stop putting where you graduated from elementary on your resume.

And most importantly, sell yourself by using measurable elements such as active verbs that signify your initiative and exhibit your work quality (e.g. spearheaded a campus-wide campaign, represented the organization in an international student leaders’ conference, praised by committee heads for exemplary performance). 

Standing Out with your Curriculum Vitae

Here, you elaborate on your ‘Why’. Why do you want this job? Why do you even want to apply here in our organization? And most importantly, why would you be the best candidate for this position?

Indeed, competition exists. You are not the only one eyeing this specific company. Internship programs are both a stage for improvement and a venue for a competition. You have to stand out amongst thousands of candidates vying for the same position as you are. You have to shine a light on your most beautiful qualities that will prove that you are the best person they can offer the job. 

Be persuasive, factual, and personal. These three elements of the curriculum vitae may be able to help you boost your chance of getting that position.

Showing Off with your Creative Portfolio

This is incredibly important for people who might want to apply for design and writing jobs. Do not merely list your qualities—show them. Show your best web design outputs and content writings for the hiring committee’s reference. Not only are you able to showcase your talents, but you are also proving that your capabilities are not only justified by adjectives but also real, tangible evidence. 

After mastering the holy trinity of application documents, your next big step is the interview. Mr. Dela Cruz advised sealing as many interview opportunities as possible to ensure that if one fails, there will be many more to try out for. He also mentioned that being genuine and honest are the biggest points that will get you accepted. After all, they want to know you as a person beyond the documents you sent them.

As his last reminder, he reminds us to choose paid internship. Not because we love money, but because we don’t condone exploitative work environments. A college intern doesn’t deserve that. He also said not to be pressured and just enjoy the learning experience. It is only natural that you might feel overwhelmed at this point. Even I, a current OrCom sophomore, can feel anxiety blanketing over me like a heavy veil while typing this. But I believe that Mr. Mark Jay perfectly gave us a crash course on how to book and ace that internship.

So, one may ask, just how stellar and exemplar should you be to be accepted not just in one, nor two, but five different firms? Simply, Mr. Mark Jay Dela Cruz showed us the power of excellent application document writing and honesty during interviews will get you far into the internship, and future work, arena.