Dream jobs aren’t beyond reach

  Gilda Gazor Gazor is a fourth-year
political science student and dream-job sensei. E-mail her at
[email protected].
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OK, so you wanna be an MTV VJ? No, but how many times have you
been sitting at home watching Carson Daly on TRL and wondered how
cool it would be to work for MTV? How many times have you dreamed
of working for a top law firm? Well, I am going to tell you what
career fairs won’t!

No, I’m not going to give you a secret code that will make
you the CEO of Microsoft, but I will tell you the key to any dream
job lies in your own initiative. The first step is to decide what
career you want to develop. Be outrageous or farfetched with your
ideas; nothing is out of reach if you put your mind to it.

The goal here is to attain an internship with a company in the
field of your choice. I know Monica Lewinsky spoiled the validity
of this position, but working as an intern is beneficial.
You’ll gain experience while making connections and setting
up future career opportunities in your field of interest.

You may even be able to work your way up the ladder from an
internship. Often times companies look to hire from within ““
even turning to interns ““ before looking to outside
resources.

Let’s say your future goal is to be a news anchor for CNN.
Start by attaining contact information for CNN in your local area.
With telephone directories and the Internet, this is not
complicated.

Now, call them!

Don’t hesitate or be afraid; places like this know there
are students like you looking for internships and are very willing
to use their prestige to make you work for free.

But keep in mind that when you call, you must clearly express
your interest to the operator. If you are only interested in a
specific department of CNN, state that up front. But remember, you
can increase your chances of getting an internship if you’re
not picky about which department you want to work in.

So say: “Hi, my name is Joe Bruin and I’m a junior
communications student at UCLA ““ I’m interested in a
possible internship at CNN.” They will direct you to the
right person and you will be on your way to being a news
anchor.

You’re thinking: this sounds good on paper, but it’s
not realistic. I admit there are several companies who have a
rigorous application process or don’t accept interns at all.
What’s worse is they may connect you to a voice system or
give you the runaround. This is common among more prestigious
companies.

But if you are trying to work in the big leagues, you
can’t be discouraged. If you run into a problem like this,
contact a specific department at CNN separately to see if they are
looking for help.

The key is to stand out among other applicants. Speaking to an
individual in a department will put you ahead of the game. Call any
listing in your area, or even the corporate headquarters and
request to be connected to the department of your choice.

If after trying all this you are still unlucky, stay motivated
and move on to another news station that interests you. You may go
through several news stations until one is willing to hire you.
Sometimes it just takes talking to the right person at the right
time.

If you are successful in all these steps and CNN is willing to
meet you, there is one more thing you need to land the job:
persistence. This is the most important element to my entire
strategy. Show them your enthusiasm for the job. If you are willing
and persistent, they know you will carry out your job with the same
energy.

I speak from experience because this is how I got my dream job
working for Sony Music. Two years ago, while I was a radio DJ at
KLA (what used to be UCLA radio), I called Sony Music headquarters
in New York to get some free samples. The operator put me through
to the director of college marketing, who appreciated my initiative
and gave me an interview for a college marketing position in Los
Angeles.

I stayed persistent by calling frequently to check my status. My
boss now says he only hired me because he appreciated the hunger I
had for the job. It was my drive that put me above all the other
applicants. That was when I realized it is possible to attain
anything with a little resourcefulness and a lot of initiative.