My name is Cara Pleym, and like so many other students, I have felt the pressure to obtain an internship, any internship, just so I have that golden word to put on my CV. I have suffered through endless applications, constantly checking emails to hear back and almost getting an internship but not quite making the grade.
The most memorable experience for me was
with the knowledge that my skills had been
when I applied for an Ernst and Young
thoroughly examined and that my finance skills
internship in the summer before second year
had let me down.
of university, and I was thrilled to move up the stages despite the fact I didn’t study
Sure enough, I received the call to say I had
accounting or finance. Even then, I understood
the qualities they desired, but there was not
the importance of such an internship and the
enough evidence to give me an internship
career opportunities it could provide me if
offer. To say I was gutted is quite an
I could just get my foot in the door.
understatement. However, two years on, I have realised that it’s the best thing that
It wasn’t easy – I almost cried over the
could have happened.
application form, ended up late for my
8
interview with a senior manager and upon
I was so set on applying for what everyone else
arrival at the assessment centre, I soon
applied for, that I didn’t stop to consider what
discovered everyone else was about to
value the internship held for me. While the
graduate. I was proud I had managed to get
Ernst and Young internship would have been
to the last stage but terrified I wouldn’t make
an amazing opportunity, it wasn’t for me
the cut. After a long gruelling day, I came away
and I’m not interested in an accounting career.