how i got my first internship

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

this publication is a place for me to reflect on a new topic daily, and send it to your inbox. if you’re new here, sign up to tune in! you reading this is keeping me accountable, so thank you for that. as a treat, i drop cool resources/opportunities at the end. 💌 

btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: how i got my first internship 🏋️

around april/may of 10th grade, i was finally dipping my toes into the internship world. i had done a bit of independent longevity research, and created a whole bunch of content around it, what more could i possibly need?

well, it turns out biotech research internship programs have a lot of annoying requirements. pursuing a masters, 2-3 years of experience, solved cancer .. the list goes on, and i very quickly got frustrated filling out application forms and making endless adjustments to my resume. because nothing i did really mattered — my resume was automatically screened out as soon as they found out i was 16 years old. 👶

i gave up on filling out traditional application forms, and turned to cold outreach. i researched companies i found interesting, and sent out linkedin requests alongside emails.

i learned a lot from this process:

• how to craft a compelling subject line

• the value of linking projects directly, rather than only through a portfolio link

• + more!

many emails, calls, and connection requests later, i had a call with bioviva inc. my interviewer, and soon to be mentor, was doing her phd at the time, and the first question she asked me was about lentiviral vectors.

i didn’t even know what that was. i thought i was screwed.

instead of making up some random answer on the spot (pretty hard to do with actual scientific questions anyways), i told her honestly that i don’t know a lot about gene editing, but i’m confident in my ability to learn new things rapidly. i then appealed myself by highlighting my genuine interest in the project and previous experiences picking up new skills quickly.

in the end, i was chosen as a scientific research intern at bioviva for my enthusiasm and willingness to learn something new.

throughout this whole process, i realized that i got this internship because of 2 main reasons:

1. perseverance → i kept sending out emails, filling out applications and sending linkedin requests.

2. growth mindset → perseverance is pretty useless if you aren’t fixing what isn’t working. i kept trying new email formats and experimenting to do better. not only that, i was upfront about the holes in my knowledge and enthusiasm to learn.

of course, my work experience and research projects can always help, but i think the right fit always values the character and potential of their teams more. 🚀

cool finds of the day 🔍️