Internships were meant to be a solution to this conundrum, but as one American University student soon discovered while trying to gain work experience, these days it’s difficult to even land a job serving coffee to corporate executives.
“I was a first-generation college student who was completely baffled by the internship paradox. I needed experience to get an internship, but I couldn’t get one without it,” Ayala Ossowski, who just turned 24, tells Fortune.
But after hearing reviews from more than 100 apps, she decided to turn to unusual networking methods.
Gen Z was already working 20 hours a week at a pizza shop in a Washington, D.C., suburb, or as she puts it, “one of the richest and most influential neighborhoods in the world.”
Being face to face with powerful people while serving them a portion made her think: “Why can’t these people give me a job?
“I realized that the barrier was that all they saw was the girl who was giving them the pizza,” she adds. “I needed to give them a reason to see me as a potential employee.”
That’s when Ossowski decided he was going to start wearing a baseball cap with his university’s logo emblazoned on the front at every shift.
“I needed to give myself some kind of credential from the beginning, that would show them that I was studying,” he adds.
All it takes is one person to notice you.
Just as Ossowski predicted, the baseball cap was a topic of conversation.
Instead of making small talk while waiting for their pizza order, customers would look at the logo on the cap and ask, “Oh, American University, do you go there?”
They were probably being polite and not expecting much of a response, but every time they asked Ossowski about the hat she would launch into her introductory speech.
“Yes, I’m a student there and I study public relations and marketing,” she recited her rehearsed lines.
“I’m actually looking for an internship for the spring, if you know anyone who’s hiring. Enjoy your pizza.”
Anyone who wants to copy Ossowski should beware: you’ll get a lot of strange looks while selling yourself at the cash register of a pizzeria (or a bakery, or a pet supply store, or a clothing boutique, for that matter).
“Most people were just nervously laughing and not really knowing what to make of it because it was a bit weird,” he recalls. “But I didn’t care because I knew it would work. I knew that would be the only way to get a foot in the door.”
His instincts were right. After a month of bewildered expressions, All that was left for him was to impress the right person to conclude his job search.
“In the end, someone took a chance on me because they appreciated my tenacity, my determination and my willingness to ask for what I wanted so badly,” Ossowski adds. “I got the job and my last shift at the shop was the following week.”
Eventually, Ossowski got the experience he needed to rack up more work experience. One internship led to another, and now, a few years after the fateful moment, he’s on Cisco’s communications team.
“Those experiences helped me get the job I have today,” she smiles. “If I hadn’t worn that hat and gotten that first internship, I don’t know where I would have ended up.”
Graduates: You never know who’s watching you
Even if it doesn’t cater to DC’s elite residents, young job seekers shouldn’t neglect networking (or at least making the effort) in their student work.
Not only is this a good use of your time, but it also allows potential employers to see how you handle yourself in a real work environment, even if it’s behind a bar or cash register. Ultimately, you never know who’s watching you.
Unbeknownst to her, Ossowski had already impressed her future boss even before asking for a job.
“The client who preceded the person who ultimately gave me my first internship was a very, very difficult client. Everything was wrong with his order. He was taking too long; his kids were hungry. It was a terrible situation,” he explained.
“I have worked in the service industry for many years, so I treated them kindly, helped them solve their problem, and they left happy.”
The hiring manager told the graduate later during the interview that his handling of the client was a “big reason why” he gave him his business card.
That’s why Ossowski also recommends keeping your introduction speech short and sweet: “It tells them that you’ll be able to maintain your composure in a high-level meeting and that you won’t talk for the sake of talking.”
And if introducing yourself isn’t something you’re comfortable with, that’s okay.
“I love talking to people and I’m very good at promoting myself, so those were the strengths I used to help me. Use your own personal strengths to stand out in any way you can,” she says.
“The market is so saturated with amazing talent that it takes some creativity to stand out from the crowd.”
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