Internship Recruiting is Like Dating

“In many ways the recruiting experience is analogous to the trials and tribulations of dating,” says Nicole Hensel, an MBA student London Business School.

I can see the logic in that.

“It begins with each side trying to prove just how sexy, accomplished, and appealing it is to the other.”

True.

“Descriptions like 'seeking the highest-caliber talent in the marketplace' and 'superior analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills required' plague the career services board like pickup lines. Students respond in kind with equally extravagant language chronicling their accomplishments on their résumés. Highly sought-after company internships become the hot gossip of the hour, as does how to crack the interview and seal the deal.”

Huh? Red flag, red flag! This might be the point in the date where you make a mental thumbs-down gesture, start nodding along to whatever platitudes are being spat at you, toss off some of your own, then start to question the point of it all. And yet, deep down, you are praying that all of this, maybe it's just part of the process, the prologue to something better: A passionate, cultured, challenging, adventurous job.   

Or maybe not. Nicole Hensel seems to enjoy the whole internship dating game.  

Internship Speed Dating (Not Nicole Hensel)

[Businessweek]

[Photo: Flickr/Samuel Mann]

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