How to get your dream internship
As design students, most of us dream about what life would be like at the "ideal" design firm. Where coffee is perfectly made each time by fancy Italian machines, work seems like play, and your workspace is fitted with beanbags for lounging. But how can you influence that firm to want you as much as you want them? Your portfolio will do most of the talking, but there is one crucial thing you can do to maximize your chance of standing out from the sea of applicants.
On my recent trip to Milan (for Milan Design Week), I was immersed in a city transformed "by designers for designers". The amount of design that I was exposed to within the week could easily equal a month’s time of scanning design blogs. This was great but I had one specific goal that week, to make an appearance at my dream design firm.
I decided that the most direct way of getting a chance to talk to someone at the firm was to visit them in person. So I planned out the route on my map, hopped on one of Milan’s shared bikes, and peddled towards my dream. When I finally got to the firm, I was lucky to catch a few employees finishing their workday. I politely asked if they were still open and if there would be any designers that would be willing to give up a few minutes of their time to have a quick chat. One of the industrial designers agreed to talk to me and was very welcoming about it. He offered me an espresso (from one of their fancy Italian coffee machines) and we sipped away while discussing design.
At the end of our chat, he expressed how grateful he was about the fact that I took the time and initiative to visit their firm despite “all of the amazing events and the beautiful women that were in Milan that week.” He offered his contact information and told me to email him when I would be applying for a position at their firm.
Although this does not guarantee that I will be sipping that fancy espresso once again, at the very least, it sparked a relationship which hopefully will be remembered when my application arrives.