Interns assemble!

Gird your loins—intern season cometh. We've got tips from top-bosses and low-rung flunkies on how to land the best gigs, stay sane and rise up

- Tanya Syed

It's June.

Freshly minted graduates will be sweating through their first interviews, landing their first spots, nodding enthusiastically to jargon, and getting used to Teams notifications. Who will stay? Who will cry? Who will show themselves for the nepo-babies they are? Who actually wants a permanent job? Who's just sticking around for the university credit? Who can tell?

It's an unstable economy in an uncertain world. "But today's interns have seen their parents work from home and know what the job involves," says Reval Jain, who handles placements in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.

"They're ambitious and anxious. They want a seat at the table right away, but they also crumble under pressure. They know what AI can do, but they don't know what it can't." They're going to need all the help they can get. Here’s how to game the system.

Prep time

Don’t let nepo-babies take all the best spots just because their uncle knows the boss. Create an A-list of 15 places you really want to work at, and figure out who does the hiring there and which department takes interns. Reach out to guest lecturers, alumni networks, and college mentors, email the professionals that seem the most inspiring and butter them all up. “No one wants emails with copy-pasted praise,” says Harini K, who handles hospitality sector recruiting for the western region of her national firm. “And no HR believes that young people are passionate about operations, long hours, and industry processes. Just be honest. Say you've tried the product or service and want to be part of the story. Make a reference, in your email, to what the company recently did, to show you're paying attention. That gets you noticed.”