Hey, guess what! I have an intern and her name is Claire. She started a few weeks ago, when her spring semester ended, and she’s been doing behind-the-scenes work but will soon start making occasional appearances in front of the scenes, so please give her a warm welcome. In the next week or two, she’s going to start writing some “In the News” posts, so if you read something that doesn’t sound like my “voice,” check the author name and you may see it was written by Claire.
And to all you college students out there who wonder how to get an internship with a site like this one, take a page from Claire’s handbook: she wrote me an email and asked for one. It just so happened I had been thinking about finding an intern to help with some things and her email arrived at the perfect time (and saved me the trouble of doing a search). She’s been a great help so far and I think I’m teaching her some stuff she probably wouldn’t learn sitting in a classroom, so it’s a win-win.
Lesson: be pro-active! You never know when you’ll be exactly what someone is looking for (and obviously, that goes for more than just looking for an internship…).
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Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 11:03 am
Hi Claire bear! (Can I call you that? Too soon for me to be so chummy? Well you’re Claire bear!)
Leroy June 18, 2012, 12:23 pm
If this were the 90’s we could call her eClaire, but now she’d be called iClaire.
Either way, I’m glad there’ll be someone to proofread my posts. My writing on this site an embarrassment.
katie June 18, 2012, 11:04 am
this is so exciting!! where is claire from? please say chicago. haha…
can we have an introducing claire post? i would enjoy that.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 11:07 am
Or maybe she’s from Quebec City and she wants to show me around…
katie June 18, 2012, 11:11 am
oh, and by “introducing claire” i mean one where she tells a little about herself, and not this post, which is actually called “introducing claire”…. damn it. fail.
katie June 18, 2012, 11:29 am
oh and also, i got my first internship by blind emailing all the bakeries in denver that had an email address and offering to work for free. it totally does happen and it does work!
Jillie z June 18, 2012, 11:19 am
Welcome Claire bear! Also hoping you’re from chi-town since the dw peeps here are pretty cool and meet ups are weekly :). Addie isn’t nearly as intimidating in person either! Way to be a go-getter, and looking forward to reading your writing.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 11:30 am
Oh come on, I’m super intimidating, right? Like, “whoa, that girl is so cool, confidant, and collected, she’s intimidating” intimidating? Or maybe a “whoa, that girl is super fine, she’s intimidating” intimidating? Fine, I’m not intimidating.
Wendy, can we have a 4th Meetup in July when you’re here? Claire bear can come. We could do a rooftop party at my place – one last hoorah before I leave this apartment and the mean garage people who won’t let me park my car there anymore.
Wendy June 18, 2012, 11:39 am
Not sure if I’ll have time for a DW meetup, sadly. I’ll be in town for less than 72 hours and have quite a few people I want/need to see, plus my best friend’s big 40th day bash. And I’m hoping to get in some lazy hours at the beach. You will have to come up to NYC when you move east and organize a NY meetup since no one else is taking the reigns.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 12:12 pm
I understand. Or as they say in Frech, j’understand. @NY’ers, you gotta get on that!
CatsMeow June 18, 2012, 12:26 pm
Wait, you’re moving east now? Addie, I’m so confused.
ktfran June 18, 2012, 12:59 pm
Agreed. Did you decide for sure?
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 2:24 pm
No, no, I’m just road tripping through Canada right now. Sorry, I haven’t been very clear – but it’s hard to keep myself in the loop because I keep changing my plans. But the official plan is: I’m road tripping through Canada (this I know to be true because i’m already here) and I start my new job, in Chicago, on Monday, June 25. 🙂
ktfran June 18, 2012, 4:19 pm
Yay. I want to make the next meetup. Or we should get together when you get back. Have a fabulous trip!
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 10:26 pm
We can always have non-“Meetup” meetups. Anytime you want to hit the pool let me know! If I’m here, you’re more than welcome! If I’m not here, I’ll tell you how to sneak in, fool-proof. 🙂
ktfran June 19, 2012, 9:21 am
Awesome.
Rachel June 18, 2012, 12:51 pm
Welcome Claire!
Nadine June 18, 2012, 1:13 pm
Welcome, Claire! I cannot believe it never occurred to me to email Wendy and ask for opportunities. Well, I guess being in London doesn’t help.
ScrambledMegss June 18, 2012, 1:49 pm
Welcome Claire!
Claire June 18, 2012, 3:46 pm
Hi everyone! Tahnk you Wendy for this very warm and sweet introduction, and thank you all so much for your friendly welcomesas well! And Addie you’re more than welcome to call me Clairebear. It’s been such a great opportunity helping Wendy out for these past few weeks and I’m glad I’m able to be assistance. In just these few couple of weeks Wendy has taught me many things that I haven’t learned sitting in a classroom so it really is a win-win! Look forward to all of you reading my work soon. =)
Eve Harrison June 18, 2012, 7:32 pm
WOOO! Congratulations on the internship Claire! 🙂 I am a college undergrad myself, with an internship for this summer. It can be hard finding an internship, so I really do mean it when I say congratulations, ha. 🙂
We should chat some time!
Sunshine Brite June 19, 2012, 8:55 am
Congrats! Is this your first internship? I’ve done 4. Learn how to unjam the copier, use a fax properly, and figure out a few projects that you come up with yourself 🙂 These are some of the common denominators that I found…
Wendys Dad June 19, 2012, 3:19 pm
Claire,
Take it from a guy who graduated from college way back during the Johnson administration (Lyndon, not Andrew!)…probably half of what you are taught in college is horse manure. The big problem is deciding which half. The real world is a much better teacher.
Moneypenny June 18, 2012, 7:51 pm
Welcome Claire!
I’m just curious, what are you studying in school? I could guess something writing-related, maybe?? Congrats on the internship! I got my first internship by cold-calling offices out of the phone book. I got to the letter “S” before anyone would even consider talking to me.
McLovin June 18, 2012, 10:56 pm
Wow. I’m gone for a while and everything is’a changing. DW is blowing up!
My first internship was at a brokerage firm making coffee for dickhead brokers. You made a much better choice than I did Claire.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 10:59 pm
McLovin, where have you been? I was going to appoint you my boyfriend, but then you vanished. Budj broke up with me, in case you’re free.
McLovin June 18, 2012, 11:07 pm
Isn’t Budj a huge rockstar by now? If he is then I’m cool being a close second.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 11:15 pm
Eh, I’m not really into rockstars. Not my thang. I’m moved by accountants and the like.
Addie Pray June 18, 2012, 11:00 pm
I’m so excited for Claire bear’s first post. When will that be?
painted_lady June 18, 2012, 11:35 pm
Yay Claire! Welcome! Definitely want an actual introductory post soon so we know you’re as dysfunctional as the rest of us 🙂