“Since we are almost entering a new month and the applications deadline is September 30th, now it is literally 11:59 PM, and I hope I am not too late”
This was one of the emails received at the first round of our first-ever-announced internship at CTA komunikacije. We accepted the application, but the rest of it was every linguistic purist’s (read: grammar nazi’s nightmare. From that moment on, I started making a list of the most common errors I encountered in student internship applications, from the small ones to the cardinal ones.
Here is an overview of seven items based on real experience which will make you stand out (positively or negatively) from the majority, whether in an application for an internship or a classic job competition.
Email body and title in an internship application
The first impression is important. Although you will hardly make an error in the title of your email because it can vary from “Internship” to “I am applying for an internship at CTA komunikacije”, its absence can already disrupt that initial contact. In the email body it is enough to say hello, write that you attach the required documents and leave your name and surname in the signature. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them immediately or write to us why you chose our agency (you can get to know us better here). It is also good to bear in mind that in the Croatian language, after initial salutation a lowercase letter is used even though you are transferring to a new line (Dear Sir/Madam, this is my application…).
Remember that e-mail is one of the basic tools in the communication industry and that it reveals how you use it.
CV and motivation letter format
Short and clear: send your CV and motivation letter in PDF. While both Word and the image format will convey all the information, there are key differences. On the one hand, Word documents can often be displayed differently depending on the device or program in which they are viewed, they may end up looking messy, especially if you have decided to insert an image. On the other hand, image files do not allow copying data, which takes time when we want to save your contacts fin order to invite you to a second round. The PDF will look on each device exactly as it did on your computer and you can insert links into it.
Spelling, grammar and typos
Words such as “supposably”, or” irregardless” and verbs such as “ain’t” cannot be inside an internship application at a communication agency. Beware of Hašek (Hashcheck) as well, because you have to know the difference between “your and “you’re” yourself. This is one of the strictest elimination factors because they represent the very foundations of our profession.
Document Names
If you apply for an internship, remember that other people will do it, too. When the person who reads the applications downloads your documents, in the title it is good to already give them a bit more than “CV Maja 2019”. The best format is “Mezdić Valentina_Curriculum Vitae” and “Mezdić Valentina_Motivation Letter”. This way, your documents will be grouped alphabetically in each file.
In other words, it is important to immediately make clear who the document is about and which document is being opened.
Call availability
Security in the world of new media is an extremely important topic, so it does not come as a surprise that there are a large number of people who ignore calls coming from unknown numbers. However, the moment you apply for a position, there is a high possibility that a person from that agency or company will want to contact you by phone.
If you know that you might miss a potential call for an interview due to this reason, save the contact of the person who received your report, it is very likely that they are the ones to call you.
Do not give up too soon
The last, and perhaps most important item concerns your self-confidence. In CTA komunikacije, after applying for an internship, you will receive an assignment. This may be your first time performing a task of this kind, but if you do not try to solve it, you will not know if you could have succeeded. Please note that in the application process we also look at all the previous steps mentioned in this text. Your biggest chance to impress us may be during the live interview because we are always looking for the “guy/girl” who nurtures the same values as our team. Therefore, send us an e-mail to praksa@ctakomunikacije.hr, contact the “guy” regardless of the time of year and announced competitions, maybe this moment will enable you to do those first steps in the world of communication.
