Second interview update; other questions in mind

[Double J]

Hey everyone,

 

I posted a few days ago that I was scheduled for a 2nd interview I had with an employer for an internship position (with permanent job potential for the future) that I really wanted. The first interview took place a few days before Christmas. They called me for a second interview about a week and a half ago, and the second interview took place Thursday evening. It went rather smoothly and only lasted about 20 minutes. I expected to meet with several people within the company, but it turns out that I only spoke with one person - the apparent boss of the first interviewer I had for the first interview.

 

Anyway, that night I decided to write both gentlemen some very sharp thank you letters. It must have had a major impact on them, because the first interviewer called me the next morning to inform me that they selected me for the position! I was ecstatic because I had been yearning for this position since mid December. It will definitely provide me with some good hands-on work experience in my marketing field.

 

Now, I want to ask you guys something.. I found this job ad on my university's career services website database. It provides a bevy of opportunities for students in many different fields, and what's so good about it is that they specifically target students (even those without work experience).

 

When I first got on this website, I applied for the first marketing-related internship I saw - a sales and marketing assistant position for a real estate company - because I didn't realize until later that there is much variety to choose from as new listings come up every week. Turned out that this job seemed dull to me, the employee training me was annoying, and the pay was substandard. I told the woman "thanks but i'll pass." Then a few weeks later, I came accross the internship I finally got now at a media services agency.

 

Let me mention that the company I want to work for that selected me for the internship now contacted me first. I had actually read over this ad but didn't seem that interested in it until they explained the specifics of the job during the interview (I also hadn't realized that the job location was 5 minutes away from my house!) I also saw that the pay was excellent, so when the guy called me in for the interview, I suddenly became very interested.

 

I'm happy now, but here's the thing. A few days later I decided to look at fresh listings on the career services site (in case I wasn't chosen for the internship I had been waiting for) and I found another internship for a different company that seems very comparable to the one I earned after the two interviews. The job listing for this one is much more detailed and specific, and what attracts me about it is that there's an emphasis on market research and analysis (what I want to ultimately do in the future). That's not to say that the current internship I earned won't involve any of that, but I guess that since one is so specific, it seems more attractive on paper. It also involves other similar tasks to the internship I've already accepted (such as media analysis).

 

Another funny sidenote - this internship is also located by my house - a comparable distance to the other internship. I guess it's not too often that you find two very similar internships close to your house that seem great to help you gain experience. The new one I found pays slightly less than the one I've landed - roughly $1.00-$1.50 less, so as far money, the one I've been chosen for wins. Another thing - the new one I found has a stronger emphasis on working independently, handling multiple work streams at once, etc, so it seems like more work altogether. The one i've been chosen for, however, will be more group-oriented. thereforeeee, for that internship, I'd probably be in a better position to receive help should I have questions. The chosen one wants 20 hrs a week (but is willing to help me work around school schedule);the new one I found requires at least 15 a week. Both companies offer opportunities for full-time employment in the near future.

 

I guess now I can only hope I'll love the one I wanted so much and was chosen for and not eventually regret having missed out on the other one. I guess things like this are inevitable sometimes - you'll land a job/internship and then eventually you'll see another opportunity that you selfishly wish you could have for yourself too. I wish I could have both, but I'm a full-time student with a big load so I cannot handle two part-time jobs on top of that.

 

Has anyone else encountered something like this?

 

I was planning to apply for the "new" internship I saw in case I didn't hear from the one I now landed, but now it doesn't seem sensible to do so. Or, should I apply for it regardless to see if they even contact me back? Who knows, maybe they won't even respond, so I would be foolish to even consider dropping the one I've been awarded.

 

Any tips/suggestions welcome, thanks

[Itsok]

Why don't you apply for the other internship? It doesn't mean you'll be interviewed for it, but then at least you'll have the knowledge that you tried.

 

If by chance you are selected to be interviewed for the other, go in and find out what they have to offer. Just because they advertise their great position doesn't mean that it will be as great when you go and find out about it.

 

Never hurts to try.

[ShySoul]

It's best to apply for as many different offers as you can, provided you are actually interested in the company. You want to be the one with choices, which offer do you accept. Just applying for one at a time leaves you at their mercy, if they don't pick you then you have no back up plan. But if you appled for both you double your chance for success and if you get picked for both, then you can take the offer that you really are more into. And for all you know, this new company may impress you more.

 

However, did you already formally accept the first offer? If you did then I would stay with them. You seem to really like them, so its not as if you would be going someplace you don't want to be. And you don't want to burn bridges. Taking the offer and then looking for something else and possible even leaving them for another company reflects bad on you. It says that you don't keep to the commitments you make and hurts any chance you have of working for that company later on. You never know where your career will take you, so you don't want to have a company thinking of you like that.

 

In the future, apply for lots of jobs/internships at once. It may be more of a hassle and a lot of pressure, but its good to do. I once has interviews everyday for 4 days straight. And another couple the next week. But it was good for me cause it gave me options. Then you can decide what company is the best fit for you. Do you want the group work or more individual? Of the people you met from the company, which ones seemed the nicest and you got along with? But once you accept the offer, you should stay with it.