22. May Q&A: Tips for Student Internships and Working with ADHD
Episode 22
Here we are with another Q&A episode where I answer questions submitted by listeners! (Yes, that’s you!)
I first answer a question submitted by a college student. He is looking for advice about finding and landing the perfect student internship. We talk about what makes a good internship, what he should look for when applying, how to find them, how to market himself, and how to get the most out of the experience.
The next question I answer is submitted by a working professional. She’s frustrated and feeling disorganized at work, but she’s unsure if her workplace disorganization is a symptom of poor systems or perhaps ADHD.
As a reminder, sometimes other people ask questions we didn’t even know we had. So tune in and be open-minded to the conversation and some of the solutions discussed, because they just might be the solution you needed yourself.
🎙️Other Episodes + Resources Mentioned:
→Episode 12: Are Your Productivity Systems Broken?
✏️Free Resources + Downloads
Weekly Planning Template (pdf download) → Download template here
Professional Self-Assessment Quiz (pdf download) → Download template here
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May Q&A: Tips for Student Internships and Working with ADHD
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The following transcript was autogenerated and may contain some interesting and silly errors. But in the name of efficiency and productivity, I am choosing not to spend my time fixing them. :)
[00:00:00]
Well, hello there. This is episode 22 and it is time for another monthly Q and A episode where I answer listener questions submitted by you.
Now I am covering two questions today that come from listeners.
And before we begin, I want to remind you that you can always submit your questions to be answered on a future Q and A episode by going to learnandworksmarter.com.
On that homepage, if you scroll down just a little bit, you will see a form where you can add your questions and it will come directly to me.
Now when I first created these Q and A episodes, I thought that I would cover, I don't know, like three to five questions in each one.
But it turns out that in order to fit my target time of like 15 to 30 minutes per episode. I've only been able to answer two questions at a time. So that is the intention for today as well.
Although to be honest, I do have a third question, locked and loaded and ready to [00:01:00] go, if I happen to cover these answers in less time than I think I will. But I guess that is to be determined.
We have a question submitted by a student, and they are asking about internships.
And then the second question is from a working professional who is asking about ADHD.
Now as always, let me remind you that sometimes others ask questions that we didn't even know we had ourselves.
Right? But the answers can help us just as much as they help the person who asked the questions.
So I encourage you to stick around for this episode. Take what you like, leave the rest and be open-minded to learning from your fellow listeners.
And with that, let's begin.
[00:02:00]
Now, our first question today is submitted by a student and I am going to read the question. They write:
I am wrapping up my junior year of college and I'm starting to research internships. My college advisor can help set me up through my school, but nothing is guaranteed. And I also have the option of finding an internship on my own. I am majoring in business with a minor in biology. My question is what internships do you suggest I look for?
I don't know exactly what I want to do for work after college, but hopefully something that combines business and science. What do you recommend? Thank you.
So I love this question because I love talking about internships, any chance that I can get and more colleges and universities are connecting students with internships through college affiliations.
And I think that is [00:03:00] tremendous. Now, I know that some of these internships are unpaid; in fact, many are, and that poses a roadblock to a lot of people who are unable to pursue an unpaid internship because they need to work to pay for student loans and things like that.
Now you did not specify whether you were looking for a paid or an unpaid internship.
And so I'm going to approach my answer to this question as if it didn't matter. Okay?
Because if your situation required that you needed a paid internship, then I'd still suggest you follow this advice, but then you would obviously do your best to connect to a company that is willing to pay you.
Yes. Those are harder to find, but they are not impossible.
Okay. So assuming that we're not specifically choosing internship based on compensation, I have a few suggestions.
Now to start, I want you to focus on one or both of the following things. Number one, industry. And [00:04:00] number two: Skill.
And let's start with industry.
Now, when looking for internships, I want you to search for internships, obviously in the industry that you see yourself.
You said business or the sciences. Um, so, you know, business will be literally anything because really the only people looking for internships or offering internships are like businesses, right?
And then the sciences could be something like working in a lab, working as a researcher, maybe even doing something in your own college with a professor doing research there.
Now, obviously the benefits of finding an internship in the industry you eventually see yourself working is that you learn the ropes. You start to learn the lingo, the unspoken rules, the way that the political hierarchy works in a work environment, other than, you know, like scooping ice cream over the summer.
You get a sense of what your industry feels like and whether it feels like what you thought it would feel like, because [00:05:00] you know, sometimes it doesn't.
You also get to make connections in the industry, which can obviously be helpful after you graduate and you're looking for a job because honestly, many of the internships, if it's a good match both ways, will turn into a career opportunity.
Now, the second thing I want you to think about is skill. So we can't always land an internship in the exact industry we want, but that is not the end of the world, because if you get an internship and let's say a different industry, but the skills you will use in that internship are the same as the skills you know, that you would use in your hopeful future career, then that has the potential to be a highly valuable internship experience.
So for example, Let's say that you didn't get an internship in anything related to the sciences.
You said that was, you know, something you're interested in, but let's say that for some reason, there's like no science internships available.
But instead, you were offered an internship at a tech company and you were put on it to see, um, a team that like, I don't know, was doing research for product [00:06:00] development.
Okay. So think about it. The skills you'd be learning in that position would be market research, collaboration, data collection analysis, probably creating presentations, putting your findings into some sort of like report and sharing them out with others.
Right? And what do you think the sciences are?
Market research collaboration, data collection, data analysis, synthesizing writing reports and presenting your findings to others.
Okay. So do you see what I'm saying? The skills you would learn in that product development internship in some tech company would be highly valuable skills in the sciences.
And then that would be something that you would put on your resume and you would share with employers during interviews.
Now in a perfect world, you would land an internship in an industry that you wanted that aligns with the skills that you need to develop. But, you know, we have to be real and recognize that that does not always happen.
And internships these days [00:07:00] are highly, highly competitive.
And so that's why I suggest focusing on landing at least one of those, all right? Skill or industry.
Now in terms of finding internships, you didn't explicitly ask that in your question, but you mentioned your college advisor had some connections so I'm thinking that, you know, this is relevant.
I think you should start by meeting with your advisor. Meet with them.
See what they have to say, see what options they can present to you because many colleges and universities have connections with companies that are... what's the word mutualistic. Right?
So in other words, the company benefits, obviously from getting an intern that has already been vetted by a college and the college benefits because they're able to brag about, you know, their high internship success rates. Right?
So start with your advisor for sure.
But then also beyond that, look at your network.
Who in your family or friend network works for a company? Who in your friend and [00:08:00] family went, uh, network works in the sciences.
No, I don't want you to view this as asking for favors, and this is not nepotism it's, it's nothing like that.
Networking is a skill. And reaching out to people that you know can be a brilliant way to land an internship.
But the key here is in how you sell yourself, because you wouldn't have the college behind you doing your marketing for you. Right?
So how do you market yourself as a high-quality intern?
Number one, make sure your resume is a 10 out of 10. Right?
Student resumes should focus on skills because you don't have much experience.
I think you said you were a junior in college, right? So even if you spent all of your previous summers, you know, scooping ice cream- yes, you would put that on your resume, but you would emphasize what skills you developed in that position that you would be able to bring to the internship.
Customer service, communication, collaboration, leadership, right? [00:09:00] Your resume should have a section on it- kind of like a, um, like a sidebar sort of -that highlights these skills.
And these should be validated in the descriptions that you write for each of your jobs.
And you also want to make sure you have a high-quality objective statement at the top of your resume. An objective statement is like a one-sentence, direct statement that says who you are, what you've got to offer, and what do you want.
Like, what are you looking for?
You can Google examples of resume, um, objective statements to get some ideas of what these look like, but they're very simple and you change them depending on what you're applying for.
And then lastly, whether you decide to write a cover letter or you have an interview, you want to emphasize to the hiring manager, what you have to offer.
Now, of course they know what you want to get out of it.
You're the one looking for an internship, obviously.
And you should let them know what it is that you're hoping to get out of the experience. But at the same [00:10:00] time, you want to let them know what they are going to get from you.
What skills do you bring to the table?
Do you bring leadership? Do you bring communication? Um, uh, creativity, curiosity, exceptional critical thinking skills? Are you a problem solver? Right?
Do your research on the company and the position that you're applying for, and then try to make your pitch in a way that helps them see that what you have is exactly what they're looking for in an intern.
Right? And honestly, this is something that you would do regardless of how you get your internships.
So whether you're connected through your school advisor or through your uncle's friend, you want to make sure that your resume is optimized for the position you're looking for.
You want to write a cover letter if that's required. If you don't know how to do that, then research and Google how to do that, or get help from your college advisor.
In fact, as I'm saying this aloud, that gives me an [00:11:00] idea for future episodes: resumes and cover letters.
Okay. Duly noted.
And then for an interview, whether it's on Zoom or in person or over the phone speak clearly and articulately and emphasize that you have just as much to offer the company as you are hoping to get from them.
I mean, maybe not just as much. But, you know, emphasize your skills and your eagerness and your determination to do the job.
And then obviously after the interview, regardless of what happens, you write them a thank you email.
You thank them for their time. Um, and in a sentence or two, just like re-emphasize what makes you a great fit. And then thank them.
Keep your thank you email like three sentences, max.
And then if you get the internship, I mean when you get the internship, milk it for absolutely everything.
Internships are such incredible opportunities to learn and to network and to [00:12:00] develop your skills, to dive into what your future career might look like. Paid or not, internships are incredible launching pads.
And so give it, you know, 200% when you are in there, even if it's hard. Even if it's not in the industry that you want.
Show up, do your job, smile, take advantage of every single opportunity, say yes to things and make it worth every single second.
Internships do not last forever, but the skills and the connections you make during those internships, do. All right.
So I hope that answers your question.
You know, send me an email sometime katie@schoolhabits.com to let me know what internship you end up with. I'm super, super curious.
All right. Deep breath.
We are going to move on to our second question.
This was submitted by a working professional, and I'm going to read the question.
How do you know if you're actually juggling too much versus you just have ADHD or aren't organized enough? Haha asking [00:13:00] for a friend and then she puts friend in quotation marks.
Okay.
This question is awesome.
And I'm happy to answer it for your friend. Okay. And then pass along to your friend, the advice.
So I have not talked directly about ADHD in any episodes yet, although I have alluded to it in many, and considering that I'm an ADHD executive function coach by profession and by education and training, I'm actually realizing it's interesting that I have gotten to episode 22 and I haven't created ADHD specific content yet.
But to anyone listening, hear me loud and clear.
Everything that I have covered on the previous 21 episodes has to do with what we in the special education industry refer to as executive functions.
Now, executive functions are the constellation of cognitive skills that are required to manage ourselves and operate independently.
Executive [00:14:00] functions include things like planning, organization, prioritization, time management, impulse control, cognitive flexibility, task initiation, um, emotional regulation, right?
These are all executive functions. And so when I create episodes about learning and working smarter, I am always, always weaving in strategies to improve executive functions.
Now, what does that have to do with ADHD? Well, ADHD and executive dysfunction go hand in hand. People with ADHD often need extra supports with their executive functions.
People with ADHD often need external supports to manage what people without ADHD can often manage just fine.
So in other words, every episode I've published so far is actually super hyper ADHD friendly and ADHD helpful, as everything I talk about really has to do with executive functions.
Okay. [00:15:00] So I just wanted to clarify some terms and language there.
Now for someone with an ADHD diagnosis, which can only be done by a physician or a psychologist, and I am not a physician or a psychologist, they know that they have less developed executive functions.
Now people with ADHD are used to feeling overwhelmed, um, like they have too many irons in the fire and, you know, they've got, they're overwhelmed with like, you know, concurrent deadlines and tasks and time estimation and prioritization.
They're used to feeling disorganized and scattered across multiple contexts.
That's important, not just at work. Okay.
So someone with an ADHD diagnosis is perhaps, I would argue, oftentimes in a better position than someone with undiagnosed ADHD, because when things start feeling chaotic and out of control and like the systems aren't working, someone who knows they have ADHD can say, All right, things are not feeling right. My systems are crashing. This is likely my [00:16:00] ADHD. And now I know I need to call in the supports.
All right. And during my coaching sessions with adult working professionals, we built systems and processes and frameworks together that those clients can use to manage their day-to-day workload.
So when things get out of control, they have a toolbox they can reach into and pull out a tool and get themselves back on track.
But people without an ADHD diagnosis, perhaps, you know, they suspect they have ADHD, but were never tested. They often ask me the exact same question that you have asked.
How do I know if it's ADHD or if I just need better systems?
Now I can't go any further into my answer without referencing episode 12: are your productivity systems broken?
In that episode, I talk about how to check your systems -time management, task management, organization systems- to make sure that they're really working for you.
So to anybody listening right now, whether you have ADHD or not, um, or you suspect [00:17:00] you do, that is an episode I want you to listen to.
Because everybody can benefit from evaluating their systems.
Now. Truth be told, not every adult client that I work with has ADHD that has been diagnosed.
I often suspect they do. And sometimes they do as well, but sometimes we just don't know, because again, I'm not a physician or a psychologist.
For those people I always start off with this question.
What is the one thing that is truly not working?
Now,. Yes. I know there are more than one things, but if you could wave a magic wand and fix just one aspect of your day-to-day job workflow what would that be?
Now let's say that you just wish -and this totally hypothetical- but you could just, you wish you could just end your day at five o'clock and feel like you actually completed your work in that day.
So if you could wave your magic wand, that would mean that when you know, five o'clock rolls around, you can close your laptop. Breathe a sign of relief that you did what you need to do. No one is waiting for you on things, [00:18:00] you aren't behind, then you aren't missing things, right?
That's your ultimate wish. Sounds nice. Doesn't it.
Now here is where the ADHD advice comes in. Or does it. What do I mean?
Okay. Hear me out. Now, remember that we are hypothetically assuming that your biggest problem identified as not being able to finish all your, your day on time and feel like you've caught up. Right. And I do feel like that is the nature of the question that you're asking me.
So I'm trying to pick a hypothetical situation that aligns with like what you're really asking.
So whether you have ADHD diagnosed or not my advice in this situation would generally be the same. Assess your systems.
Now, in this case. It would be primarily task management and project management. Those are different. Okay. And your time management systems. Do you have those. Do they work for you? Do they need tweaking?
Do they work maybe [00:19:00] only some of the time.
Because ADHD or not having a task, uh, having a leak in any of those systems is going to cause you to feel overwhelmed, disorganized, and anxious at the end of the day.
Having a leak in any of those systems it's going to make you feel like you're always, you know, one inch below the surface.
Now, if I'm working with someone who I know has ADHD okay, um, or if I highly suspect they do, then I often have to take more of the lead on this process of evaluating those systems or even creating them from scratch if they don't exist yet. Okay.
The name of the game is always number one, aim to have as little friction as possible. And number two, keep the system as simple as possible.
Three. I work with a system for at least a few weeks before making any major adjustments to it.
Now in the show notes of this podcast, if you're listening on a podcast app or in the description box, if you are watching this on YouTube, I'm going to leave a link to my free professional self-assessment quiz I created for [00:20:00] this exact purpose.
It's a free download. So get that.
Now, if you've honestly done a thorough investigation of your time management, your task management and your organizational systems- now I want you to focus on these three to begin with based on your question -and you truthfully honestly have them totally dialed in, and you are still overwhelmed with too much work, then you probably have too much work on your plate and it's not a matter of just needing better organization.
Because think about it. If you do an experiment, okay, and time block, let's just say one week.
So on Monday through Friday of one week, I want you to make time visible. Do it on a digital calendar, do it on- obviously I have a PDF download for that. I'll leave that in the description, in the show notes and everything to, Um, make time visible for one week. So I want you to block out every single task that you need to complete.
Okay. So you have a task management system. And you have your work day. Right. And you need to combine those two. You need to be able to say to yourself, okay, these are the [00:21:00] tasks that I need to complete in a week, including email, including meetings, including, you know, processing meetings, right. We don't just shut down a meeting and go to the next thing.
Right? Okay. You need to like, give yourself 10, 15 minutes to process the notes. How. You know, on that meeting. So all that buffer time, okay, that goes with tasks. Those are like invisible time tasks that go with each task that really consume our time. I talk about that in the task management system episode.
So. Those like you might look and say, well, I just have like these four projects I'm working on, but what about all of the additional things that you need to do in your day that are related to those four projects that are like administration based related to those projects? Emailing people, making sure people are showing up to the meeting, writing an agenda for a meeting if you're running meetings.
Right. All of those things. You need to give them time on your calendar to happen. If you don't acknowledge every single task that you do in a day, even if it's not a task that you can technically like, you know, give a [00:22:00] name to, I mean, you can give a name to any task, but if it's not something that you're like, oh, Hey boss, today I spent 25 minutes reviewing, you know, some initiative that we're working on. Like those aren't technically billable hours. Your boss isn't going to be like, cool, your twenty-five-minute review made us money.
No, but it's still something that you need to do as part of your job. And so it's still a task and it still consumes time and it still needs to find a place to live in your Monday through Friday. Oftentimes, when I'm working with people who are like, you know, I don't know where all my time is going and I'm at the end of the day, I'm so busy and I feel disorganized.
I feel frazzled. I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I have too much. In reality what's happening is they're not recognizing all of the additional tasks that they have to do in order to support the primary tasks that have required for their job. [00:23:00]
So my question to you is, are you considering those? Are you saying to yourself, this is a real task, even though it doesn't have a name.
Okay. It's not a billable hour thing.
And am I looking at my schedule on a Monday through Friday and Friday and finding a place for it to live?
If you are not doing that, then that is a leak in your time management system. So that is why this experiment that I'm suggesting you do just for five days is really critical as part of a self-assessment. Is it my system? Or is it something else?
And as I said, if all of the tasks that you need to do, including those you know, invisible time tasks that we often neglect to account for- if they do not mathematically fit in your calendar, they don't... You're like I can't get all of these done, then you are doing too much. Period.
Okay, but it's important.
I want you to be so [00:24:00] granular here just for one week.
I want you to track, you know, how much time you're spending on meetings, phone calls, answering emails, doing admin work, following up with people.
Like I said, all of this counts as work and each of these tasks consumes time in your day. Feel like I'm repeating myself, but I think it's cause it's really important that my brain's like, say it again.
If we are not counting these tasks as true tasks just cause they're not attached to some project or something, then five o'clock is going to come around and you're going to run out of time and you're going to, you know, feel like you need just another 20 hours in your day and just to not feel behind.
Then as I said, if you do this and you are unable to finish what you need to finish at the end of the day, then you are doing too much and no amount of, you know, fix-it strategies or getting better organized is going to cut it. It's just not.
So from there, you have a few options. Okay. You can talk to your manager. I know that's hard, but you can show her the time block that you made so she can see what your schedule looks like.
[00:25:00] And then you can ask her, right? It's this isn't complaining. It's, it's a conversation. You can ask her to help you prioritize which projects to postpone, which ones maybe to delegate.
Right. I mean, cause honestly, at the end of the day, if you are doing too much, like what other options do you have?
Like honestly, what else can you do other than not do some of the things?
Now, the other outcome of your one-week task inventory is that you map out your time and tasks and realize, I guess you do have enough time in your day to handle your work.
In other words, there is enough time to do the things. Now that's a possible outcome. And it's another story because then you have to figure out what where the heck is the time going? What the heck is causing the disorganization? Are we procrastinating? Are you forgetting things?
Are you letting perfectionist tendencies get the best of you? I feel like, I think the answer to that is probably yes.
Are you multitasking too much when you should really be single-tasking. Okay. [00:26:00] Are, are you losing things? Are you disorganized digitally, but maybe not physically or vice versa? Is your organizational workflow too complicated, perhaps?
Now, and, of course, this is a question: could undiagnosed ADHD be playing a role in that? Perhaps.
But unless you are going to seek a diagnosis and bring that diagnosis to your workplace and seek some kind of accommodation, which is possible. Which, but honestly, that doesn't seem like it's the nature of your question. Then at the end of the day, you are going to need to do what? Improve your systems. And then rely on them.
Or as I, you know, said could also be an option. If you determine that you mathematically do not have space on your calendar in your day to handle what is being asked of you, then you need to do fewer things because it is impossible to make more time.
Okay. Now I do want to [00:27:00] wrap this up and remind you that I am not a physician and I am not a psychiatrist and I can not diagnose ADHD. However, if you're curious about some criteria that is used in the diagnostic battery of assessments for ADHD, then you can Google ADHD criteria checklist and see what those criteria are.
Okay. Would that change any of the advice that I gave here to you today? Not really. No, except for one thing. You need to be sure that you have enough compassion for yourself because so, so many of my adult clients with ADHD suffer with feelings of shame.
And I do not want that for you, because if there is one thing that I can tell from your question, And just by the fact that you're asking it, it is that you care about your job. And your reputation. And your performance.
And it's my guess that you, at your very worst day- aDHD or not- are absolutely more than adequate. All right.
That wraps up today's [00:28:00] episode.
I love these monthly Q and A episodes because they make me feel like, you know, closer to you to the listener.
It makes me feel like, you know, this one-sided nature of a podcast is more conversational, even if it's all just in my head and I'm, you know, talking to a camera. And with that, my friend, let me remind you to never stop learning.
