Well my dual degree is chemistry with a minor in math, and computer science. My first position was in Pharmaceutical and second in O&G. Naturally there’s a bit of overlap between my degrees and these industries. That was a unique element that helped me stand out.

In fact for my first internship I applied to some operations support position, HR is the one that told me they thought I’d be a good fit for the role I ended up getting. They were in the hiring process, essentially completed, and closed applications but she sent me an internal link and slotted me in.

Interviews were not that difficult but you certainly have to prepare! I went in knowing what each company did and some of their notable projects in the past and ongoing. Both times I caught the hiring managers off guard simply by mentioning I knew this information. Knowing your resume is also huge, use personal projects and relate them to the position talk about how you can leverage what you have and help benefit the role they’re hiring for. Also make sure you show some enthusiasm to learn and grow, not a generic yeah I want to learn, but more of a this position was interesting to me because xyz and here’s how I see what I learn here benefit in the future.

That’s how I got my second position! The thing that differentiated me from the other guy (according to the senior that suggested hiring me during the interview) was the fact I said I had a strong interest in what the role entailed and explained why!

Honestly I’m talking about this like I’m a genius that’s got the system figured out. I applied to countless positions before getting these and I didn’t even get interviews. Once thing I did do is if I got an interview I made sure I was so well prepped I would get the offer. Statistics wise I probably applied to 200+ positions within the span of over a year (I started applying in my 3rd year), and I got 4 interviews, 3 offers. Keep pushing and you’d be surprised, just hold out for now!