I had an internship at PNC this summer in their asset and liability management department, and, in hindsight, selling myself probably encompassed at least 25% of what I did everyday. PNC accepts their interns with the intent to hire them at the end of the summer if they prove themselves to their manager, coworkers, and others throughout their ten weeks with the bank. There is an air of pressure among the interns because everyone knows that each project they turn in and each meeting with their manager is essentially an indirect form of interview. In fact, PNC calls their internship “a 10 week interview.” In turn, interns basically have a 10 week sales call, in which the product is themselves.
So not only did I want to perform well because that is what you’re supposed to do, I HAD to perform well because I wanted to enter my senior year with a job at a company that is widely known for its size, work-life balance, good pay, and a development program that rockets its employees into incredible careers.
I committed myself to working every single day towards getting that job with PNC, but I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be presenting in depth financial findings to the CEO who would applaud my work and hire me on the spot. In fact, my manager referred to several of my projects as “low on the priority list.” I had to pursue less obvious ways of selling myself.
I made sure I was on the first people in the office every day so my morning task could be completed while everyone else was still sipping coffee. I dressed professionally in a very casual office so I would stand out in a “I take this very seriously” way. I coughed up the $10 every week to go to lunch with my team so I could build relationships. And I asked my manager to invite me to any meetings that I would be allowed to attend; I would go, take notes, and then spend some time researching and asking my co-workers what I didn’t understand.
In my final evaluation at the end of the summer, my manager pointed out some of the things listed above. He said it was evident that I took my job seriously, wanted to learn, and wanted to work well with people. Sure, he said that my projects were great and that he loved my color coding (I’m so type A), but he mostly pointed to some of the less tangible pieces of my performance.
I ultimately received and accepted PNC’s job offer, which came as a direct referral from my manager. I think I was given this opportunity because I learned how to sell myself in the specific environment I was in. I learned that being able to adapt to the culture of your work atmosphere so you can make yourself shine in a way that is visible to those around you is one of the most important parts of selling yourself.
BoweryJE22
Congratulations on getting the job offer from PNC! It sounds like a lot of hard work went into becoming a part of the company and selling yourself. I like that you write about the aspect of having to sell who you are to the company not through your own sales record but rather through the way you presented yourself each day; your character. I also think that character is one of the most important aspects in hiring, more so than what that person’s sales record is. Though it takes a lot of patience and perseverance, I like that PNC was interested in who you were as a person and how you fit into the company atmosphere.
Wow, PNC sounds like a great place to work. Also congratulations on the job offer. The fact that they focused on how you presented yourself and how you worked with others really says a lot about the company. I know that if i were a manager, a big thing i would look at in a possible future employee would be their character.