Internships were poised to be a solution to this conundrum, but as one American college student soon discovered while trying to accumulate work experience, it’s difficult to even get a coffee-getting role for corporate executives these days.
“I was a first-generation college student, completely perplexed by the internship paradox: I needed experience to get an internship, but I couldn’t get experience without one,” says Ayala Ossowski, who just turned 24 Fortune.
But after hearing the crickets of more than 100 applications, he decided to resort to unusual networking methods.
Generation Z was already working 20 hours a week at a pizzeria in the suburbs of Washington DC, or as she puts it, “one of the richest and most influential neighborhoods in the world.”
Coming face to face with powerful people while serving them a slice made her think, “Why can’t these people give me a job?”
“The obstacle I realized was that all they saw was the girl who was giving them pizza,” she adds. “I had to give them a reason to consider me as a potential employee.”
That’s when Ossowski decided he would start wearing a baseball cap with the university logo on the front at every shift.
“I needed to immediately give myself some sort of credential, which would make them understand that I was studying,” he adds.
It only takes one person to notice you
Just as Ossowski predicted, the baseball cap was a conversation starter.
Instead of making painful small talk while waiting for their pizza order, customers looked at the hat logo and asked, “Oh, American University, are you going?”
They were probably polite and didn’t expect many answers, but every time Ossowski was asked about the hat he threw in his elevator speech.
“Yes, I’m a student there studying public relations and marketing,” she recited her rehearsed lines.
“I am currently looking for an internship for the spring, if you know anyone who is hiring. Enjoy your pizza.”
Anyone trying to copy Ossowski should be warned: You’ll get a lot of strange looks while selling yourself at the checkout counter of a pizzeria (or bakery, pet shop, or clothing boutique for that matter).
“Most of them were laughing nervously and didn’t really know what to think, because it was a little strange,” he recalls. “But I didn’t care because I knew it would work. I knew this would be the only way to get my first foot in the door.”
His instinct was on money. After a month of puzzled expressions, it was enough to impress the right person to end his job search.
“Eventually someone gave me a chance because they appreciated my tenacity, my grit, and my willingness to ask for what I so desperately wanted,” adds Ossowski. “I got the job and my last shift at the store was the following week.”
Ultimately, Ossowski had the experience needed to accumulate more work experience. One internship led to another and now, a few years after the fateful moment, he is part of Cisco’s communications team.
“Those experiences I had helped me get the job today,” he beams. “If I hadn’t worn that hat and gotten that first internship, I don’t know where I would have ended up.”
Graduates: You never know who’s watching you
Even if you don’t serve Washington’s elite, young job seekers shouldn’t sleep on networking, or at least put effort into, their student jobs.
Not only is it a good use of your time, but it allows potential employers to see how you operate in a real work environment, even if it’s behind a bar or cash register. In the end, you never know who’s watching you.
Unbeknownst to him, Ossowski had already impressed his future boss before he even asked him for a job.
“The client before the person who ultimately gave me my first internship was a very, very difficult client. Everything was wrong with their order, it took too long, their children were hungry, it was a terrible situation,” she explained.
“I spent many years in the service industry, so I dealt with them graciously, helped solve their problem, and they left happy.”
The hiring manager told the graduate later in the interview that her client handling was a “big reason why” he gave her his business card.
That’s why Ossowski also recommends keeping your elevator pitch short and sweet: “They understand that you’ll be able to compose yourself well in a high-level meeting and that you won’t make small talk.”
And if showing up isn’t something you’re comfortable with, no problem.
“I love talking to people and I’m really good at introducing myself, so these were the strengths I used to help me: Use your personal strengths to stand out in every way possible,” she says.
“The market is so saturated with such incredible talent that it takes a little creativity to stand out from the crowd.”