Navigating the Internship Maze: Devi Sahny on Proactive Persistence

In a recent LinkedIn post, Devi Sahny explores the anxieties and challenges faced by students seeking internships, sharing personal anecdotes to illustrate the power of proactive persistence in career development. Sahny begins by describing the urgent messages she received from students at prestigious universities like Columbia and Penn, all expressing a profound sense of being lost and overwhelmed by the job search process.

“I need an internship – please help me.”

Sahny notes that these messages reveal a common student sentiment: the feeling that they are “completely lost in the job search process” and that “everyone is so ahead of me.” This initial observation sets the stage for her deeper reflection on how internships are secured, questioning whether simply relying on personal networks and favors is always the most effective or beneficial approach.

The Unconventional Path to Early Opportunities

Sahny recounts her own early internship experiences, highlighting how unconventional methods led to significant opportunities. Her first internship, during her sophomore year at Georgetown, came about when a US Politics Professor posted a job opening for an internship with John Boehner. Despite her initial lack of knowledge about the political landscape, Sahny applied immediately.

“Being the clueless Belgian that I am, I had no idea who he was but I applied within 20 minutes of that job posting.”

This quick action led to an interview at the US House of Representatives. Sahny candidly admits her limited understanding of US politics at the time, but emphasized her ability to learn, adaptability, and hunger for the role. This honesty, she suggests, was key to securing the position. The internship provided valuable experience and introduced her to influential figures like Michael Sinacore, who instilled in her the importance of “the art of the hustle.”

Turning ‘No’ into ‘Yes’ Through Audacity

Sahny further illustrates her point with her second internship experience at the UNGC in New York, an opportunity typically unavailable to undergraduates. When her initial application yielded no response, she took a bold step:

“I impulsively decided to take an Amtrak train from DC to NY to the offices and asked to speak to someone in the recruitment department.”

Although the recruitment officer initially dismissed her due to perceived lack of experience, Sahny’s persistence paid off. She then leveraged LinkedIn, directly messaging the CEO, Walid Nagi. This direct outreach led to a coffee meeting where she successfully made a strong case for herself, ultimately securing the internship. Sahny emphasizes that this experience, along with others at the UNGC, taught her invaluable skills and fostered lasting friendships.

Embracing the ‘Lost’ Feeling as Part of Discovery

Concluding her post, Sahny offers a message of encouragement to students facing similar anxieties. She argues that feeling “lost” is a natural and integral part of the discovery process in one’s early career journey. As Devi Sahny notes, the key takeaway is that persistence and a willingness to go the extra mile can transform rejections into opportunities.

Her post serves as a powerful reminder that while networking is important, proactive initiative, resilience in the face of rejection, and a confident articulation of one’s potential can open doors that might otherwise remain closed. Sahny concludes by inviting her audience to share their own internship stories, aiming to “democratise the knowledge” surrounding career entry points.