Enternships Diary: Charlotte Forbes on her successful internship Posted on Tuesday 01 November 2011 at 12:14PM by trrpaipai

We love to hear stories from students and graduates who have found their internships with us and turned them into their dream 'enternship'. This week Charlotte Forbes, currently working at acceler8.me, tells us about her journey as a graduate, intern and ultimately full-time employee at a hip London startup accelerator.

What made you decide to do an internship?

I decided to do an internship because when I left university I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do and the options of entry level jobs were limited because I had no experience. I really did not want to go into recruitment or sales roles which are what agencies tried to push me into. Generally, the internships I came across were a lot more interesting than the entry level jobs that were out there, and by doing an internship I had the opportunity to gain experience without having to commit to a permanent position.

How did you come across Enternships?

My dad read an article about them and recommended I had a look.

What was the most difficult part of looking for an internship?

Deciding in what to apply for, I was looking for an internship where I would get a chance to develop and use many different skills. Many internships were very specific.

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for on an employer’s profile/internship listing?/Why did you choose to intern at Acceler8.me?

The role itself, the industry, and if it was paid. I chose to do an internship at Digital Prophets/Acceler8.me because of the variety of the role, the autonomy I had in deciding what I did everyday and the potential for me to essentially create my own job at the end of it.

What was your role there? What kind of projects did you work on?

My role was/is as project coordinator/executive assistant. I have been working on many different projects alongside my CEO essentially all the different aspects of starting a new business. I have been doing a lot of research, as well as writing copy for the web site, and connecting with the startup community through events and meetings. I also do a lot of handing out business cards and schmoozing! What’s really exciting though is over the next few months me and my boss are going to decide together what I want my job to become.

Has the enternship helped you get closer to your career goals? If so, how?

Absolutely they want to hire me! Before this internship I had no idea what I wanted to do now, I’ve discovered I really love the startup industry and have had the opportunity to learn all about it. I really want to pursue a career in this industry and am really looking forward to creating/marketing our brand over the next few months and years.

How would you describe your dream internship?

One where I am valued, have a varied role and get to meet lots of people. I feel like this one comes close but they haven’t taken us on a company trip to Silicon Valley yet….That would be ideal *cough*.

Was the internship worth it, would you do it all over again if you could go back in time or is there something you would change?

I think my enternship has been worth it as I've had a real chance to try out the company and job my self, as much as they have been trying out me as an employee. I've appreciated that Acceler8.me is a really exciting company that is working towards helping startups, and that is a worthwhile cause. I've also discovered that working for a company in which I care about our success as a company, and consequently the success of our startups has given me real motivation to try my best at my job and work hard. I get to meet lots of interesting people and get to spend time out of the office in the startup scene promoting acceler8.me as an exciting option for startups to gain investment and mentorship opportunities, which startups wouldn't have if I hadn’t worked so hard with my CEO to get the project started.

It has also been worth it because I can see my efforts are making a difference, I have worked hard on our website www.acceler8.me which is live now so that’s pretty rewarding. Even if I hadn’t been offered the job, I have really enjoyed beginning to be involved with startups and the startup scene, so that is definitely an industry I am enjoying as a result of my internship. As an accelerator we’ll be helping startups grow to the point where they can hire their own enterns so that’s pretty exciting too!

If I could do it again I would have started looking for enternships straight after finishing uni instead of trawling through masses of boring jobs/ jobs I didn’t stand a chance of getting. During my actual enternship I probably would have chosen to miss a family birthday party I chose to go to over a work event, as whilst I was at the birthday party I wish I’d been listening to the business pitches because I’m a bit of a geek like that!

What do you think about the work Enternships is doing in helping students finding internships?

I think that enternships is doing great work in helping students find internships, working at acceler8.me (a company that helps entrepreneurs and startups) I have seen first hand that working in startups allows you to gain more experience than you would in other roles. Being involved in a startup means that your work matters, also because you’ll be working for a small company your role may be more varied than doing the same thing every day for a large corporation. I also think that by offering students the opportunity to do enternships then students get the chance to progress their careers as the company progresses.

What would be your best piece of advice to give other students/graduates looking for internships?

Be open to applying for industries you may not have considered and just put your self out there. The more applications you send the more chance you have of finding the place for you. Also once in an internship network like crazy because even if your internship doesn’t work out then you may have met someone who can help you out in future. You can’t get if you don’t ask.

Charlotte Forbes is 22 years old from Kingston Upon Thames and has recently graduated from the University of York with a 2.1 in Politics. A keen social networker, her dream is eventually to set up her own delicatessen or own company but currently the dream is to move out. Charlotte works for acceler8.me, a West London startup accelerator founded by serial entrepreneurs Raj Ramanandi and Lee Pickrell, backed by Luke Johnson, super entrepreneur and VC. They are currently planning a mentor-led 3-month accelerator programme funding, accelerating and cultivating startups. Their first program launches in the spring of 2012.