Need advice for my college freshman regarding internship tactic

One of the brand name companies reached out to my college freshman after she talked to them during the career fair last week to complete online computer challenge to move to the next level. After the reading requirements for this internship she learned that they are requiring 2 years of CS classes which she does not have and it is for incoming juniors or seniors which she is not. This is a company will be very high on her list for internship or future employment when she is ready. What would be the best approach now:

  1. Not take the challenge and reapply in 2 years
  2. Take a challenge and most likely failing it and reapplying in 2 years

2 sounds like it’ll let her know what the process is like, at least. Might be worth a try.

@bodangles I am afraid that she might get a black mark with this company after that.

Hmm. I can see why that’d be a concern, but that would also be a bad idea for the company IMO. They’d lose out on candidates in future years no matter how much the students improved in the interim. Could she call and ask what their policies are on that?

She should contact the folks that reached out to her, express her interest in the program but mention the eligibility criteria and see if it is set in stone.

Unless she gets the go ahead after talking to someone, don’t do it. One: why waste everyone’s time if she doesn’t meet the criteria that has been clearly stated? Two: it would indicate she doesn’t read directions and follow rules.

Thank you @doschicos . She did not apply for this internship. She just talked to them during the career fair and gave them her resume where it is clearly indicated that she is a freshman.

This seems like a no-brainer to me. They knew her credentials but reached out anyway. That shouldn’t be interpreted as anything but interest on the part of this company. It’s also highly unlikely she would receive a black mark for doing poorly on an assessment, especially since they know she is young. If anything they probably just won’t remember her next time around.

Well, you can’t assume they reached out to her knowing her credentials. I think it would depend on how personalized the “reach out” was and in what form. I could easily envision a scenario where everyone on a sign in list or who dropped off a resume received the same notification. I would imagine a college rep would talk to dozens of students during a career fair and I wouldn’t expect them to keep details specific to each student and their eligibility. I would also assume that attendees at the fair would skew towards older students.

I agree with @doschicos and not complete the application unless I clarified it first. That way she could confirm interest and inquire to see if they have any programs for Freshman.

Thank you everyone. I guess at this point my biggest concern with this situation would be whether or not this company will hold it against her if she fails the challenge, because knowing my DD she would like to take this challenge. I can imagine that they keep database with applicants’ names.

The email came from “XYZ Hiring Team” with the title “XYZ Intern Test Invitation”

At every career fair I’ve attended, when you go to a company’s booth and converse with their recruiters, those recruiters absolutely do take notes. It’s not like they just magically remember your email. They have your actual resume that includes your class year and then often take notes on it about the things they specifically care about and then put it in a keep or toss pile. If you got an email, you got put in the keep pile, which means that the recruiter who was standing there in front of you and absolutely knew your class year decided you were worth a follow-up anyway, whether it was a canned email or not. No one just email blasts every single person who comes to the career fair booth.

What do you know: she just heard back from that company that she passed Hacker Rank assessment and is moving to the next level.

What is the best way to send updates about new research involvement and acquired skills to companies while internship application is still in review?

@Ballerina016 1. If she knows the recruiter then send it directly to the recruiter. 2. Some online applications have a portal where an applicant can update their application and provide a new resume. and 3. if neither of those options are available, then have her contact the hr dept of the company and ask about how to update. In my DD’s experience, some companies allow it and some do not.

Hope this info helps.

Most of the time you update them on new things you’ve done by talking about them when it comes to the interview. Plenty of times I’ve had good interview topics based on something I started working on just a few days earlier.

How far in the application process is she? If she’s already past the resume stage then it shouldn’t really make a difference.

@NeoDymium She past the resume stage, the testing stage and now they are checking if she is a fit. Her original resume mostly had her HS achievements since she gave it to them in September during the career fair.

Then I wouldn’t worry about it. They already deemed her qualified enough from a technical perspective to suffice for their requirements. Now if she has something new to add then she should do so verbally.

At this point the real thing they want to find out is not “are you capable of doing the job?” but “are you the kind of person I can work with?” That is a matter that is very much tied to personal factors.

This does sound suspiciously like a certain other job I have seen you mention a few weeks ago, so I offer further advice: no offer is “in the bag” until you have a written offer of employment. No matter how well you interviewed, there are any number of reasons why you could lose the job, and not all of them are your fault. Don’t dwell on any one opportunity and try to “make it work” because it’s out of your control. Rather, keep applying, keep searching, and focus your efforts on the numbers game. No matter who that company is and how great you think it is.