How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 3

I needed a way to respond to those students who ask about summer employment almost a year in advance. These are students who are planning ahead, and those are the kind of people we want to work with. I didn't want to ignore their email, nor could I say definitively that we would even have summer jobs available.

I needed a way to address the flood of requests that arrive in the weeks just before a summer job would start. When too many arrive in a short time, I can't fairly evaluate them and find the best of the best. Sadly, many of those requests went unanswered and students were left wondering what happened.

I didn't want the students to realize how unorganized and non-committal we were internally. Our firm presented itself as a well-oiled machine that was also "intern friendly." I am certain that my bosses never fully appreciated the extent of my impact on our firm's reputation. I had a direct and immediate influence on college students and, perhaps more importantly, the message that they spread to other students and their teachers. Since students often apply and interview at several firms, it wouldn't take long for them to share their tales of a negative experience with us to our competitors.

I felt very torn between the indecisiveness at our firm and wanting to present a professional front to the students.

It suddenly came to me that part of my conflict was that I was not in control of my schedule. I was letting the students determine the application schedule. It was further compounded by a lack of direction from my bosses. I decided to take a leadership role with the entire summer job process. This process eventually became a "program," but at the time I was creating it, I perceived it as a process.

I decided to set up a schedule.

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