My Internship with CBS – Part Two
I hope everyone had a great, relaxing, fun-filled Labor Day, not worrying about having to be at the office at 9 a.m. and fighting through rush hour. Speaking of heavy traffic and labor, beginning of this year, I made my first big steps toward a future in the entertainment business.
Even though I had been affiliated with the Newport Beach Film Festival and got a glimpse into the film industry, the doors that were about to open for me in January had a major impact on which route I wanted to approach. But before that, I had some hurdles to tackle.
The first one was the phone interview I talked about last week. I was nervous, but I managed to stay calm and professional, and I somehow must have left a good impression because I was invited to an actual in-house interview during that same phone call.
Saying that I was excited about this opportunity is a clear understatement. I swore myself that this is my chance to lay the building blocks towards a great career, and I didn’t want to jinx anything. I took the preparation for the upcoming interview to a whole other level. Don’t get me wrong, I do prepare for every interview properly, but I definitely took it up a notch for this one.
I started studying the backgrounds of the company that same night, thinking about every possible question they could ask me. I practiced my answers to any potential questions while taking a shower, while watching TV, or while driving. I also laid out my outfit a day in advance, figuring out that I had to run to the store to get a more appropriate blazer. I also had to buy a watch to cover my wrist tattoo and got my nails done.
In addition to all this, I rented a car for the day of the interview, just to make sure I would definitely make it without having to worry about my personal, older vehicle to break down. Oh boy, that interview preparation probably cost me more than what I got paid the first week of actually working at the company.
When the big day arrived, I made sure to leave the house two-and-a-half hours in advance just to avoid crazy LA traffic. Of course, I arrived way too early, but thankfully The Grove was located right next to the interview site, so I spent some time there. 30 minutes before my appointment, I started driving around the studio a couple times, being amazed with how complex the lot actually was. All I kept thinking was: I have to go in there in 25 minutes. Me, the German girl with the funny accent was about to step into the grand halls of fabulous TV making. Yeah, I was intimidated.
Reminding me to keep it together, I followed the instructions I was given by my future supervisor and parked the car in the lot after I passed the guard at the gate, who took my information. I confidently stepped out of the car, making my way toward the grand entrance, where another guard greeted me and asked for my information, before I was guided upstairs to actually meet with my future supervisors who were conducting the interview.
On the third floor, I was friendly greeted by one of the women, leading me to the office of the Vice President of Communications. I instantly felt welcomed by the two women, and when they started asking me questions, I was most of the time able to hide my nervousness. After the interview was done, I was being told that I would be notified during the next couple of weeks. I felt beyond relieved stepping out of the building. I took a deep breath before I had to make my way to join in the fun of driving in LA traffic.
Ten minutes into my drive back, my phone started ringing, displaying a number with an LA area code. I pulled over onto the nearest available parking lot, when I saw that the person who called had left me a voice mail. Instantly, I dialed my voice mail, and I couldn’t believe what I just heard. It was the HR lady from CBS, letting me know that I got the job.
I don’t even know how to describe the emotions I felt in that moment, but I was freaking happy, to say the least. I actually managed to land a paid internship with one of the most successful television networks in the USA. And they wanted me, the humble German girl with the funny accent. At that time, I had no idea how this internship was about to challenge me. But more about that next time…
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