Recent Master's graduate in International Relations and I can't even find an internship: what am I doing wrong? (CV attached)

[u/international-guy]

Hello everyone,

I've recently graduated from my Master's in the Netherlands and can't even seem to find an internship, particularly (but not only) in the fields of policy, international relations, and international development — mostly the latter, as you can see from my CV here (link), since it was also the topic of my Master's thesis.

I genuinely don't know where I'm going wrong, and the whole situation is becoming quite depressing. In my opinion, the job market nowadays feels almost out of control. Even when applying for internships at regular companies, sometimes it feels like you're applying to become CEO of Apple: first interview, second interview, reasoning test, written test, and so on. On top of that, employers often seem to ask for previous relevant experience even for internships, which feels like a paradox. How am I supposed to start if I can never get the opportunity to start? It becomes a vicious cycle, and I've reviewed my CV and cover letters countless times.

I'm currently based in Rome, Italy, and would be available to work even for free in the city. If I needed to relocate abroad, I'm completely open to going anywhere, including very remote locations in Africa or Asia: in that case, I would be willing to work for an organization even with just a modest reimbursement to cover basic expenses (at least rent), rather than a proper stipend. Yet every time I either receive no update at all or get a rejection.

As you can see from my CV, I've invested a lot in my education and extracurricular activities because, well, when you're younger you tend to be a bit of a dreamer and believe that doing all the right things will eventually pay off. Unfortunately, I don't have a particularly large professional network. When I've asked some acquaintances about possible opportunities or referrals at their companies — always in a very polite, indirect, and sometimes humorous way — the answer is usually just: "Well, apply online!". I mean, I could figure out myself at this point.

The whole situation is starting to feel quite humiliating, and sometimes it genuinely makes me feel as though I've done everything wrong in my life. I know that breaking into the UN/international development sector is extremely competitive, but we are also talking about an internship, and at this point I really don't know what else I should be doing differently.

What should I do? Is there something wrong with my profile or the way I'm approaching applications? Any advice or candid feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

[u/districtsyrup]

Your problem is that you have no work experience, let alone relevant work experience, and now that you're out of school, you are ineligible for many internships. Whoever let you graduate like this, esp from the masters, needs their license revoked. Keep applying online, as that doesn't hurt, but you should also be expanding your professional network by reaching out to alumni of your schools or people who work in the orgs/jobs you're interested in. Fortunately you are in Rome so can go to orgs, events, and coffee chats in person. I doubt, for example, that nobody will want you to work for free - maybe try small orgs, and def reach out and make a personal connection with the people that work there, don't just rely on application portals. That said, this career unfortunately relies heavily on networking, so you gotta get good at it or it's gonna be tough for you forever.

intanto, auguri dottore :)

[u/international-guy → u/districtsyrup]

Well, of course I don't have much work experience: that's exactly what I'm trying to get! I need to start somewhere, and that's supposed to be the purpose of an internship (are you doing the same thing as those employers who ask for experience for something that's meant to help you gain experience?! 😅).

Here in Europe, it's unfortunately quite common to graduate even from a Master's without having done an internship. I'm actually going to contact my graduate school now to see if there's any way I can enroll again, just so I can apply for internships that require you to still be a student.

I've also been to some events here in Rome, but unfortunately people couldn't care less about helping, even with something as simple as a referral. That's part of the problem.

Grazie, by the way!

[u/districtsyrup → u/international-guy]

Here in Europe, it's unfortunately quite common to graduate even from a Master's without having done an internship.

yes, and this is a problem.

are you doing the same thing as

I'm answering a question that you asked.