5 Questions for Ryan Kahn on How to Land Your Dream Job or Internship - FlexJobs

5 Questions for Ryan Kahn on How to Land Your Dream Job or Internship - FlexJobs 5 Questions for Ryan Kahn on How to Land Your Dream Job or Internship - 32Ryan Kahn has always had a knack for helping people land their dream job or internship, starting with himself. As a college student, Kahn really wanted to work in the music industry but wasn’t sure how to break in so he started doing internships to meet people and make connections. Through his internships, he landed his post-graduation dream job at Warner Music Group, and immediately started paying his success forward by helping students still in college to break into the industry as well. Fast forward seven years, and Kahn is a nationally-recognized career coach who has placed thousands of students and recent grads in their dream jobs through Dream Careers, Inc., he’s the author of the book, HIRED! The Guide for the Recent Grad, and he hosted a 20-episode reality television show on MTV called HIRED! which helped college students and recent graduates find amazing jobs while educating viewers on the best job search tactics.. Because he’s been so successful at helping other people find their dream jobs, we wanted to talk with Kahn about how he does this, and how you can land your dream job or internship. How to land your dream job or internship: 1) How did you get started in this line of work? What’s your job as a career coach like? After I graduated and starting working at Warner Music Group full-time, I kept going back to UCLA and giving back. Every semester, I was a guest speaker on how to get your break in the entertainment business. Every time I gave that speech and met students, I’d meet a lot of great students and would pick out the best to hand hold through getting an internship or job. I noticed that I was having so much fun working with students to help them break into their dream jobs, and then I was approached by Dream Careers, Inc. They offered to pay me for what I was already doing for free, and that’s how I became a career coach. I’ve been with Dream Careers for about seven years and I work with college students to help them find summer internships and jobs in the entertainment industry. Each year, I work one on one with about 300 students. 2) How did you get started working with MTV for their reality series, HIRED (which followed young professionals through their entire job search process from application to interview to acceptance or rejection)? The short story is that it was the right time. The idea for the show came right when the recession was hitting and a lot of people could use a show like this as a great way for education and entertainment. The longer story is that a producer in New York had an idea for a show called My First Real Job. It was a great idea and he found out about Dream Careers and what I was doing and he thought it fit his vision of the show. When I met him, I loved the idea for the show, I thought it was great. We filmed an eight minute reel. It was very simple and not a very big production, but he had a great idea and vision of what he wanted it to look like. He also knew he wanted to go after MTV as the right place for it. The first time he pitched it, it got upstreamed all the way to the president, and he immediately wanted it for 20 episodes. It was documentary style so everything about it was absolutely real. It was real people going after really spectacular jobs. 3) Would you recommend internships to college students in particular, or do you think professionals of all ages could benefit from them?   I’m a huge advocate of everyone doing internships no matter your age. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “geez I’d love to take the summer off and go intern at Warner Bros or Tory Burch.” I work with people who have been in a career and are looking for a change. And a lot of the time that’s what I’d suggest. You’ve got to just do it. A year from now you’re going to wish you had done it today. Great risk has great reward. By taking that sacrifice of several steps back potentially, you’ll be so much happier knowing that you’re doing something you’re passionate about. 4) Is it really realistic for people to pursue their dream careers in this economy? Youre going after a job that’s a one in a million, during a time when that million has turned into a hundred million. But I’ve had the same success rate. It’s a matter of using certain tactics to get your foot in the door, meeting people you need to meet, making the right impression, and making it happen. You don’t get to jump into your dream career starting today. You get there by putting yourself in the right direction today. Getting your dream career is a windy road but you have to start now. 5) Fall semester is well underway and the Class of 2013 is considering their lives post-graduation. What advice do you have for them?   Grab an internship NOW. Fall and spring internships are a great way to get your foot in the door early on. You don’t have to commit that much to it. You can literally do a one or two day a week internship. Cram it into your schedule because that’s going to get your foot in the door, meeting the people you need to meet before everyone else does in May. Think about how many other students are graduating in your year in your major. If you’re a public relations major, you’re also competing against all the PR majors graduating from UCLA, NYU, Harvard, Stanford, Florida State, everywhere. You’ve got to do something that sets you apart. People like hiring people that they’re friends with. If you’re making a good impression in your internship, just like I did at Warner Music Group, they’re going to want to help you out and make sure you’re the first person that gets hired after graduation. Our big thanks to Ryan Kahn for speaking with and sharing his story and expertise! To get in touch with Ryan, you can find him on Twitter: @HIRED.