Accepted as Rappler intern

"God has perfect timing, never early, never late.

It takes a little patience & faith, but it's worth the wait."

Congratulations!
Welcome to RAPPLER!
You have been accepted as intern at Rappler.

I thought I was rejected once again. I already accepted it - Rappler was not for me until a wonderful email changed everything. I already lost hope because Ms. Chay Hofileña, the one who handles the internship, tweeted that those accepted would receive email last week. I received no confirmation; I was really sad and just comforted myself that IdeaSpace Philippines was probably the right company for me. Now, I am genuinely happy that I would be spending my internship with the Rappler team! It was a dream fulfilled. Hooray!

I immediately called my OJT professor to ask for advice on how to reject professionally the offer of IdeaSpace. "Go for what your heart wants and all will fall in place," she said. She was right. There are two opportunities in front of me, but I have to choose the one that I think aligns more closely with my current career goals. And Rappler fits those goals.

Our orientation is on Thursday, and we're about to start the next day. I am excited and nervous. I will make my stay at Rappler as memorable and fun as possible.

Application process

I started searching for companies as early as October! Rappler topped my list, of course. I read all the stories of past Rappler interns, just to have a feel of what would I experience with this great organization.

By January, I was finalizing my sample works, which was one of the four requirements (the other three were CV, application and recommendation letter). Because Rappler does multimedia journalism, I targeted three areas of this medium; namely, journalism, graphics, and photography. My sample works contained all these three aspects.

I really prepared my sample works well. I thought I had to impress them with my works since it would show my skills and edge over the other applicants. And I just did!

Then, I tailored my CV just right for the needs of Rappler. I included skills that were relevant to the post such as knowledge in multimedia journalism and the use of editing applications like Photoshop and Illustrator. I also highlighted my participation in CNN iReport Boot Camp. Thanks to my English for the Workplace classes, I learned how to craft properly an impressive CV.

I was about to send my application by mid-February; but Rappler changed the schedule to March 1. I had to wait. I finally sent it (with high hopes) on March 7. I got an email from Ms. Chay two weeks after. Submissions closed in late March. That wonderful email was just sent yesterday evening.