Has Seth Godin Reinvented the Internship?
The other day I was doing some research via Squidoo and stumbled upon a lens with this title: “Don’t Go to Business School.” Intrigued, I clicked on it only to find that marketing guru and innovative thinker, Seth Godin, was the author of the page. I have to admit, I kind of freaked out. In a good way. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from and work with one of the top thinkers in the field.
So, what is it?
Well, if you haven’t already heard, Seth Godin is creating his own MBA program. Yes, that’s right, Seth Godin is going to hand select a group of individuals to join him in his New York office for six months to learn and work with Seth and the “tribe.” Here are the topics he’s planning to cover with this group:
“My goal is to focus the group on practical applications in the following areas:
design
analytics
strategy
marketing
sales
leadership
community development and coordination
technology (as a user, not a creator)
bravery
clarity
presentation skills
I expect to spend zero time talking about the stock market, industrial engineering or large-scale finance. Very little accounting as well.
We’re going to read books, have discussions but most of all, do stuff. Do it, complete it, push it through the Dip.”
To see the full “Alternative MBA” description on Squidoo click here. To read Seth’s blog post about why he’s doing this click here.
While you’re looking through his proposed program, I wonder if you’ll get as excited as I did when I read it. Based on the comments on the lens I think Seth really struck a chord with a lot of people who are itching to have an adrenaline-filled learning experience and add a deeper sense of purpose to their work.
The question that I kept thinking is, has Seth Godin reinvented the internship and the application process? I think his approach is one that should be considered for companies large and small that are seeking new talent. What an opportunity to attract a motivated and excited group to your brand and to allow both parties to “try each other on” for a set period of time. It seems like a win-win to me.
My challenge to you would be to see if there is a variation of Seth’s program that you could create for your own organization.
Reasons I think Seth’s model is extremely appealing and innovative:
- He asks for a digital resume, which allows for multimedia content and a person’s virtual identity to be included. Gone should be the days of the one-dimensional paper resume.
- He asks questions that reveal more than a person’s past work history but also his or her personality, style, intention, goals.
- The program includes a set mentor/coach who is investing in the group and facilitating daily learning and interaction.
* The group forms a class or team who are immediately connected through a shared experience.
- The time frame is long enough to provide an intensive learning experience but short enough that it doesn’t seem like a major commitment or risk.
This post was written by Cassie Pruett
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2 Responses to “Has Seth Godin Reinvented the Internship?”
Great post – and applicable to hiring in general!
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This sounds interesting. It reminds me of when The apprentice was about college graduates versus street smarts.
#8933 | Mireya Pizarro (05/13/09)