As the time to apply for spring internships rolls around, beware of becoming a serial intern—that person who has internship upon internship but isn’t accomplishing very much or who is paid nothing. Let me paint the picture of the serial intern for you.
She wakes up two days a week to head to her internship. While she’s there, she gets coffee and makes copies. She does tedious work on the computer straining her eyeballs until she gets antsy in her chair. She gets bogged down with menial tasks and sometimes eats lunch at her desk. The hours drag on until she leaves for the day. Some of the full-time employees don’t even know her name. Or maybe she loves her internship and excitedly gets up every day because she’s doing real work, like she would once she graduates and gets employed at an entry-level job. The thing is though, she’s working like a dog and receiving no compensation, not even for travel. It’s day in and day out for her, just so she can add another work experience to her resume.
When you’re looking for internships, look for those fulfilling experiences where you’ll grow as a person and as a professional. Not only will you be able to add this work to your resume, you’ll also be able to speak about it during interviews, get references and letters of recommendation, and expand your personal (and LinkedIn) network. You shouldn’t just apply to every internship you see or accept the first offer you get; you should carefully weigh your options and pick the choice that’s best for you and your future.
Don’t let yourself be treated like a full-time employee but receive no compensation and don’t let yourself become a menial laborer. Your time is valuable and you deserve to have it allocated wisely, developing valuable experience and gaining relevant skills.
So how do you find this great internship? Surf online, ask your friends, check out LinkedIn, visit websites and visit the Center for Career Development (and career advising centers for each college). Once you’ve done the research, go on informational interviews with current employees (use LinkedIn or alumni connections) and ask your friends who have interned there for their experience. Once you decide you want to submit your application and you get the official interview, ask what a day in the life of an intern looks like and what kinds of tasks interns do on a regular basis.
Make sure this experience will be one worth having, and not just another line to add to your resume. Best of luck to you in your internship search, you can do it!