With just a few weeks left in the semester, college students around the country have summer on the brain more than ever—but most of them aren’t daydreaming about lazy poolside days (well, not all the time, anyway). The pressure to find a summer internship is on, and it can be overwhelming just to figure out where to find one, let alone how to craft the perfect application. Here are a few basic tips to keep you from stressing and get the internship of your dreams – maybe even one that pays. (Hey, you can dream.)
1. Take advantage of school resources. Reach out to your academic or major advisor for advice, make an appointment with the Career Center, or check out the Pride Career Management System on your portal for tailored job listings.
2. Make a list of general specifications. Now may not seem like the time to be picky, but you’ll get lost in a sea of job postings if you don’t narrow down what you’re looking for. Ask yourself basic but important questions about your potential internship: What locations would work for you? Will you need to get college credit? (Some majors require internship credit.) How much are you willing to pay to commute (or relocate)?
3. Make another list—this time, focusing on your interests. You’ve gotten the logistical part out of the way, so now you can think about what you want overall. What fields interest you the most? What do you want accomplish as an intern? Do you have any dream companies you’d love to work for someday? You can even research some popular job options for your major in advance.
4. Check out internship sites. Now that you’re armed with knowledge of what you want to do, you can scour the Internet. Internships.com, Mediabistro.com, YouTern.com, CareerSushi.com, Ed2010.com, and Experience.com are good places to start, to name a few.
5. Follow up on your applications. Clicking “send” isn’t the end of the hunt—it’s okay to follow up with companies that haven’t gotten back to you after a while and politely ask about the status of your application.