Internship. It’s a word that everyone who’s anyone on a college campus has heard at least a million times. Most of us have even been told to get one. But everybody is competing for internships. Everybody wants the experience that an internship offers (even if it’s not paid). So getting an internship is easier said than done, right? Well… Not exactly. Her Campus WPUNJ is here to help you with these invaluable tips that will help you land an awesome internship this summer.
First things first: Visit the Career Development and Gloria S. Williams Advisement Center.
This should be your go-to place for internships. They’ll help you figure out what types of internships you’d be best off looking at, and they’ll help you find specific ones that meet your needs and interests. If you’ve already got a specific internship in mind, they’ll help you figure out how to apply and what you’ll need.
This center is a helpful resource on campus, and it’s one of the best places to begin your internship search.
Don’t count out a big-name company or organization.
Many big-time companies and organizations hire interns, especially over the summer. Both the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art offer seasonal internships to college undergrads (and graduate students). Companies like Viacom, Facebook, and Seventeen Magazine hire interns, too. It never hurts to apply to these major corporations and organizations, so look up your favorite companies and give it a shot. After all, somebody’s got to get these internships. Maybe that somebody will be you.
Don’t count out a local company or organization either.
Go around town and knock on doors of local businesses. Some of them will be willing to take in interns for college credit. As mentioned with a big business, it never hurts to try. Especially because local companies might be less likely to have a huge influx of applicants, so you might have a better shot.
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Make sure you know the requirements of the internship you’re applying for.
If the internship is asking for a Marketing major, and you’re majoring in Studio Art, that may not be the internship for you. Know what type of work the internship will entail and make sure that it’s work you don’t mind (or, dare I say, even like) doing. You should also make sure you know how often the internship will require you to come in. Some only need their interns in-office twice a week, whereas others want to see their interns bright and early every morning. Make sure you know how often the company wants interns to show up and that you can definitely commit to those times.
You’ll also need to look over the application for the internship if one is provided. Some internships provide an application checklist for you, but others may leave that for you to keep track of on your own. Make sure you know what you need to send in and when it’s all due.
Look over your résumé.
A résumé is one of the most important documents you’ll be sending in with your application. And having a good résumé, even if you don’t have much job experience, will be the difference between an awesome internship and a not-so-hot backup one, if even one at all. Obviously one of the most important things to do when going through your résumé is to proofread. You never want to submit a résumé that’s riddled with typos.
You should also make sure that your résumé is clean and easy-to-read. Avoid distracting fonts and colors; instead, let your experiences and honors be the primary focus. Your résumé should also be accurate. Lying will only get you into trouble, and it will be hard to explain that falsified résumé once you’re on the job and can’t actually perform that task you listed.
If in doubt, the Career Development and Gloria S. Williams Advisement Center webpage has many resources for resumé writing. They also hold events throughout the semester, like Career Boot Camp, that help you workshop your résumé.
Write a bang-up cover letter.
Wait… a what? Many college students haven’t even heard of a cover letter, let alone written one, so it might sound a little overwhelming at first. But a cover letter is basically just a letter that you send in with your application as an introduction to you and your résumé. Easy stuff. Ideally, the cover letter will tell the company all about you – your achievements, your strengths, your experience – without making you sound selfish, self-centered, and cocky. Many sites, including Purdue Owl and About.com, contain helpful how-to guides that will teach you how to write a cover letter that complements your resume, highlights why you’re interested in the internship at all and why you’ll be a good fit for it, and most importantly, gets you the job.
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Clean up your social media.
If you wouldn’t want your dad or your mom or your grandmother or your priest to see it, take it down (or, better yet, don’t put it up at all). That’s our social media rule-of-thumb here. Sure that party last Friday night was fun, and boy, those pics are hilarious! But they probably won’t leave too great an impression on the internship coordinator. Many companies look at social media to get some more information on the people applying for their jobs and internships. Make sure that your Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, etc. make you look professional. Avoid profanities and spelling errors. The latter, especially, has become a make-or-break with certain jobs and internships. Look at all of your social media accounts objectively and remove any content that you think might be questionable.
Practice your interview skills.
Most internships will require you to come in for an interview before you get the job. This is your chance to make a good first impression in person. So get better at improvising. Make sure you have some preset answers to common interview questions. Ask a friend or a parent to interview you so that you get some real practice in. Set aside a professional-looking outfit to wear to your interview and make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get ready. On the day of your interview, relax and show up early. And always try to maintain a positive attitude, good poise, a strong handshake, and a friendly smile.
Do your research.
Sure this might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people forget about it. It’s important that you know more about the company you’re applying to than what you learned after browsing the company webpage for twenty minutes. I’m not saying you’ve got to do hours upon hours of research, but you should at least know the basics: what the company does, how any products (like apps) work, what the company’s background is, etc.
This research could also help you with your interview questions. Knowing more information about the company or organization might let you give a better, more detailed answer about how you’ll fit into that company and how you and the company will mutually benefit each other. And it will help you leave a better impression on the interviewer, which may help you get the gig.
Internships are an excellent opportunity to gain some real-world experience in your field of study and a chance to have fun earning college credit, too! Hopefully this advice, when paired with a solid application and a charming smile, will help you get that internship (and, ultimately, that job) that you’ve been vying for.
Best of luck, collegiettes™!