Summer internships are truly the most evil concept, especially when you’re just starting out. Most searches take months, consist of dozens of interviews with even more applications unanswered, and the result is typically a position that overworks and underpays you. It’s the worst.
Nevertheless, I understand how desirable a summer internship is. The past 3 years, I have basically devoted my entire spring to applying and interviewing for positions. If you ask my friends, they’ll tell you that I was genuinely addicted to LinkedIn and refreshing my email.
My freshman year, my spring pursuit was unsuccessful, but I managed to lock down an unpaid internship with a PAC just when summer started. My sophomore year, I applied to upwards of 40 positions and landed 6 interviews. I had quite literally given up and emailed my summer job boss to see if she could hire me again when I received a call that I landed my goal internship with Live Nation.
So, having been on both sides of the summer hunt and landed internships through various avenues, I have some tips on landing a last-minute internship. The important things to know are that it’s not too late, and it’s also not the end of the world if nothing pans out.
Reach out to your connections
Whether it’s your professors or your parents’ friends, start reaching out to people in your desired industry. Ask your professors or your parents if they know anyone who may be able to point you in the right direction.
Think about what parents of people you went to high school with do, what job does your aunt have, or does your dad have a coworker in another department that can help you?
The first step in my defeat last year was frantically texting my teammate from high school to send me her mom’s number, and it worked. While I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity she presented me last summer, she did help me land my first post-grad publishing and editing job with the American Red Cross.
Get off linkedin
The LinkedIn envy is real. It sucks seeing everyone post their really impressive summer plans when you’re still unsure. So, stop scrolling on LinkedIn!
Just ignore LinkedIn for now. Try searching other job board platforms like Handshake or Indeed, where there’s a little less competition, and see if anything catches your interest.
Keep applying
Honestly, most internship positions that are being posted now will be unpaid, part-time, and probably remote. However, none of these are bad traits! While the downside is that you’ll probably have to work alongside these hours, these internships are a great way to get your hours in and build your resume.
Freshman year, I landed both of my internships by applying to sketchy, underwhelming, unpaid positions. The first one was with a weird editorial, where I functioned basically as AI to produce copy-paste social media content for them. I kind of hated it, but I got 120 hours over 4 months, which wasn’t bad, and it gave me social media experience to take into my next role as a communications intern.
Start sending cold emails
This one is a little scary, but I have had success doing it. Typically, I would suggest asking professionals at companies you want to work for for a coffee chat, but sometimes just emailing someone directly and asking for work is effective too.
It really depends on what you’re comfortable with, the size of the company, and the amount of experience you have. For example, if your favorite coffee shop has a bad social media presence, bring them some of your mock-ups from class and ideas for them, and ask to run their account. I think you’ll find that a lot of people are willing to give you a chance!
Decide to focus on a passion project
If the thought of getting an internship is too overwhelming, just try next year! Instead, you can use some of your free time to pursue a hobby, volunteer, or build up a passion project.
Not everything has to be a resume builder, but starting a TikTok account or your own business is a great way to get experience on your own terms. Take some time to figure out what you like to do and start from there.
Look for fall internships instead
The absolute worst-case scenario here is that you don’t get an internship this summer. Well, the good news is that there are still plenty of opportunities (that are typically easier to get) during the rest of the year. So, you can and will find a way to meet any school requirements.
This might sound crazy, but I found the internship listing for my current internship with Her Campus Media during my sophomore year and started building my resume to fit the listing. So sometimes you just need some more time to get the right experience! Luckily, you can often make those experiences happen yourself- like joining a club or the aforementioned social media side hustle.
relax
No one is saying that you have to get an internship right now. So, take a deep breath and remind yourself that everything is going to be okay.