Maybe summer crept up on you, or maybe that sure-fire position fell through at the last minute. Either way, the struggle of looking for a summer internship is real. Finding an internship is even harder if you waited until late in the semester (like I did). It isn’t game over though. Check out these tips to help you find a last-minute summer internship.
Strengthen Your Resume
Be honest. When is the last time you updated your resume? If it’s been a while, go back and take a look at it. Does it have your current contact information? Your degree? Your GPA? It may be that since the last time you edited it, you landed an awesome part-time job at your university, or maybe you picked up a leadership position in an on-campus club. Before you even start looking, make sure your resume is concise and up to date.
Look at Unpaid Internships
I know. Everybody likes tohave a little extra cash in their pocket, and a paid internship is an easy way to pad your resume and your wallet. But if you’ve waited to look for summer work, the reality is that a lot of the paid, cushy internships are already taken. It may cost you a little in housing and food, but an unpaid internship still looks great on a resume. As one of my mentors said, as an emerging young professional, the experience is ten times more important than the money. And that goes double for juniors and seniors who have graduation looming on the horizon. If your money is tight, look for internships close to home. Even reach out to family and friends to see if you could crash on someone’s couch for cheaper housing if you find some cool opportunities that aren’t near home.
Look Outside Your Field
If your major is specific, it can get difficult to find places that are hiring interns at all. Instead, look to something that’s a little out of your field. If you’re a civil engineer, look at mechanical engineering internships. They’re a lot more numerous. If you’re in international relations, consider travel journalism work. It gives you experience abroad, and is less competitive than the typical government jobs that everyone else is applying to. These internships still boost your resume, and may even give you a leg up when applying to jobs because you have some diversity to your experience.
Use Your Campus Career Center
If you’re looking for resources for reputable internships, go to your campus’s career center. You can make an appointment at Alabama’s career center to review your resume, look for internships, and get interview tips. CrimsonCareers is an online portal where Alabama students can search for jobs themselves. You can even create a profile and upload a resume to make it easier for employers to find you!
Use Your Network
So your dad’s golf buddy has a marketing firm that needs an intern? Your former roommate’s company needs a temp while their secretary is on maternity leave? Don’t overlook an opportunity just because your family or friends helped you get it. If you don’t have a Linkedin profile, make one and edit your profile. Your network is there to help you succeed. Reach out to friends who have graduated or professors to see if they know of open positions. Ask your family to pass your resume on. Sometimes a good word from someone you know is the deciding factor between you and another candidate. It might feel a little like cheating to use your family and friends to get a job, but most people are happy to help.
Explore Smaller Companies
Big name employers like the State Department or Microsoft hire a lot of interns, but how many of them actually get to know their bosses or do meaningful work? Smaller companies don’t get the influx of applications that bigger companies do. There’s a smaller pool of candidates to choose from, so your resume will stand out. You’ll also be able to develop more meaningful connections with the professionals you work will, which gives you better letters of recommendation, and stronger connections for after graduation. Don’t overlook an internship with a smaller company just because it doesn’t have the name recognition some companies have.
Get a Part-time Job
If all else fails, and you can’t find a internship in your field this year, snag a part-time summer job. You can still put a summer job on your resume. It may not feel as spectacular as that internship in New York that you wanted, but it shows future employers that you’re willing to work. Not to mention it’s money in your pocket.
While waiting until the end of the semester to find a summer internship isn’t ideal, it doesn’t mean you can’t find a great one. There are plenty of companies still hiring. Don’t become discouraged just because you can’t find the perfect internship at this point. A job is still a job, and nothing makes up for the real-world experience that you gain from an internship.