Believe it or not, summer is rapidly approaching. This means students around the country are searching and applying for internships. College is already stressful enough, and now one must worry about their summer plans! Luckily, I’ve compiled some tips to make the application process much easier!
1. Find your focus.
It’s most important to figure out what kind of an internship you want. There are so many different fields: communications, tech, business, engineering, and many more. Once you find your interest field, start googling those types of internships. Soon, you’ll have a huge list of places to apply.
2. Write your cover letter.
This step is very important. It’s imperative that you list your qualifications, why you would excel at the company, and what you would gain from working at the company. There are lots of websites that help you format and write your cover letter including The Balance and The Atlantic.
3. Update your resume.
Your resume must be flawless. List all the experience you have, all your skills (Microsoft, etc), and your education. If you’re applying for a more creative internship, feel free to make your resume a little more fun. Also, try to keep your resume to one page and don’t cram everything together because that makes it difficult to read. For help, visit Resume Genius.
4. Gather recommendations and/or references.
Sometimes recommendations and references aren’t needed, which makes life a lot easier. However, sometimes internships ask for them during the final stages of interviewing. It’s always helpful to have a short list of people to ask including professors, employers, and others, even high school teachers.
5. Check (and double check) application deadlines.
This is very important! It’s such a bad feeling to miss an application deadline and have to wait until the next year to apply. I recommend making a chart with each application you’re submitting including the deadlines and if recommendations or references are needed.
It’s a lot less daunting than it sounds! Just follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a fantastic summer internship!
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, and read our latest Tweets!