Visit the career center
The career center is one of the greatest resources that Fairfield has to offer. Make an appointment with any of the counselors to review your resume and cover letter. Even if you think your resume is perfect, they may give you advice on some tweaks that will make your resume stand out against other candidates. In addition, they can give you more specific advice on summer internships based on your area of interest.
Search Stags4Hire and other internship sites
Stags4Hire has a plethora of internship opportunities where employers want to hire Fairfield students. In addition, there are many websites to look up internships: Indeed, Internships.com, LinkedIn, and many more. Start searching!!
Go to the company website that you are dying to work for
Some big companies do not post internships on other sites, so check to see if they have summer internships listed!
Update your LinkedIn profile and other social media pages
Make sure you chose a professional photo for your profile, add any current experience, and write a summary telling possible employers about yourself. Also, make sure all your social media posts and pictures are ones you would not be embarrassed for your family to see. Once hired as an intern you will be an extension of the company, so do not have anything that will discourage companies from considering you!
Connect with Alumni
Utilizing the Find Alumni tab on LinkedIn is key. It is easy to sort through by what they studied, what company the work for, or where they are located for work. If you see that an alumnus is working at your dream company, reach out! Send a brief message saying you would love to chat about their role in XX company. They may get back to you and if they do, prepare questions to ask them. Also, NEVER blatantly ask for an internship. They may be impressed, and pass your resume along to HR that can lead to opportunities!
Research the Company
Before you interview for an internship, make sure you know the company. It may sound silly, but this will help you during the interview. If you mention some accomplishment of the company or elements of the mission statement, it shows that you care about getting the internship because you took the time to do your research.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
There are basic interview questions that are always asked like Tell me about yourself, what are your strengthens/weaknesses, and why do you want to intern here? Instead of stumbling over your words, prepare a general answer before your interview, so you feel confident when answering the questions. If they throw a curveball question pause, think, then answer the best you can.
Never Give Up!
You may start to get discourage when you are applying to numerous internships and are not hearing back from any, but DO NOT give up. Make sure you are writing a new cover letter tailored to the internship you are applying for. It may take more time to do this but quality > quantity.
Good luck and go land that summer internship!