Over the past couple of months, I have realized that there is something that holds immense value to an individual as a prospective graduate: the internship. Internships are required by some majors or higher education institutions, but not others. In my major (Communications) at UH Mānoa, it is not a requirement to have an internship. Originally, I didn’t see the value in getting an internship. My focus was on graduating “on time” (which in itself is a myth and a whole other topic of discussion), not on building a resume. My parents and some friends of mine helped me understand how valuable an internship is to you as someone who will be entering the workforce.
After deciding to get an internship, I realized that getting an internship was pretty difficult. I’m not sure if my personal “shopping around” was impacted by the fact that I was looking to get an internship for only the spring semester and not during the summer, but I found it pretty difficult to find the right internship. To help others not face the same stresses as I did when I was looking for my internship, I’ve compiled a list of things that I learned during and after looking for an internship that would have made my search much easier.
Disclaimer
These tips are not professional advice. All of the listed tips come from my personal experience and are things that I wish I would have known to do prior to my search for an internship.
Tip 1: Start Early
If you have planned to do an internship in a particular semester, start looking early! I started looking about a month and a half before I was due to begin my internship, and I felt so stressed and rushed. The earlier you start, the more relaxed you can be during your search.
Tip 2: Know Where to Search
I did most of my searching on Indeed, but I also messaged some adults in my life that could possibly have business connections with people looking for interns. Indeed was great in some cases, but the filters on it are not foolproof. I often found lots of listings for summer interns, which I was obviously not going to take.
Tip 3: Take Advantage of Your School’s Career Center
Oftentimes, the career center on your campus can have lots of resources about internships and companies looking for interns. I wish I had better taken advantage of the Career Center at Mānoa.
Tip 4: Have an Up-to-Date Resume
Already having your resume ready is so helpful. I realized right as I was starting my search that I did not have an up-to-date resume, so I had to quickly update mine. I delayed my search for an internship to make my new and updated resume. If I were to do a do-over, I would have prepped my resume before I started my search.
Tip 5: Ask the Adults in Your Life if You Can Use Them as Personal Recommendations
Many companies may ask you for the phone numbers or emails of individuals to ask about how you are as a worker. Before you start your search, ask adults (who you are not related to) to be your personal recommendations. These adults should be able to talk about your character and how you are as a worker. Just make sure that you ask them and give them a heads-up that companies may contact them.
I hope these tips help you in the search for an internship!