This time of year can be very busy and stressful for students especially Juniors and Seniors. It’s Internship season and we are all running around like our heads are cut off. Trying to find the perfect internship that could lead to your dream job is extremely hard.
Here are a few tips I learned from my professors and through my own trial and error that can help you.
1.Perfect Your Resume and Cover Letter
Your resume and cover letter are some of the most important things you need when applying for internships or any career. It should show your future employer what you have experience in such as recent jobs, other internships, etc. It should also elaborate on any extracurricular activities you have done and the skills you have acquired.
For more tips on resumes and cover letters check out these articles: 10 Resume Tips, How to get your resume past the robots, 7 Expert Tips on Cover Letters
2. Rebrand Your Social Media, especially LinkedIn!
Social Media plays a huge role in the hiring world today. One way to stand out on social media is to have all of your profiles under the same name. This will make it easier for employers to find you. On the other hand, if you don’t want certain content to be seen you can set your more personal profiles to private. Always be mindful of what you post online, remember the internet is permanent. Another great way to stand out to employers would be to have a professional LinkedIn profile.
There are many ways to get your profile in excellent condition. I found it very helpful to reach out to your school’s career center. There are plenty of trained individuals at your school that are there to help you, so take advantage! You can also check out these links for easy personal branding tips: A guide to branding yourself , Personal Branding , How to Make the Perfect LinkedIn
3. Network
It’s important to get connected with anyone that is involved in the internship or career you want. This might involve you reaching out to that one classmate that said, on the first day of class, that she had an internship at the same place you want to work at. You can also make connections outside of the classroom setting, like at sporting events, at your favorite bar, or even through social media. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your followers, you never know who they might be connected to!
One simple connection to a person that knows a person working in your potential field will help you out tremendously. Professors are considered to be some of the best connections to have! They can connect you to fellow alumni as well as other colleagues.
4. Apply, Apply, Apply!
Apply for everything that you qualify for or if you meet most of the requirements for it apply! If it interests you the slightest bit, fill out the application for it. I know it seems like a lot to do, but it is better to cast a wide net. This way you will get several offers and have options to choose from rather than having to take the only internship offer you applied for.
Something that worked for me is to set aside one day out of the week and a few hours out of that day to sit down and fill out applications. Doing this will cut down on stress during the week.
5. Stay Optimistic
The process of searching for internships can be stressful. Just remember to stay calm and take breaks when needed. Also, stay optimistic! A lot of people always announce their success in getting an internship, but what many people don’t see is that there were a lot of rejections before the acceptance. You will not get accepted to every internship and that is OKAY. Stay positive and the right internship will find you!
Hopefully, with these tips, you will be able to land that Dream Internship!