As spring approaches the sun begins to shine and dreams of summer vacation appear. With it comes pressure to figure out what you are going to do with your time away from school. Many turn to one of the arguably most beneficial things you can do with your summer: Internships.
Not only do internships look stellar on a resume, they also help you explore your interests, see what it is like to actually work in your field of choice, and gain knowledge and experience. Sonoma State University students can register through Extended Education to get college credit for internship hours during the summer. Some majors, such as Communications and Media Studies, even require a certain amount of hours to graduate. Though college credit or not, an opportunity to get your foot in the door of a field or company of choice can be incentive enough.
So how do you land that perfect summer internship?
Step 1: Figure out what you want
There is a plethora of internships out there, but you need to think about what you want to get out of a summer of working. Questions to ask yourself include: What field do I want to explore? What skills should I build to be successful in my future career goals? Can I afford an unpaid position, or is money a necessity? Is there a company I want to get a foot in the door with? Where will I be living this summer, and how far am I willing to commute?
Step 2: Research
When I began looking for summer internships, I honestly just used Google, and that was pretty effective. There are many databases that are useful in connecting you to posted internships, such as internships.com, InternMatch, and Glassdoor. There are some websites, such as prcrossing.com, that are tailored for specific industries, and oftentimes professors or industry professionals will know of these, so ask around. I have also found many through searching on LinkedIn, which is a website you should be on. If you have a specific company in mind, it is usually relatively easy to find their “careers” page and see what opportunities they have available. Before you start applying, make sure to carefully read the position requirements. This is usually the first thing I read in the job description, as there is no point in wasting my time on a company that only accepts college graduates when I am an undergrad. That being said, if you are really interested in a company that does not currently have positions open, you can always send them a letter of inquiry.
Step 3: Polish your application materials
To stand out among the inevitable mountain of applications sent in, you need to put in a little more effort than that homework assignment you did last minute and turned in at 11:59 without reading over. Yea, that one. It is a competitive world out there, so it is necessary to take the time to make your cover letter, resume, and any additional materials as wonderful as possible. SSU Career Services is an excellent resource in writing these, as are the templates on their website. Remember to tailor your resume and cover letter to the specific job. For example, if the job description for the position I was applying for included “knowledge of social media platforms”, I would make sure to include my social media work for KSUN Radio and the Instagram handle. Your cover letter should also show some knowledge of the company you are applying to. To summarize: Know your audience.
Don’t have a lot of experience? Don’t stress. It’s an internship, after all; employers are not expecting an experienced professional. The key is to focus on what you have done, whether that means playing on a sports team or writing for the school newspaper, and illustrating how you have grown and gained skills that are applicable to the position. This is not a time to be modest. Brag about yourself, show employers the wonderful and unique individual that you are! But also, it is helpful to emphasize that while you have many positive attributes to bring to the team, you are coming in open minded and ready to learn.
Step 4: Apply, apply, apply!
Summer may feel like a distant dream, but really it is just around the corner, and most internships for the season have been posted since early February, so start applying as soon as possible. And while you should definitely have taken the time to make your materials the best they can be, do not let deadlines fool you – sometimes a company will close an application early if they get enough applicants or if they have already found their perfect intern. This happened to me just last month: I found my dream public relations internship, took three weeks to write and rewrite all my supplements, only to find that the application was closed and there was nothing I could do about it.
Also, apply to several positions. Getting your resume and cover letter solid is the hard part. Once you start applying to internships, as long as they are the same type of job, applying to multiple positions with different companies is as easy as making slight changes to your materials. If you only apply to one and do not get it, then your summer plans have just gone down the drain. Also, applying to many gives you the opportunity to be pickier with whom you accept.
Step 5: Make the most of your summer
So you followed the above steps and nailed down an internship: Congratulations! Remember that you should not be treating an internship like another summer working down at the mall. An internship is a position that allows for learning, growth, and possible advancement in your career field. Take full advantage of the opportunity and you will be greatly rewarded in the long run. Plus, doing your best and having a positive attitude will make it more likely that your employer will give you references in the future.
Helpful links
SSU Career Services Internship Page: http://www.sonoma.edu/career/student_services/internships.html
SSU Career Services Online Resources, including resume and cover letter templates: http://www.sonoma.edu/career/student_services/
SSU Career Services links to job opportunities: http://www.sonoma.edu/career/student_services/internship_resources.html