College may be filled with gamedays, ramen, parties (pre-Covid) and sleeping, but there is also one thing that seems to be an integral part of the college experience: internships! Everyone wants them, everyone needs them, but they often feel impossible to get. Now more than ever internship opportunities are looking for individuals who “have experience.” However, how can you even get experience without getting an internship? Hopefully, these few steps will help you become the perfect candidate (that you are) to land that internship!
- Perfect that Resume
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Resumes are essentially everything “important” that you have professionally completed in your life. It is important that this single piece of paper is the very best representation of you that it can be! Make sure that it is concise and use active words rather than passive to draw attention and power to all the work you have done. Do not be afraid to be creative and really sell yourself- even if it feels silly or weird. This is you we are talking about and you deserve the hype. No matter how menial or simple your job/experience was the interviewer does not have to know that! Also do not be afraid to use your resources- friends, family, your college! UW-Madison offers tons of amazing resources to help you craft, edit and perfect your resume and they are more than willing to help.
- Find and Use Those Online Job Apps/Websites
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Know LinkedIn, love LinkedIn, but know and love all the websites and apps that connect you to internship opportunities. These are great resources that allow you to filter out and search for specific jobs whether it be remote, in a different city, or local! It can feel overwhelming and even chaotic, but many companies will post to well-known apps like LinkedIn or websites like Indeed to see all the opportunities out there. Also, find the LinkedIn of your college; for UW-Madison, that would be Handshake!
- Apply Everywhere!
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It may seem silly but getting your name out there is so important! Do not put all your eggs in one basket i.e. one internship. Internships nowadays are more competitive than ever and getting one is really important to you then aim to apply to as many as possible. Sure many might not be fruitful, but at least you know you are trying and giving yourself as much opportunity as possible. Also, another thing I found to be really helpful is finding companies that you are interested in working with or do great work and emailing them. This is not only a great way to get your name out in the field, but also building connections. Even if they do not have any positions open at the time, be sure that you try to connect with them about their career and build up your network.
- Be Confident/Yourself
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At the end of the day, you need to be your true self. When you get that interview you gotta shine as bright as you can because you are an extremely capable and talented candidate that deserves to be recognized and appreciated. In this day and age, internships often feel like the be-all, end-all, but in reality, they are just stepping stones to your possibilities so go after them but remember they are not your everything. Be confident and be yourself and good luck!
The process of getting an internship is tricky and can often feel overwhelming and draining. Hopefully, these few steps can help point you in the right direction to setting yourself up for success. It may feel long and laborious but in the end, it can lead to a ton of opportunity and life learning!