I aspire to major in mechanical engineering and I want to get a head start on an internship in Lockheed Martin this Senior year. What are some qualifications I should know about when applying?

Let me share an interesting story about internships:

During my daughter's senior year in high school, the highlight of the year (and of the whole high school experience) was to be a several month long internship program. Everyone signed up and indicated the type of internship that they wanted - all except for one girl. This girl wanted to become a doctor and wanted her internship to be with the local EMS unit at the local fire station. So, she talked to the head of the EMS unit and got his approval and made arrangements with the school to create her own internship. Of all of the students about which I heard, she was the one who benefited the most by her internships. My daughter's was definitely not the highlight of her school career. Her first choice fell through and her final assignment was not really what she wanted and did not give her the type of exposure that she had hoped for. 

This shows that you can create your own internship! Locate a company that fits the parameters of the type of experience and exposure that you are seeking and work with them and the appropriate people in your school to put it in motion. After all, if there is an internship program existing today, anywhere, it had to be created by someone.

Make a phone call to the engineering manager and let him know that your are interested in an internship and ask it you could come in to talk to him about that. Give him two possible times when you area available (specific times and dates) and ask him which is convenient for him and if neither are, ask what might be more convenient. This approach has worked many time for many people. After a while, I desired a faster way of contacting people, so I found it better and faster and more personal to just visit the main office and tell them that you are interested in talking with the engineering manager about the possibility of becoming involved in an internship program.

This could be met with some responses: 

- Yes, Mr Smith would be very happy to talk to you,. He is very interested in helping people like yourself.

- Mr Smith is the person who you would be talking with, but he is busy. In this instance you can say that you will wait until he is available. If that is not an option, say that you would like to have his contact information, so that you could contact him for an opportunity to meet when he is available. Also, ask if you can meet his secretary, as that is the person with whom you would no doubt be talking with when phoning him. Leave your contact information, so they will know that you stopped, but do not leave a resume. You do not want him to have a resume until you can go over it with him in person. If they ask for one, just say that you would like to give it to him in person

The most effective way to get a head start is to get to know yourself better and to get to know those involved in your area of interest. Networking (preferable face and by phone, to allow for two way dialogue) will be you most effective way of making meaningful connections.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .