How do I get internships in college?
#intern #internships #jobs
11 answers
Gabriela’s Answer
Alnaya’s Answer
Flora’s Answer
Make sure you CV is clear, well structured and has not spelling or formatting errors.
Theodore’s Answer
Companies get hundreds if not thousands of applications and digging through applications is a monumental task so most of them use an Application Tracking System (ATS) to automatically read through and filter resumes.
The important thing is to make sure your resume highlights what internships are looking for so you make it past the initial first step and get in front of a recruiter.
Another tool you have at your disposal is LinkedIn. Reaching out to recruiters gives you a huge step up against the competition and can allow you to bypass the initial step of getting past an ATS.
These are just some general tips and you certainly read more about this online. Hope this helps!
Lauren’s Answer
- Network
- Be present on LinkedIn
Simeon’s Answer
Shay’s Answer
1) Resume: Make sure your resume is great. Companies tend to use automatic systems when you apply online, and these systems detect certain keywords on resumes to decide which ones move on in the process. Go to your university's career website and use it to polish your resume with these words and formats. Fill up the entire 1 page with your resume and don't go longer. If you don't have job experience you can use volunteerism, or sometimes even informal jobs (people paying you for certain services like babysitting, lawn mowing, shoveling snow, or doing miscellaneous tasks). Don't have any typos on your resume, as it could be thrown out.
2) Apply: You should apply to a lot of places, but be smart about it. Apply to companies that are in your hometown or near the location of your college (or both, if applicable). Local companies have a higher chance of recognizing a hometown kid or a nearby college student. I used Indeed to apply because it was easy to apply and I could filter for several categories, locations, and internship functions. Even if you're not sure if you meet every single qualification, apply. The worst they can say is no.
3) Interview: Research the company well in advance and know what it does. Read about some core values and think about how you can relate your answers to those (but be subtle about it). Have a genuine conversation with your interviewer, don't just say what you think they want to hear. Prepare questions to ask your interviewer; ask about the company itself, maybe the direction it's going in, and about the interviewer's own experiences within the company. Send a follow up thank you email within 24 hours highlighting some of what you discussed and how you're excited about the potential opportunity to join that company.
Ai’s Answer
Carter’s Answer
This is a good question! As many have already noted above, leveraging your university's career resource center is a great start. This is something that I did when I was just as curious as you regarding internship opportunities. There they should be informing you of upcoming career fairs that will give you the opportunity to network with employers and get your name/resume out there. I think another important factor about this whole hunting process is to just be generally proactive and open-minded about it all because it's going to require a lot of self effort on your end. This means that on top of searching for all these internship opportunities, I encourage you to:
- Polish up your resume,
- Network network network (always be engaging with new people as you truly never know who you may come across one day),
- Work on your interview skills regularly ("always better to be prepared and not have an opportunity then to have an opportunity and not be prepared" - Whitney M. Young).
Stay positive and goodluck in your journey my friend!
Ken’s Answer
<span style="color: black;">Let me share an interesting story about internships:</span>
<span style="color: black;">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. </span>
<span style="color: black;">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.</span>
Ken recommends the following next steps:
Jack’s Answer
Hope this helps and best of luck!