Career Corner: How To Find An Internship

Career Corner: How To Find An Internship

An internship can get your foot in the door and set you on a course that can redefine your life. The right internship can give you invaluable work experience, teaching you hands-on skills you couldn’t learn elsewhere, and connect you with peers and future employers that can help you advance your career. The trick is finding the “right internship” for you.

For this month’s Career Corner, we’re looking at how to find an internship. These are a few principles and strategies to keep in mind while you’re out there searching for internships.

Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute

Early birds don’t just get the worm—they get internships. Many industries have early deadlines for their internships and will often recruit and hire in the winter for summer. If you’re interested in getting an internship there’s no time like the present to fill out applications, network, and put out some feelers. If you wait until November, most of the in-demand internships will already have been filled. Start looking at least six months before you want your internship.

Know What You Want

Before you go hunting for an internship, make sure you know what you want to get out of it. Are you looking to get a foot in the door at a specific company? Interested in getting some hands-on experience in an industry you want to break into? Just need some internship hours as part of your education or to add to your resume? An internship can expose you to a range of opportunities, but also can take up a considerable amount of time and oftentimes only has little to no financial compensation. Make sure that the internship you’re applying for will reward you for your time and effort with experience and connections that can help you move forward.

Put Your Network To Work

If you aren’t already networking in your chosen field, make a point of going to mixers and other networking events to get acquainted with like-minded professionals. Referrals are one of the most effective ways to get an internship—having someone who can vouch for you can give you a powerful advantage over the competition. Keep in mind that networking doesn’t just involve fellow workers: family, friends, and even school staff are potential resources. Someone close to you may know somebody looking for an intern, so opportunities can arrive in unexpected ways.

Rio Salado College, like many colleges and universities, has career services counselors who can give you advice on how to find an internship that works for you. Another possible avenue for finding internships is through your college’s alumni—check LinkedIn to see if there are Rio Salado alumni in your field who you could connect with.

Let’s Go To The Fair

A great resource for finding internships requires a bit of footwork and in-person interactions: job fairs. A job fair offers you the ability to chat with multiple employers in a casual environment, make a good first impression, and express your interest in interning with them. Just make sure that your resume is ready to go before you go to the fair. 

With an internship resume, the key is to not worry about your lack of work experience. Focus on your achievements and skills. What have you done that you're proud of? What soft skills do you have that would translate to your desired field of work? Be sure to include an objective statement in your resume that clearly and concisely explains the value you can offer potential employers. What is it about you specifically that makes you an ideal intern?

Online Resources

Finding an internship online is pretty similar to doing a job search. You can consult job boards and recruiter sites to find calls for internships. It’s also not a bad idea to go right to the source; if you know specific companies or agencies you want to do an internship with, go to their sites directly and see if they have any listings for internships. You can also look at temp agencies that can help connect you with businesses looking for interns.

Cold Calls

Just because a company doesn’t have a call for interns on their site or on job boards doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for interns. If you have specific places you want to intern at it never hurts to call them or visit and offer a very quick introduction (bring a resume to drop off at the least). Even a brief phone call inquiring about summer jobs or internships with a hiring manager can leave a lasting impression, and managers being able to put a specific voice or face to a resume in their pile can oftentimes be the deciding factor as to whether or not you get the job.

Budget Appropriately

As we mentioned earlier: many internships pay only in experience, or offer very modest stipends. It can often depend on the industry you’re trying to enter. If you’re applying for internships that do not offer a living wage, make sure that you have budgeted your time and money in such a way that you can get by during this internship. It’s also important to remember that you are not an employee when you’re interning for a company; you may be beholden to the same standards of professionalism and conduct as a normal employee but you do not get their benefits or compensation. This is important to remember because you need to set boundaries on what’s asked of you; if a company is asking you, as an intern, to do the work of a full-time employee then they need to treat you like one. Be aware that there’s a critical difference between “getting experience” and “getting exploited.” This is why it pays to read reviews of companies on job boards. You can often get a good idea of the company’s culture and managerial outlook by reading the feedback left on these sites by former employees.

Article by Austin Brietta