How to get an Internship

The key to getting a good job in the future is to build a solid foundation based on internships. Internships, however, may not be as readily advertised as regular jobs. This how to guide will, therefore, provide you with various tips and tricks to obtain your internship.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. My first suggestion in finding the right internship is to sit down and figure out your goals and what you hope to achieve from your internship. Too many internships these days are sending their interns to collect the coffee or sort the mail. These types of experiences do not always teach you the necessary relevant information you need to hold down a successful career. So sit down and write down what you expect from your internship. Having this on paper will allow you to navigate your offers and keep you focused.

2. Now that you know what you expect to achieve from your internship, it is now time to decide whether you will look for a paid, unpaid, or for credit internship. Each of these often have different requirements. For credit internships may require you to do class work detailing your experiences for class. Also not all paid internships will provide credit for class. Keep all of this in mind when searching for an internship.

3. Now its time to find that elusive internship. Internships are not as plentiful as the everyday job. I recommend searching websites, such as wetfeet.com (a search engine that can look exclusively for internships). Sometimes search engines may not provide a great number of internships in your local area especially if you live in a smaller town. I recommend contacting your colleges counselor. Colleges often keep a record of internships on file. Also ask friends who have had internships where they interned at to see if those same positions are still available. Last but not least (and this is how I obtained my first internship) put together a list of places that you would like to work at. Then send an email asking if they have any available internships in your area. If they do not ask if it is possible for you to shadow someone for the day. You would be surprised how many doors this can open for you.

4. I got my first internship the unconventional way. Every call back I received came from someone I first contacted myself that didn't have any available internships. If a company needs help they might be willing to create an intern position for you. When I went this route I received two internships, one had a stipend and the other was paid.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't wait until the last minute. If you are looking for summer internships start in January. Remember you are competing with many other students who want the same internship that you are looking for.
• Be willing to work without pay. It's not fun being broke, but sacrificing a little now will pay huge dividends in the future.

Resources

• How to Write a Winning Resume
• How to Write a Professional Letter That Look Great
• How to Network Like a Pro
• How to Get a Job
• How to Ace That Job Interview
• How to Recession Proof A Job

[tedw22]

on 3/20/2009 The best time to get noticed for an internship is before it gets posted online. Less competition. Find a way to get a company to notice you and then approach them before they post internship positions. My team just launched a way to do this: http://www.GrouperEye.com

[sonni57]

on 3/13/2009 I've been an intern a couple of times and it was a great experience. Thanks for the article on how to get in as an intern and ultimately get the job.

[llnair2006]

on 3/13/2009 Great advice I need this for my teenagers, 5 stars

[dlcass]

on 3/4/2009 This is a great way to get your "foot in the door" of that great job you want.

[whoodo]

on 2/25/2009 Internships are a great and effective way to get hands on experience in a variety of fields and helps when building a resume. Good articles.