Finding an internship is a long and difficult process that I feel like people aren’t always candid about. I just recently finalized my internship and now that I have had a moment to reflect back on the process I have some thoughts and tips for anyone going through the same thing. Sure, every university has career centers who are there to help students with this process but I am here to offer REAL advice that may not be “best practices” but I have seen work first hand. The reality is that you are competing with countless other individuals for a few positions at a company, you need to find a way to differentiate yourself. I offer the following advice for anyone who may be struggling through the process of finding an internship, I feel your pain and I am here to help!
Be personal with your emails
My first bit of advice is to not be afraid to reach out to the company, even if your don’t see a position for an intern posted. It became disheartening when I would submit application after application for an intern position and never hear back, however, when I started finding the email of the HR department and shooting them an email containing a short description about who I am, what I am studying and what I am looking for in an internship my response success greatly increased. I highly suggest sending emails in this way, however, don’t be annoying about it! Send one and if they don’t respond leave it at that, you want to show these companies that you will be an asset to their business, not an annoyance.
Revamp your resume
Next, and this I learned from my career center, customize your resume! Every company is going to be receiving countless amounts of resumes, most of which will look identical. I suggest you look at the job description and customize your resume to match those qualifications. For example, if the job responsibilities include assisting with content creation for digital marketing materials, make sure to add into your resume some school experience where you created content for a project or an essay and spin it to show the employer that you have experience in this area and they wouldn’t need to worry about whether you are qualified. The more job responsibilities you can cover on your resume, the better. This will allow you to stand out in the piles and piles of resumes that employers receive.
Walk the walk
And last but not least, show up. If a company that you have applied for is coming to your university career fair, go and talk to them! Putting a face with a name is always helpful. That being said, go to the career fairs for your area of study! I have a ton of friends who got their jobs just by making a brief but impactful connection with a company recruiter. Use these fairs as a way to network with a variety of different people and companies. I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to network when trying to get an internship. It is really hard to get a job, let alone hear back from a company unless you know someone there that can refer you. Don’t let this discourage you but instead it should motivate you to go meet with everyone you can, it’s more fun than it sounds I promise.
What to take away
I hope you find these tips helpful and you learned something that you might not have known before. I wish someone would have told me these things while I was searching for an internship but as you go through the process you are going to learn what works for you and it might be totally different. Everyone has a different experience when it comes to searching for jobs and internships, just remember to shoot high and be persistent. Show those companies why you are so awesome and it will work out! Good luck!