How to Get an Internship

Internships are a great way to gain the type of experience that you will never get in a classroom. Many students who learn better by actively performing tasks that their jobs require, others searching for more experience to add to their resume for future job or education purposes such as graduate school, and those looking for a way to better connect with a company or organization that they would like to be a part of in the future all benefit from doing an internship.

Although summer time is the best time to do an internship, there are plenty of other internship opportunities offered year round. An internship can give you a leg up on the line of work you plan on entering into whether it is paid or unpaid. It can give you an insight in to what your future job will be like and teach you time management skills.

So with all these positive things that you can get as an intern here are some tips on how to land an internship and better yourself.

Think About What You Would Like To Do

Have a goal in mind before applying for internships. What would you like to learn or try? What skills would you like to pick up by the end of your internship? What do you love doing? Answering these questions can help you narrow down the many choices that are floating around out there and allow you to focus on a relevant industry.

Use the Internet

The Internet will be your friend in the search process. There are so many sites out there to help you organize and narrow down the search such as Internships.com, Intern Sushi and Intern Match. There you can set up profiles and search for available internship positions in some of the most sought after places quickly and easily. You can also research about a company or internship on one of those sights and get a better understanding about the company as well.

Prepare for the Interview

Having a solid resume, dressing for success, acting like a professional, doing your research, and then ending it all on a good note are just part of the many things that you should do when preparing for an interview. You want to treat your interview for the internship as you would do your interview for a position in your professional career of choice.

Don’t worry if you don’t land the first interview right away or if you don’t get the first position you applied for. It happens to the majority of students on their first search for an internship, and you should use it as part of the learning experience.

Those still deciding on what to major in as an undergrad can use a summer internship to point them in the right direction and help you better solidify your career choice. As an intern you can walk away, not only with knowledge, but contacts and mentors that you acquired through networking that you would have never ran into if you hadn’t completed an internship. You most likely will not regret the experience, and you will always walk away with at least one thing that you would never have been able to receive any where else.