Internship is something like courtship before you actually take a plunge into wedlock! Internship refers to work experience before you really step out in the concerned professional field. As many of us might be knowing, internships are meant to make you ready for the real world thereby giving you a glimpse of the same. An intern is most often not paid, but he or she gains work experience which might prove more crucial than money at that point of time. But all said and done, internships may sometimes be hard to find. Still, let's look at probable ways in which this process of 'how to get an internship' can be made easier.
Determine Your Internship Goals
Before you can even start thinking about finding an internship, you need to spend time reflecting on your goals for obtaining an internship. Consider these questions:
- What are your specific career interests? An internship is a great tool to help you define your career goals. For example, if you're majoring in history, but have an eye on a political career, you might consider an internship with a local or state politician. Or, an internship can help further refine your career goals. For example, if you're a marketing major but not sure whether you want to go into advertising or public relations, you should consider getting internships in both areas to help you decide which is best for you.
- Why do you want an internship -- and what do you hope to gain from it? There are multiple reasons for obtaining an internship, including answering the question above. Other possible reasons include learning new skills, gaining networking connections, adding work experience to your resume, and as an entry point that you hope leads to a full-time position with the employer when you graduate.
- What type of organization are you interested in? Organizations come in all sizes and shapes, from Fortune 500 companies to not-for-profit organizations. What are you looking for? Issues to consider include size, ownership, corporate culture, etc.
- What industry would be best for your needs? Even when you know exactly what you want to do, you can still be uncertain about the type of industry that best suits you. For example, if you are a natural-born salesperson, you really have the option of working in any industry, but pharmaceutical sales is quite different from selling insurance.
- Where do you want to have your internship? If your internship is during the regular semester, you obviously need an internship close to your college campus, but during the summer months you may wish to have an internship near home so you can save on expenses (and enjoy mom or dad's cooking/laundry service/etc.) or in a location where you hope to land a full-time position when you graduate -- or just to experience a place in which you have never lived before.
- Will you consider both paid and nonpaid internships? It would be great if all internships paid, but in reality a large number do not - especially in certain industries. So, you need to decide whether you can afford to not get paid during your internship. One more thing: while it is not always the case, paid internships tend to be more professional (and you do less grunt work) because the employer wants to get its money worth from you.
- Do you want college credit for the internship? Many colleges offer at least some college credit for internships. The plus side (besides earning the credits) is that there is usually an internship program with an established list of employers and internships available to you. The down side is that there may be more restrictions on the type and amount of work you can do based on the program guidelines.
As internships become more and more competitive, it becomes even more important for you to have a strong set of job-search skills.
Find/Track Down Internship Sources
Okay. If you've gotten this far, it's now time to find that ideal internship that perfectly fits all your goals and needs. So, where do you find internships? Try these resources:
- Career Services Office. Just about all career services offices have a list of internship programs, important application dates, and other sources of internship information. This office is a great place to start your search. Some offices even have a special internship coordinator.
- Major/Minor Department. Major-specific internship programs are frequently maintained by the department office. One or more faculty members may specifically handle internships, so make sure you investigate these sources.
- Networking Sources. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a specific type of Internship; these people should include your family, your friends (at school and at home), your family's friends, your professors, past employers, alumni, etc. Just as with job-hunting, networking may be one of your best sources for internships -- especially for competitive internships.
- Internship and Career Fairs. Most colleges (or college consortiums) offer at least one career fair during the academic year, and often one focuses specifically on internships. Even if you are looking for an internship in a different geographic location, go to the fairs and network with the recruiters. Many organizations have multiple offices -- and you may later change your mind.
- Alumni Office. Many (if not all) colleges now ask alumni if they would be willing to sponsor current college students as interns - and these alums are a great source for internships as well as a networking source for other internships. Take advantage of this resource! This information may either be found in the career services office or the alumni office.
- Company Websites. If you have already identified a specific set of companies where you would like to intern, you should consider going straight to the source by visiting the career section of each company's Website.
- Internship Websites. There are a few general internship Websites, as well as a number of industry-specific Websites. A good resource, but internship sites have lagged behind the development of job sites, so don't depend too much on these resources. Where do you find the best internship sites?
- Books and Periodicals. There are some great print sources of internships. First, there are annual directories of internships, which you can find in our College Internship Books section. The other print source is trade magazines and newspapers published for your major or career field. If you are a member of a student organization, you may already have a subscription to at least one of them. Your college library should also have subscriptions to these publications -- as should some of your professors. These publications often publish information about internship programs.
- Cold Contact. If none of these other internship sources work for you, or if you have a specific geographic location you want to target for your internship, consider using the cold calling method to find your internship. This process involves identifying a list of companies and writing them asking for an internship. Where can you get information about companies in a specific geographic location? Consider contacting that region's chamber of commerce for a list of member companies -- or just get your hands on a phone book for that area. What are some other sources?
Hunting the Organisation/Business
This is the first step to getting an internship, that is zeroing in on the organizations you want to work for. For that, get in touch with your faculty adviser or if you have a college or department internship coordinator. Basically let the people concerned, professors for instance, know that you want to do internship. An in depth research into companies you want to work with will really help. That will help you weave that information in the resume and the cover letter.
Speaker Speak
There are always lectures happening every now and then in colleges and universities. When you attend any of such symposiums or lectures on topics of your interest, grab the opportunity and meet the speaker after the lecture. It is a great way to give your career a kickstart. Tell the speaker about your fields of interest and ask him or her if there is any research program or summer project in the pipeline. Who knows, you would get a great pedestal for your career! This is a very plausible answer to how to get an internship at a law firm or how to get an engineering internship.
Fair Deal
Career fairs are a great way to create contacts and get to know all the options related to your field of interest. In many such fairs, they also take an aptitude test, which will help you choose your career path if you are not exactly sure of it. Collect business cards of all the people you meet working on good posts which interest you. You would meet such people at these career fairs too.
Letters do It
Sometimes, if you send an email or handwritten letter to a professor or a professional working in the field you want to pursue, it can work. You just need to know how to approach them and be bold enough, have no qualms about asking whether you can work with them as an intern. You are all set then.
Payback Time
Well, it might not be necessary as far as how to get internship is concerned, but it is good for creating a positive impression on the employers. This factor is paying at least 20 % of your education expenses. It reflects the fact that you are responsible and are willing to fend for yourself.
