How to Find the Perfect Summer Internship

By Alyssa Laffitte on April 2, 2018

Summer is almost here, meaning that internship search season is upon us! Summers are a great time to find an internship that will build up your resume. But how can you find the perfect internship? Here are some tips for your internship search and some places where you can start your start:

Start your search early

It’s extremely important to start your internship search process early. Internship spots fill up quickly, especially at popular workplaces, so it’s better to start looking earlier. Plus, if one opportunity doesn’t work out, if you apply early, you will have time to look for another opportunity. I would recommend starting in November-December for a summer internship.

Consult your school’s career center

Your school’s career center is not just for graduating seniors who need to find jobs ASAP. On the contrary, it is one of the best places to find a summer internship. You can visit them and ask them if they know of any internship opportunities in your field. Even if they don’t have a list of internships for you, they will still be able to point you in the right direction to help you find one. For example, they might refer you an internship search engine or to a person in your field that knows more about internships.

Visiting the career center is a good idea also because you will already be familiar with it when you finally are a senior and need to find a job.

All in all, consult the people at your school’s career center when you’re looking for an internship. They will be a big help!

Consult your major’s department or advising office

Another place you can try to find internships at is at your major’s advisor or department office, especially if you want an internship in your field of study. The people at your major’s department might know more about internships in your specific area than those at the career center. They might also be able to connect you with professors who might know about internships as well. For example, if you are a biology major (like me), you will want to get some lab experience (internships in other places are great, but an internship in a lab is preferable, especially if you want to attend professional school). It’s a good idea to directly to people in the biology department and ask if they know of any open internship opportunities, since they will know more people and companies in your field.

If you want an internship more closely related to your field, you can ask the people at your major’s department or advising office if they know of any internship opportunities.

Ask a company directly about opportunities

Do you have a specific company that you want to do your internship at? Or, do you have a specific company you dream of working for in the future? Why not visit their website (or call them) and ask them directly if there are any internship opportunities? You might be able to find useful information through a quick phone conversation or on their website (like if they are accepting internship applications!)

When you use this strategy, keep a list of multiple companies to contact. It’s not good to have your heart set on one specific place, because that place might not be accepting internship applications right now, or you might not be a good fit for them.

If you have a dream company you want to work for, reach out to them directly to see if they are accepting internship applications. You never know, you just might get an internship (and maybe a job, eventually) at your dream workplace.

Visit internship websites

Yes, job search engine websites exist to help people find jobs, but internship search engines websites exist, too! Use these websites to help you find an internship in your field. Some internship websites you can start with are: InternQueen.com, LookSharp.com, Internships.com, and WayUp.com. If you look at websites like these, you will get a good idea of what’s available.

Ask people you know

If you have other friends who are looking for internships, you can ask them for advice. They might be able to tell you about an internship search engine that you didn’t know about, or they might know of a smaller company that is offering internships.

You can ask people other than your peers, too. For example, you can ask a professor who’s teaching your favorite class or who is a big part of your major’s department if they know of any internship opportunities. Even if they don’t right now, they will think of you when they hear about one because they know you are looking!

Searching for internships is not easy, but there are plenty of resources on your campus and online that will help you land the perfect summer internship for you.

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