STRATEGIES FOR AN EFFECTIVE INTERNSHIP
WHERE DO I BEGIN?
STEP ONE: A LOOK AT YOURSELF-FIELDS OF INTEREST
Analyze your personal, academic, and career goals. Assess your skills and interests. Develop a questionnaire; ask yourself the following questions:
- How can I get credit for my internship?
- What's my purpose for seeking an internship?
- What career fields would I like to explore?
- What kind of organizations am I looking for?
- What kind of work environment would I like?
- What kind of experience (specific skills to acquire or improve) do I want?
If you are unable to answer any of these questions because you have no idea of what interests you or what your career goal is, you may want to start by visiting the Career Development Center. You can talk to a Career Specialist about what interests you and what skills you possess. You may want to do a self-assessment exercise.
Define your limits:
- How far can I travel (local, national, international)?
- Do I need to get paid?
- Full time/part time?
- When to begin/end?
- During the academic year or summer?
STEP TWO: SEEK AND FIND-RESOURCES TO HELP YOU!
- Visit the Career Development Centers web site.
- Meet with a Career Specialist and learn how to develop a resume and cover letter. Learn interviewing skills and internship search strategies.
- Use the Career Development Centers Resource Room (directories and guides to internships).
- Subscribe to the Internship Exchange, a free weekly publication listing potential internship opportunities.
- Attend the Internship Reception and the Internship/Job Fair to network with employers and develop potential internship opportunities.
- Participate in mock interviews. Sharpen your interview skills. Learn how to research an organization.
- Attend alumni panels, information sessions, and workshops sponsored by the Career Development Center.
- Talk with family members, faculty, former employers, and friends for possible internship leads.
STEP THREE: MAKE CONTACT-INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
- Schedule informational interviews with organizations that interest you.
- Contact employers directly for internships.
- Contact the organizations you discovered through the networking you conducted.
- Locate new/additional sources of internship information and/or job openings.
- Contact
each organization you have researched and make a list of information
you will need. Questions to consider should include the following:
- Detailed information on the internship and organization.
- Application procedures and requirements.
- Financial and residency requirements.
- Deadlines for application.
Remember that the internship search process can require lots of time and work. Additionally, there is not one correct way to search for opportunities -- it is contingent upon your individual interests and needs.
Making Contact
When you have identified organizations you want to pursue (10 to 20 is a reasonable number), contact them to gather information about their internship programs, admission requirements and procedures, and deadlines for applications. These inquiries can be made by letter or telephone. If a particular organization does not have an official internship program, but you still have serious reasons for wanting to intern with that organization, contact the personnel office and/or the individual who works in the area of interest to you. Ask if you could meet with them to discuss the possibility. A reference letter from a faculty member often helps your inquiry receive the proper attention. If the employer is interested in setting up an internship program in his organization, speak to the CDC office to help develop the process.