10 answers
Isha
Student
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
1
Question
Asked
711 views
What can I do to get a summer internship with no experience
I am currently in my first year of university studying urban planning looking to gain some relevant experience this summer #internship #first-job #summer-jobs
Login to comment
10 answers
Fiona Meow
Legal Counsel
123
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Fiona’s Answer
Have you considered doing some volunteering work? Even if it is unrelated to your chosen field, usually the initiative to gain experience of this sort is looked upon favourably by employers.
Dr. Barry Leath
1
Answer
Updated
Dr. Barry’s Answer
Hi Isha G.
I hear this conversation every day because my spouse is a recruiter. One thing that you should do is see if the company that you are interested in are in fact recruiting for first-year college students for their summer internship positions. Please make sure that your resume is very neat and clear in communicating your goals and what you bring to the table.
Please include your GPA average so the recruiter can see how committed you are to excellence. Please make sure that you when you interview practice with a peer on various questions and you should do just fine.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to respond.
Have a great day!!!
Dr. Barry Leath
I hear this conversation every day because my spouse is a recruiter. One thing that you should do is see if the company that you are interested in are in fact recruiting for first-year college students for their summer internship positions. Please make sure that your resume is very neat and clear in communicating your goals and what you bring to the table.
Please include your GPA average so the recruiter can see how committed you are to excellence. Please make sure that you when you interview practice with a peer on various questions and you should do just fine.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to respond.
Have a great day!!!
Dr. Barry Leath
Thank you for the advice!!
Isha
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1792
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
I would reach out to your teachers and see if they know of any internships or work opportunities. Check the websites of companies that you'd like to work for someday and send inquiry emails. Even if a company doesn't know of an internship, they might know of other companies that do offer internships. If you can't find a summer internship, you could also try working at a summer camp. You'll make a lot of new friends and you can often leverage new connections to find job/internship opportunities.
Amber Ward, RDN, LDN
Manager
1
Answer
Sarasota, Florida
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi Isha.
Way to be proactive!
Internships and volunteer work look great on your resume (even if they are required for coursework). Urban Planning is a huge field with focuses in community development, community health and recreation, food systems (community gardening for edibles), transportation, housing, Infrastructure, environmental health, etc.
With that in consideration, I would recommend making an ideal job bucket list of 10 organizations, pretend you are going to write them a letter highlighting why you want to work there and describe your most relevant experience and skills, determine what hands-on skills/experience you are lacking and seek an internship and/or volunteer opportunities in those areas.
Best wishes and hope this helps!
Amber
Way to be proactive!
Internships and volunteer work look great on your resume (even if they are required for coursework). Urban Planning is a huge field with focuses in community development, community health and recreation, food systems (community gardening for edibles), transportation, housing, Infrastructure, environmental health, etc.
With that in consideration, I would recommend making an ideal job bucket list of 10 organizations, pretend you are going to write them a letter highlighting why you want to work there and describe your most relevant experience and skills, determine what hands-on skills/experience you are lacking and seek an internship and/or volunteer opportunities in those areas.
Best wishes and hope this helps!
Amber
Alecia Woody
Customer Success Manager
39
Answers
Roswell, Georgia
Updated
Alecia’s Answer
Someone has to open the first door - everyone had to get their first internship at one point.
Here are some ideas to help you get yours...
Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile - focus on awards, volunteer work, odd jobs, etc and highlight skills you developed (perseverance, hard work ethic, compassion for others, etc)
Ask your parents for connections at companies you are interested in - a referral goes a long way
Connect with recruiters on LinkedIn for companies that you are targeting
On your resume - highlight skills you have developed along the way
Here are some ideas to help you get yours...
Alecia recommends the following next steps:
Arianna Netzky, PLA
Landscape Architect
4
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Arianna’s Answer
Hi Isha,
The previous answer is sound advice. To add a bit more, urban planning is filled with creatives, so making your application stand out would be extremely beneficial. “Branding” yourself is another way to put it. Use layout programs (like InDesign) and make your application materials cohesive. Urban Planners communicate visually a lot of the time, so show them your skills through your application. Good luck!
The previous answer is sound advice. To add a bit more, urban planning is filled with creatives, so making your application stand out would be extremely beneficial. “Branding” yourself is another way to put it. Use layout programs (like InDesign) and make your application materials cohesive. Urban Planners communicate visually a lot of the time, so show them your skills through your application. Good luck!
Thank you!
Isha
Mitchell P
HR
4
Answers
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Updated
Mitchell’s Answer
Hi Isha,
I always recommend to students to find which companies they want to work for. Look at jobs that they are offering and see what aligns with something you'd be interested in doing.
From the job description, see if there's a personal project you can do that shows you are passionate about the field.
For example; if the company always looks for software developers, see what skills they are looking for an build a project on that. If you are in marketing, start a Instagram page as an example that you can show off in an interview.
Volunteering with various organizations can help gain soft skills (leadership, organization,planning, project management, etc.) that employers are looking for!
Best of luck
I always recommend to students to find which companies they want to work for. Look at jobs that they are offering and see what aligns with something you'd be interested in doing.
From the job description, see if there's a personal project you can do that shows you are passionate about the field.
For example; if the company always looks for software developers, see what skills they are looking for an build a project on that. If you are in marketing, start a Instagram page as an example that you can show off in an interview.
Volunteering with various organizations can help gain soft skills (leadership, organization,planning, project management, etc.) that employers are looking for!
Best of luck
Khai Nguyen
Strategy
2
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Khai’s Answer
All experiences add to your skill set. Some jobs build your hard skills (examples: accounting, design, coding, analysis...). Others build your soft skills (examples: communication, leadership, time management, perseverance...).
When you’re starting out, try to be flexible about taking different jobs. You may not get the job that’s in your field of study, but as long as you’re learning, then all jobs are relevant in contributing to your future success.
Volunteering is also a great way to build your skills and expand your network.
When you’re starting out, try to be flexible about taking different jobs. You may not get the job that’s in your field of study, but as long as you’re learning, then all jobs are relevant in contributing to your future success.
Volunteering is also a great way to build your skills and expand your network.
Cara Maisel
Senior Analyst - Asset Management
10
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Cara’s Answer
Hi Isha,
I was an urban studies major in college so I completely understand how you're feeling. The good news is that everyone starts with no experience! From my experience, internships are typically saved for upperclassmen in school. However, almost every city has an office that focuses on urban planning. To gain experience, I'd reach out to that office and see if you could volunteer and/or shadow someone. Even if it's one day a week, that's great! It's a great way to see if you're interested in that type of role in the future. Every learning experience is information about what you do or do not like.
Good luck!
I was an urban studies major in college so I completely understand how you're feeling. The good news is that everyone starts with no experience! From my experience, internships are typically saved for upperclassmen in school. However, almost every city has an office that focuses on urban planning. To gain experience, I'd reach out to that office and see if you could volunteer and/or shadow someone. Even if it's one day a week, that's great! It's a great way to see if you're interested in that type of role in the future. Every learning experience is information about what you do or do not like.
Good luck!
Blake H.
Business
478
Answers
Updated
Blake’s Answer
Hey Isha,
I would recommend finding companies that you are interested in, and then seeing if they have internship opportunities in your field. Usually you can follow that process all online and get in touch with a recruiter.
Thanks,
Blake
I would recommend finding companies that you are interested in, and then seeing if they have internship opportunities in your field. Usually you can follow that process all online and get in touch with a recruiter.
Thanks,
Blake