8 answers
Elizabeth
Student
Deerfield, New Hampshire
1
Question
Asked
443 views
Do you have advice on finding a good internship?
I want to get an internship to help develop my professional skills and don’t know where to start.
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8 answers
Samantha Perry
Copywriter, Content Writer, Editor
5
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
There are many, many types of internships out there for college students. If you're already attending college, I would recommend going to your careers office or your college's department (for example, Liberal Arts College or Psychology Department). Colleges and universities tend to know of employers in the area and may be able to direct you to some good opportunities you hadn't considered.
If your college or city has a career fair, definitely attend! These sorts of events are places where employers are actively looking for new, young talent. You would bring a resume and ask them any questions to try to book an official interview.
Another way is to network with your professors and fellow students. You never know where a professor has worked before or who they know. They may be able to point you in the direction of a good company or organization to work with. Or your peers may know of some cool opportunities. Try not to be too shy and try to advocate for yourself (easier said than done, but it's worth practicing now). Talking to a classmate is how I found my internship at a large nonprofit.
Another place is to look at job boards and career websites like LinkedIn and Indeed and filter by "internships." You could even look at a more specialized job board in your specific area of study. If you're not already on LinkedIn, I would recommend joining now while you're meeting all sorts of people at college. That way you can have a lot of people in your professional network, and you will get exposed to even more internship and job opportunities. Just be sure to interact professionally in these online spaces because there is an etiquette to it.
Finally, if you have a dream company you'd love to work for, check their careers page and sign up for job alerts. If you can find the name of the person who runs their internship program, you may even be able to email or message them directly for more information. Be careful doing this though and use good judgment as you don't want to spam their inbox. Read any instructions on their company website first.
One thing you'll also need to decide is what types of internships you're willing to pursue: paid or unpaid. I would recommend paid internships if you can, especially if you're later on in your college career, but sometimes you may feel unpaid is worth it for good experience.
Another consideration is if the internship will require transportation and if it conflicts with your class times. You may have internships that can be completed remotely, or you may have one that requires 20+ hours in an office per week. Again, it really depends on what you're studying in school.
If for some reason you can't find a suitable internship this semester, don't give up! There are always things like freelancing/contractor work, on-campus part-time jobs, working at a friend or family member's company, volunteering, or being a teacher's assistant that you could consider to develop your personal and professional skills. But I would say in the remote work era, you should have no trouble finding some kind of internship opportunity throughout the year.
Good luck! And remember, internships are all about trying things out. Don't be too sad if you end up disliking your internship or if it's not exactly what you expected -- that's how you know to pivot and explore other career paths.
If your college or city has a career fair, definitely attend! These sorts of events are places where employers are actively looking for new, young talent. You would bring a resume and ask them any questions to try to book an official interview.
Another way is to network with your professors and fellow students. You never know where a professor has worked before or who they know. They may be able to point you in the direction of a good company or organization to work with. Or your peers may know of some cool opportunities. Try not to be too shy and try to advocate for yourself (easier said than done, but it's worth practicing now). Talking to a classmate is how I found my internship at a large nonprofit.
Another place is to look at job boards and career websites like LinkedIn and Indeed and filter by "internships." You could even look at a more specialized job board in your specific area of study. If you're not already on LinkedIn, I would recommend joining now while you're meeting all sorts of people at college. That way you can have a lot of people in your professional network, and you will get exposed to even more internship and job opportunities. Just be sure to interact professionally in these online spaces because there is an etiquette to it.
Finally, if you have a dream company you'd love to work for, check their careers page and sign up for job alerts. If you can find the name of the person who runs their internship program, you may even be able to email or message them directly for more information. Be careful doing this though and use good judgment as you don't want to spam their inbox. Read any instructions on their company website first.
One thing you'll also need to decide is what types of internships you're willing to pursue: paid or unpaid. I would recommend paid internships if you can, especially if you're later on in your college career, but sometimes you may feel unpaid is worth it for good experience.
Another consideration is if the internship will require transportation and if it conflicts with your class times. You may have internships that can be completed remotely, or you may have one that requires 20+ hours in an office per week. Again, it really depends on what you're studying in school.
If for some reason you can't find a suitable internship this semester, don't give up! There are always things like freelancing/contractor work, on-campus part-time jobs, working at a friend or family member's company, volunteering, or being a teacher's assistant that you could consider to develop your personal and professional skills. But I would say in the remote work era, you should have no trouble finding some kind of internship opportunity throughout the year.
Good luck! And remember, internships are all about trying things out. Don't be too sad if you end up disliking your internship or if it's not exactly what you expected -- that's how you know to pivot and explore other career paths.
Thank you!
Elizabeth
Brandi Reisterer
Consultant
12
Answers
Clearwater, Florida
Updated
Brandi’s Answer
Start by considering what profession you might want to get into, then take full advantage of career services offered by your University (assuming you are a college student). Look up any upcoming career fairs, identify interesting companies you might want to work for, update your resume and start networking at the career fair. Similarly, if you do not currently have a LinkedIn profile, set one up and start networking with peers and others on there.
Also don't underestimate your professors. If there's a course you are especially interested it, reach out to the instructor and let them know you're looking for internship in that field.
Also don't underestimate your professors. If there's a course you are especially interested it, reach out to the instructor and let them know you're looking for internship in that field.
Samira Ebrahimi
Project Manager
1
Answer
Phoenix, Arizona
Updated
Samira’s Answer
The first thing in looking for an internship is to know about your dream job and having insight about your career path. then fist step is creating a shortlist of the name of the companies and cooperation which you'd love to work, then you can easily go through their website and looking for their internship program. You may find lots of opportunities align with your interest and your goals and the good point is that many companies will offer you job role in case that you complete the internship time with success. The internship positions offers the good period full of training and help you to be acquainted with different roles on a particular job, daily challenges , work procedure, way of communications and more.
So be confident ant start searching for your dream job.
On other thing is that use LinkedIn to create your network, its the best website to be connect with the professionals and leaders in your field.
So be confident ant start searching for your dream job.
On other thing is that use LinkedIn to create your network, its the best website to be connect with the professionals and leaders in your field.
Patrick Ford
1
Answer
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Patrick’s Answer
Although they won't lead to an internship right away, informational interviews are a great tool for networking and learning more about a given industry. Check out this article to learn more about best practices: https://hbr.org/2016/02/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-informational-interview
Amanda Abikoff
Security Analyst, L3Harris
4
Answers
Melbourne, Florida
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Discuss internship opportunities with your current college. They often have resources and access to networks to assist with placement. Additionally, LinkedIn has job listings and companies often list their internships on there. I found my last internship through searching LinkedIn. Once you have an understanding of the job you are looking for and have built a resume you are ready to begin your search. Additionally, now so many opportunities are offering remote positions, so you are no longer limited to where you live.
Atul Bhankharia
Sales
456
Answers
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Updated
Atul’s Answer
To look for an internship, first, identify what field you want to work in. What subjects you are good at and have scored well (GPA).
For instance: if you are good at Math or have computer languages courses, explore the software industry and try to find companies in the area you live in.
If you want to pursue a profession in the medical field, seek to volunteer at local hospitals.
Use your high school counselors or your favorite teacher for recommendations.
Lastly, use LinkedIn to find companies that are in your community based on your interest.
For instance: if you are good at Math or have computer languages courses, explore the software industry and try to find companies in the area you live in.
If you want to pursue a profession in the medical field, seek to volunteer at local hospitals.
Use your high school counselors or your favorite teacher for recommendations.
Lastly, use LinkedIn to find companies that are in your community based on your interest.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Elizabeth
DAUDI KINYE
Career Counselling
7
Answers
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Updated
DAUDI’s Answer
First of All, you need to be updated with all platform that connects all people around the world especially on searching for jobs as well as Internship that can help you to see what is going on in the world example if you don't have an account Linked in as well as others platforms you must be to open and then you can make a connection with some of the institutions as well as a big company that tends giving Scholarship as well as internship chances for those who need to improve their career.
Also, you need to prioritize what your main target you looking for interns.
Finally, you need to have complete documents that are necessary during the application like your CERTIFICATES as well as Travelling documents Do not expect much you are going to meet Target Full hundred per cent because it will disappoint you.
Also, you need to prioritize what your main target you looking for interns.
Finally, you need to have complete documents that are necessary during the application like your CERTIFICATES as well as Travelling documents Do not expect much you are going to meet Target Full hundred per cent because it will disappoint you.
I will use this advice as I prepare for my career.
Elizabeth
Samantha Roman
Operations Manager & Company Owner
12
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
Start with figuring out what you really really want to do. What do you get excited about? What could you picture yourself doing for years? Take the time to figure it out. It might take you a few days - but then you can steer your entire future that way. Getting an internship working within the career path you absolutely love is so much better than just striking out and hoping you find something along the way. If you are truly struggling to find your passion, read indepth articles about different careers until you find something that really calls to you.
I appreciate this, thank you for the advice.
Elizabeth