Wikipedia defines an intern as “one who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment, making it similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain experience in their field, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, or gain school credit. Internships provide the employers with cheap or free labor for (typically) low-level tasks, and also the prospect of interns returning to the company after completing their education and requiring little or no training.”
By this definition participating in an internship as a student or sponsoring an internship as an employer seems to be a win-win situation. The internship, whether it’s paid or not, provides invaluable experience for the student or post graduate and free or cheap labor for the employer. However, in today’s competitive market finding and landing an internship from the students perspective can be a daunting task. For the student, searching for an internship can be somewhat stressful and time consuming with little or no guarantee of a successful outcome. For the employer, picking the best candidate for the job in a sea of inexperienced applicants can also be quite cumbersome. So what does a student do to stand out from the crowd to acquire a coveted internship? Below are a few helpful tips on finding and landing your internship.
1. Talk to your teachers and professors. Sometimes organizations looking for qualified applicants will go directly to the college faculty or advisors because they know which students are best qualified for the position. Therefore, your professor will know what the job requirements are and can often advise you on what to do and not to do to land the internship.
2. Use your college campuses career services center. Your schools career services center will likely have lots of listings of internship openings, and those that are local to your area. Check this resource frequently as new opportunities arise, so you won’t miss out on any available opportunities that you maybe interested in or the submission deadline for that internship.
3. Websites like this one redrocketinternships.com, books, and newspapers are also a great source to finding internships. New opportunities are posted daily on web sites, so check frequently to insure that a great opportunity doesn’t pass you by.
4. Network with friends and family. Family members or your friend’s family members may often know about internship opportunities that my be of interest to you where they work, or your friend may have contacts from a prior internship experience. They may not know that the internship interests you or that you are looking for an opportunity. It never hurts to ask.
What ever you do, don’t give up. In today’s competitive market place it always pays to have experience.