Internships are a great way to get real-world professional experience as a college student. Many employers hire interns starting their sophomore year, so preparing as a freshman will alleviate some of the pressure you’ll feel as you start your internship search.
What’s first?
A good first step is to identify the type of internship you want to land. What industries are you interested in? What skills do you have and what skills do you want to develop? What job roles can you see yourself spending time in? Write down answers to these questions before diving into your internship search.
Resumes & Cover Letters
You’ll need to create a convincing resume and cover letter. Create an outline of each document and then cater your documents for each opportunity you apply to. Make sure the employers desired skills are easy to find on your resume (as long as you are confident in your skillset) and keep your resume simple, effective, and easy to navigate. Most recruiters don’t spend more than 10 seconds glancing over a resume…so make it easy on them!
Cover letters are a great way to bring your resume to life. Create short cover letters, no more than a page, that answer the following questions in paragraph form. Why do you want to work here? How will you be effective on our team/at our company? What skills do you have that we need? Remember to end with a quick thank you 🙂
Interview like a Pro
Interviews can be nerve-racking. Practice potential interview questions and responses ahead of time and check out websites like Glassdoor to get a sense of what your interview process might be like. Consider taking a video of yourself performing a mock interview, and then watch it back. Look for confident posture, balanced eye-contact, and avoid overused filler words like, “um.”
After the interview, be sure to understand what your next steps are. Recruiters often let you know when they will follow-up about your interview and opportunity, but take the initiative by sending a thank you email to all who interviewed you after your interview has concluded.
Keep Going…
If you don’t land the internship after your first interview, don’t fret. It often takes many applications to land an incredible opportunity. However, by doing this early on in your career journey, you’ll be well-positioned to get hired at your dream internship!