The roads are no longer blanketed with ice, and your long down-coat is no longer a necessity to brave the harsh wintery conditions (well, hopefully this will be the case for Bucknell soon). Spring at Bucknell welcomes House Party Weekend, Chrysalis, the much-anticipated opening of the Freez (I’ve been having S’mores Freez withdrawal for the past several months), and lounging on the Academic Quad between classes on sunny days. In regards to professional development, Spring at Bucknell is also defined by the internship search. In addition to managing their academic and extra-curricular responsibilities, Bucknell students of all class-years are also involved in the process of securing a meaningful, productive summer internship for themselves.
With the economy for recent post-graduates the way that it is, undergraduate internships are viewed as valuable and consequential learning opportunities that provide students with the tools and critical thinking skills that they will ultimately need when they enter the work force. Employers and industries also realize the importance of internships for undergraduates, which is why the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) predicted that the number of internships was expected to rise by almost 9% last year (NACE 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey). According to the 2012 Student Survey, NACE found that approximately 55% of the college graduating class of 2012 had an internship or co-op at some point throughout their college experience. Additionally, NACE reported an overall conversion rate for interns into full-time hires at an all-time high of 58.6% (2012 Internship & Co-op Survey).
The internship search process can seem very daunting, especially while balancing a full-course load and other extra-curricular activities. However, here are some important points and tips to keep in mind when looking for and securing an internship for the summer:
Be Aware of What Employers Are Looking For
While it is important to spend a decent amount of time searching for and applying to summer internships during the Fall and Spring, students must remember to stay on top of their schoolwork as well. Research suggests 78.3% of employers will screen job and internship candidates by GPA, with 63.5% of industries and companies using a cumulative GPA of 3.0 as the cutoff for potential applicants (NACE Job Outlook). In addition to an applicant’s academic background, employers evaluate and prioritize a candidate’s leadership, problem-solving skills, written communication skills, and ability to work in a team as the four most important attributes on a resume (2013 NACE Job Outlook). Overall, when assessing a candidate for an internship or job position, employers are most likely to focus on the candidate’s leadership positions, major(s), GPA, and involvement in extra-curricular activities in this particular order (2013 NACE Job Outlook).
Know Your Internship Search Timeframe
Industries and companies hire and recruit interns (and full-time employees) on very different cycles. For example, finance and engineering firms hire earlier in the academic school year, while federal government positions hire interns in the early spring. Once you figure out what type of internship you are hoping to secure, be sure to know when employers in that particular industry are recruiting and then hiring.
Keep in mind that the internship search takes time. Students should manage the internship process just as they would their academic responsibilities: dedicate a few hours every week to the internship process (researching opportunities, writing resumes and cover letters, connecting with individuals, preparing for interviews, following up with employers, etc.). The more work that a student puts into the internship search for his or her particular industry timeframe, that student will reap more benefits and likely feel less stressed.
Social Media: Not Just a Way to Stalk Your Friends
While Facebook and Twitter are wonderful ways to keep up with friends both near and far, the use of social media to find internships and jobs has been increasing exponentially in the past few years. Before embarking on the internship search, be sure to create, update, or tailor a LinkedIn profile accordingly to whatever industry you are looking to get into. If you would like to find out more about what to include on your LinkedIn profile to get employers’ attention, Bucknell’s Career Development Center has LinkedIn walk-in hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-3:30 PM.
Make sure that your Facebook, Twitter and other social media personal settings are on private. While we all enjoy seeing Muploads of and reading tweets about your friends’ drunken antics from last Saturday night, employers do not. After making your respective social media profiles private, go and “follow/like” the companies that you are interested on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This is a good way to get a constant flow of updates about the specific company and overall industry in which you are interested (whether it is about internship opportunities, what current employers of that company are doing, current events pertaining to that particular industry, etc.).
Utilize Your Resources
First, figure out what you want. The internship search naturally becomes easier and uncovers more opportunities when you know generally what type of internship you want to secure. Identify the preferred industry in which you would like to intern, the geographic location of where you want to be, and what you hope to learn from your internship.
Secondly, don’t just use one source to find potential internships to apply to. For example, Bucknell students should not just apply to internships on the BRIDGE, but rather should cast a wide net and apply to internships through multiple resources. Look at online sources such as Idealist, the Vault, Experience, Indeed, and Simply Hired to locate interesting internships.
Thirdly, do not just apply to a few internships and then stop until you hear something back. Keep applying! Remember, you’re more likely to get an internship with the more internships that you actually apply to. Send in your resume, cover letter, writing sample, etc. to as many internships that you find that spark your interest.
The Importance of your Resume and Cover Letter
This generally goes without saying, but make sure you have a killer resume and cover letter. For your resume, make sure that you include information regarding education, educational honors, relevant work experience, additional leadership, and volunteer opportunities, and skills. For your cover letter, explain how you found the particular position you are applying to, why you want to work at that particular company, why you think you would be a good fit for the position you are applying to (bring in past experiences here), and your contact information should they be interested in following up with you.
Tailor your resume and cover letter for each industry and company. For example, a resume for a teaching position is very different than a resume for a research institute (particularly in regards to the points you include under “relevant work experience”). Similarly, the skills you stress in a cover letter for a finance internship are likely to differ from those that you emphasize for a museum curating internship.
Schedule a meeting with a counselor at the Career Development Center or come in for Quick Questions on Mondays through Fridays form 1:30-3:30 PM to have your resume(s) and cover letter(s) reviewed.
Build Your Network
The most important piece of advice that career counselors and employers could give to those seeking internships and full-time employment is to start to build your professional network early. Do not wait to call up an alum or professional contact at a specific organization or company a day before an internship deadline and expect that person to be helpful in your search process. Those looking for internships need to realize that it takes time to find professionals in their desired industry and that students need to dedicate time to developing these relationships, connect with professionals early, learn about these professionals’ careers, and ask for information that will provide them with insight in the industry and company. Only after that can a student then ask that particular contact to be helpful in their internship search.
Definitely be sure to get access to the Alumni Directory in B-Link and join the Bucknell Alumni group on LinkedIn in order to help build your connections. Visit the Career Development Center to get preliminary access to B-Link.
Protocol for Accepting an Internship
Congratulations, you have landed you dream internship! Once you accept an internship offer, you must withdraw your name and application from other organizations and companies that you may have previously applied to and do not interview for other internships. Once you have secured an internship position, it is ethically and professionally appropriate to thank the other places for which you applied, but let them know that you have obtained an internship elsewhere.
The Importance of Follow Up
The act of “following up” is critical through the internship search and the internship itself. A week or so after you have submitted an internship application somewhere, be sure to send a follow-up email to the hiring manager (or whoever is the point of contact for the position) expressing your interest in the position and seeing if that particular individual requires any additional information or materials from you at that point in time.
Send a thank you note (either hand-written or via email) to anyone at a company or organization that interviews you (whether the interview is in-person, over the phone, or done via Skype). Do this within 48 hours of the time that you interview.
Additionally, stay in touch after the internship concludes. The people you meet while interning in a particular setting are great contacts for future professional pursuits, so make sure you write thank you notes after the conclusion of the internship and send casual emails every few months to maintain these contacts.
References
2012 NACE Student Survey
2012 NACE Internship and Co-Op Survey
2013 NACE Job Outlook