This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter.
It’s that time of the year that every undergrad loves—halfway through spring semester, when every professor seems to assign tests, papers, and projects at the same time, spring break is so close, yet so far away….and it’s time to start applying for summer internships and jobs. Summer may seem lightyears away, but the sooner you submit a resume or application, the better your chances are of landing the position.
- Choose your area of interest carefully. Any internship is great to have under your belt, but summers are typically about three months long; do you want to be slaving away for three months doing something you’re not interested in? Probably not. Definitely try to take your major into account when deciding what professional fields to focus on, but also consider your personal interests. It’s hard to be choosy when applying for internships, but always keep your standards high!
- Resumes, resumes, resumes. A good idea to go about putting together your resume is to have a master resume with everything you’ve ever done, and then pick and choose when putting together your specific resume for a specific position. For instance, if you have lots of leadership training experience, community service experience, and service industry experience, and you are applying for a non-profit organization position, focus on incorporating your leadership and community service experience, compared to if you were applying for a restaurant position. A good resume should be concise, simple, and impressive, all at the same time.
- Always take the initiative. Sometimes companies and businesses might just ask you to fill out a generic application. You don’t want to go overboard, but it’s never a bad idea to bring a copy of your (concise) resume along to include with the application. It may very well give you a leg up in the competition. When applying for positions online, it’s also a good idea to ask to arrange a phone, Skype, or face-to-face interview if possible. It might not be required or necessary, but employers will like that you’re not afraid to interact with them in a professional, high-pressure setting.
- Spread your horizons. If you’re going home for the summer, then you may just be limiting yourself to looking for local jobs in your town. However, there are plenty of websites that can narrow down options by field, experience, and location. Some examples are InternMatch, Summer Internships, and Simply Hired.
- It’s also never a bad idea to pull on your connections! Professors, department heads, advisors…all of these people would be more than willing to help hook you up with an awesome job if you show interest! Professors often go out of their way to look for dedicated and talented students in class. There’s still two months left to impress, so get to it!