Spending time with family during the holiday season means one thing: being bombarded with questions. One question you’re bound to be asked is what your summer plans are! Be prepared to answer with a proactive plan to find an internship using the tips below.
1. Make a LinkedIn.
I cannot stress the importance of LinkedIn enough. You’ve probably heard it a million times, but future employers will Google you. You don’t want the first search result to be that Twitter profile you made in middle school, right? LinkedIn is a great place to network with Dickinson alumni and other people you may know. It’s also a job search engine! If you need help getting started, make an appointment with the Career Center.
2. Decide what kind of internship to look for.
For some, this is the most difficult part of the process. Keep in mind that certain departments at Dickinson, such as INBM, require an internship as part of the major. Those of you in the sciences may want to explore research experiences for undergraduates, or REUs. REUs are a great way to hone your research skills and learn more about the specific field you’re interested in. Regardless of the path you choose, consider registering your internship with Dickinson’s Internship Notation Program. This program is a great way to reflect on your internship experience, and you’ll earn official internship recognition on your transcript!
3. Join Handshake.
Handshake is Dickinson’s new career management system. It’s extremely user-friendly, and you can use it to search for internships, on-campus jobs and other jobs with a variety of filters. You’ll also find internship and job opportunities specifically for Dickinson students passed on by alumni! You can even post your resume on your profile for employers to see. Another great feature of Handshake is that it allows you to request appointments with Career Center staff for any internship or job search assistance you may need.
4. Improve your resume and cover letter.
Create basic templates for your resume and cover letter that you can customize for each application. It’s important to match these documents to the job description of each position you apply for – some employers exclude candidates whose resumes don’t include terms or phrases posted in the job description! Make sure to get your resume and cover letter proofread as well. It’s easy to glaze over typos and other mistakes when the documents are your own, so a fresh pair of eyes is always helpful.
5. Get creative!
If you can’t find the internship you’re looking for on Handshake, LinkedIn or another job search platform, there are other ways to find opportunities. For example, I found my first internship by reaching out to a company I was interested in and asking how I could get involved. Even though the company didn’t have any open internship positions, they needed help and created a position for me. You can also look at the career page of a company’s website that you’re interested in! Try reaching out to professors and others in your network for potential opportunities as well.
Although fall semester isn’t over yet, it’s never too early to start searching for a summer internship. Some companies have deadlines in December and January, while others don’t even list summer internships until March or April. Whichever may be the case for you, it’s a good idea to begin the process as soon as possible. Best of luck, and happy holidays!