You worked at a clothing store this past summer, but last time you checked, you weren’t majoring in folding clothes or cleaning fitting rooms. If you want to work for your dream employer in the near future, you have to step up your game. Forget having a job this summer, and start thinking about interning at a place where you might want to work at.
Whatever your major is, an internship will help you get your foot in the door by providing you with the needed experience and by helping you build a network with employees. Before you know it, all of your hard work and sleepless nights in college will pay off. Allure beauty editor, Walt Disney Imagineer, the next Vera Wang – you name it. An internship will get you one step closer to your dream career, so follow these tips to make sure your dream becomes a reality.
1. Search
You won’t know which internships are available unless you set aside time to search for them. Browse websites and ask around to see what’s out there for you. A really great website is college.monster.com, which provides you with detailed summaries of the internships. Another great source is your adviser, better known as your internship guru. He or she has dealt with students like you for several years and will help you move along in the right direction.
2. Create a resume
Since you’re in college, potential employers expect you to have enough career and work experiences on your plate. If you’ve been unemployed all your life and if you haven’t been involved in school organizations, then it’s time to start. Having jobs and being a part of school activities shows that you are committed, responsible and determined.
Once you’ve decided to work as a student assistant at your college and you’ve decided to join the Mathletes, then create your resume. Make sure it is only one page. An employer has hundreds of resumes to look through. Your two-page resume will be thrown right into the trash can – one point for the employers, and zero points for you.
3. Write a cover letter
This is the most important part of landing your dream internship. The cover letter is your advertisement. You’re selling yourself to the potential employers and telling them why you’re the perfect person for the position. Don’t just say “I will fully commit myself to any task I’m given” or “I am very responsible and will get the job done correctly.” These selling points are clichés. The only reason you’re writing to the employers in the first place is because they assume you will do anything and everything they tell you to do.
Be creative. If you’re applying to be an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan, you can write about what you like about the magazine – be specific by pointing out stories – or you can write about how the magazine has impacted your collegiette life.
4. Set your Facebook to private
Those pictures of you holding red cups and lying on the bathroom floor don’t exactly scream, “You’re hired.” It’s best to keep all of your social networking sites private. A partying college student is not the impression you want your potential employers to make of you. Make sure your default is something appropriate, as well. If an internship coordinator were to search for you, that’s the first thing he or she would most likely notice.
5. Interview
If you get chosen for an interview, be prepared to answer simple questions that require killer answers. Some questions that employers may ask you are: What are your strengths/weaknesses? Why do you want to intern for us? What will you bring to the table?
Be confident with your answers and the way you deliver them by practicing beforehand. Employers have chosen you for an interview because they are interested in you, so show them that you are worth a 10-minute phone call. And just remember, if you do get hired for the internship, show the employer that you’ve got what it takes to work there. Who knows? Maybe next summer you’ll be working for the company and getting the fat paycheck you wholeheartedly deserve.