Locking Down The Internship: College Student Edition

As the spring season emerges, a similar question creeps into every hallway, classroom and Happy Hour conversation:

“So what are you doing this summer?”

A friend asked me this at a party during my spring semester of sophomore year. I had some vague, hazy fantasy of palm trees and sunny beaches in foreign lands. But reality has no Instagram filter. With no coherent answer to give, I began hyperventilating.

Apparently while I was focusing on clubs, accounting class and impressing the girl across the room, I hadn’t thought of sharpening my resume and chasing interviews. Everyone my age was beginning their professional careers early… so what was I doing?

I regained my composure, shrugged and gazed into the distance.

“I’m still figuring it out.”

Last week we gave some tips to high schoolers on hurdling the barriers to getting a solid internship. As a college student, you have a different set of skills, obstacles, availability and life situation from your 12th-grader self.

I conducted a small study on students at my university via online survey. The results:

Most students don’t know where to begin! We’ll help you get started on landing an internship that will propel you into future job security and figuring out what to do after school.

The Profile Picture

LinkedIn is your friend here. It’s helpful in casting a wide net to recruiters and who you are/what you’ve done without actually saying anything and stumbling over your words. Many employers contact students via the site.

First, presentation is everything; even if you don’t exactly know what you’re doing, make it look like you do. Tip: many university career services offices will offer to take a professional photo for your profile. You don’t want a blurry picture of you in a T-shirt from last week’s party. Speaking of using your school resources…

Find a mentor

One thing I’ve found about students who don’t participate in internships is that they haven’t exhausted all the resources available to them via their school. Another survey result I recorded:

So 22 students reported a negative correlation between what their school offered and increasing their job prospects. You know what?

Tip: Not all of your professors have come from a strictly academic background; in fact, many of them probably have extensive experience in the private and public sectors, working many jobs before teaching. Choose one you find particularly engaging and see if you can foster a mentor/mentee relationship. Go to office hours regularly, engage in classroom conversation — go above and beyond and they’ll see that you take life seriously. When it comes time to request a letter of recommendation or even have them set you up with an interview directly, you’ll already be set.

Join professional clubs

Find a business fraternity or a club affiliated with whatever interests you: finance, photography, school newspaper. Not only does this give you something to talk about and relate to in a job interview, it can boost your resume and connect you directly with professionals in the field.

Find local businesses

If Google and LinkedIn aren’t producing for you, venture out into the real world. Your schedule is more flexible than it will be at any other time in your life, so take advantage of it. Walk into the local law firm, hospital, sales office, etc. and see if they’ll hire you part-time.

Tip: If you don’t have any “professional” experience to call upon, that’s okay. Businesses in college towns are more likely to be understanding and call upon your academic knowledge and youthful enthusiasm. Just show them you have a willingness to learn and that you’re actually on track to graduate.