Five Tips for Landing the Internship of Your Dreams
Career Development’s bi-annual internship mixer is on Thursday, October 24. To help you out, we got together with Career Development to create a foolproof checklist for landing the internship you’ve always wanted. Armed with our tips for success, you’ll be well on your way to checking off that internship requirement (and hopefully one step closer to a job you’ll love).
Start Planning Early
The sooner you start thinking about where you’d like to do an internship, the sooner you can take steps towards getting it. Do some research—look on Handshake, LinkedIn, and the websites of companies that intrigue you. Ask around—talk to other students or alumni in your field about where they’ve done internships that they’ve enjoyed. If you find one that piques your interest, note the application period and build that into your schedule.
Network, Network, Network
Talk to your professors, the Career Development team, and attend networking events (like the Internship Mixer) with alumni and local businesses. The more experiences you gain and people you encounter, the more opportunities will come your way. And it’s okay to be shy at first! Bring a friend to a networking event and challenge each other to meet at least three new people. Having a trusted ally can work wonders for your confidence.
Figure Out What You Want
This one is tough and may require a little extra soul-searching. Even if you’re not sure what you want to do after graduation, you can still find an internship that will help you build on a career. Think about what makes you happy, what classes inspire you, what causes matter to you. Think about your strengths and talents and how best you could apply them. Think about the things you want to know more about and the goals you have for yourself. Then talk to people about them! Talk to Career Development, your faculty, your friends, your mentors, anyone who could offer a little nudge in the right direction.
The cool thing about internships is that they provide you with the opportunity to try a career on temporarily. If you finish your internship and realize, Hey, I never wanna do that again, you are one step closer to knowing what you do want to do. Lots of Chatham students have multiple internships during their time here. You can try on as many jobs as you like.
Assess the Competition
Certain internships are more competitive than others—sometimes paid internships or internships with highly sought-after companies have a larger pool of applicants. If you’re applying for a more competitive internship, be sure to prepare and find ways to stand out. Go the extra mile: do mock interviews with Career Development, research the company beforehand and bring your own thoughtful questions, write thank you notes post-interview, etc.
Be Sure to Gather All the Requirements
The easiest way to ensure you’re in the running is sending everything they ask for! You’re always going to have to submit a resume and a cover letter. We recommend submitting a cover letter even if they don’t request one—if you’re looking for tips on how to write a brilliant one, refer to Assistant Director of Career Development Lesli Somerset’s Ask an Expert column. Some applications may have additional requirements like a portfolio or a writing sample. And if you need any help, you need only ask!
Be sure to join Career Development & company at the Internship Mixer on Thursday, October 24. Questions? Email us at careers@chatham.edu.