My brother is a junior in college, and has an eye on the future. He’s majoring in Economics with a minor in mathematics and he’s looking for a summer internship. It’s only March, but now’s the time to find something before he has to really worry about sitting on the couch all summer.
College internships are a huge stepping stone into the real world. For many, it is their first work experience where they get a taste of what is means to work in an office and hate your life get a taste for what working might be like.
Internship Advice
So as he searches for internships on the Internet, I asked for some recommendations for him. I don’t expect anyone to offer him a job, just some friendly advice to increase his chances of finding a good fit for an internship over the summer. This is what I got:
@danielpacker Recommendations from professors.Any other internships.List any societies to which he belongs.
— Yes, I Am Cheap (@yesiamcheap) March 12, 2013
@danielpacker A good cover letter. Cover letter/resume get you the interview. YOU get the job. Hook them with the cover letter.
— Catherine (@PlungedinDebt) March 12, 2013
@danielpacker look in the alumni database and start cold-emailing for informational interviews. Then do the same with LinkedIN.
— Well Heeled Blog (@WellHeeledBlog) March 12, 2013
These are all really good ideas, and I really like the first one. Professors can be excellent resources. I remember meeting with a professor before deciding on my major and it was one of the best things I could have done.
I also don’t want him to worry just yet. I was studying abroad during my spring semester of my junior year and it took me awhile to get an internship. All I could do was email back and forth, so I think he has a big advantage. If anyone wants to interview him, they’ll learn a lot more about how we can be valuable to their team instead of just reading about his 3.94 GPA.
Readers, what other tips do you have for him? How did you get your summer internship in college?
I would check the career advisement office, it’d be likely that they might know of opportunities or at least have contacts that they could provide. I’d also sign up for LinkedIn and look at the alumni area for their particular school.
I talked with the HR department of the place where I was already working. I wanted to see if there were any internships available that were more related to my major in college, since my job had little to do with what I was studying. Since I already had employment with the company I had a leg up on the competition and that allowed me to land my internship.
Good advice so far. I’d recommend practicing the interview, over and over. This is what will stick in the interviewer’s head more than a sheet of paper. Good luck!
Try Idealist.org they have a great network in larger metropolitan cities for a variety of organizations in different industries.