Landing Your Internship 101

Brace yourselves. It’s internship crunch season. It’s officially that time of year when if you haven’t secured a summer internship yet, you might be panicking.  Do not panic. Here’s what you need to know when you’re trying to land that internship. 

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Fix your resume 

One of the worst things you can do is submit a resume that has typos, or doesn’t reflect your prior experience. Take your resume to a career center and have it looked over by professionals. Make sure all relevant experiences are included on your resume.

Use online job and internship databases 

Sometimes finding internships can be hard. Many companies utilize online databases to post job openings and internship opportunities. The more databases you use, the better chance you have of finding an internship that suits you that you qualify for.

Apply for multiple opportunities

Rather than putting all of your eggs in one basket, apply for more than one opportunity. That way if your don’t get your dream internship you’re not left scrambling to find what opportunities are left.

Learn to use the programs you see listed under requirements even if you don’t get that internship

The programs that companies list as necessary for their internship may come in handy in another internship or a future job. Your knowledge of the programs could turn out to be a benefit that makes you more desirable to another company or put you a step ahead of other interns.

Dress professionally for any interviews

Looking well put together and professional can never work against you, only in your favor.

Prepare and rehearse for interviews

You will be some much more confident if you know what you want to say about yourself ahead of time. Practice answering questions that may throw you off guard. Practice active listening. Just make sure you feel ready and have an air of confidence about you.

Don’t get discouraged if not all of them contact you for an interview

Not everyone will get the internship they want the most. The best thing that you can do is never give up and keep searching until you land one.

And don’t just take the internship that pays the most. Choose the one that has the potential to best prepare you for your future. Remember that internships can be stepping-stones.  

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Simone Brownlee.