Getting a college degree isn’t the only thing that makes your resume shine. Internships, whether paid or unpaid, are not only a way to increase your chances of being looked at by potential employers, but also give you the necessary experience that you may need for future jobs.
As great as internships are, it can be difficult to find the perfect fit best-suited to your location, availability, major, interests and more. If you’re currently in the process of trying to find that perfect internship or just need some help, here are a few tips to get you started:
Utilize your resources: There are millions of websites and organizations that are specifically dedicated to matching people with the perfect internship.
Narrow your options: Some sites help you narrow down the list of options by taking a quiz based on your personality, major or interests and even send you daily email matches with internships in your area. Internship opportunities can be extremely competitive, but if you’re specific about what you’re searching for, such as availability, location and major, your chances of finding the right fit will be higher.
Look at the long term: It’s easy to only search for paid internships and dump the unpaid ones, but this year challenge yourself to look beyond the money aspect and more toward the long term. The best way to determine if an internship is worth your time? Ask yourself what vital learning experiences, connections or opportunities you could gain from taking this.
Keep an open mind: Remember, just because it is unpaid doesn’t mean it’s not a good choice. Keep an open mind throughout the process so that whatever road you do decide to take you’re more apt to push yourself to learn more than you did before.
Make connections: Making good connections in your major’s department is important. Throughout life, the connections that you make can really benefit you in various ways, including becoming the references that some internship applications require.
Stand out of the crowd: Make sure to work on qualities that can be spoken highly of like a strong work ethic or a positive attitude. Go to major or job specific events and make sure to socialize and ask about career interests. If you never ask or put yourself out there, the answer will always be no.
Step up the challenge: Internships can be strenuous depending upon the time of year or what the requirements of the internships are, but every opportunity is a chance to grow in your future profession.
