How To Land an Internship Fast
NOTE: Professors are great referrals because if they are impressed by a student, chances are an employer will be too. Professors teach hundreds or thousands of students each year. If they think you're a standout, I guarantee an employer will think you're outstanding. While you’re still in school, and even after you graduate, make it a point to be on good terms with your professors. So where can you find internships? Here's a few creative ways to land an internship right away:
- Visit the web sites of companies that interest you. Write a letter to the person in charge of the division at the company you want to work for. Forget the HR department for now. And this is not a cover letter. It's a letter explaining your deep interest in this company, and more specifically in that division. Clearly state that you want to do an internship for them, that you'll work for free, and that you're available immediately for part-time.
- Pick up the phone and call the person you want to work for. Ask if you can send over your resume and again, explain your deep interest in this company, and more specifically in that division. Clearly state that you want to do an internship for them, that you'll work for free, and that you're available immediately for part-time.
- Visit or call your campus career center and ask to learn about any opportunities they know about that may not yet be online.
- Ask your professors, family, and friends about any companies they know of that might be willing to hire an intern. Once you have a few possibilities, start networking.
Most of these positions will be unpaid, but don’t let that deter you from pursuing the internship. Don’t be put off if you don’t get college credit for the internship either. Getting experience in your chosen field, even unpaid/no credit experience, is worth a zillion times more than showing up to a job interview with a 4.0 GPA, but zero job experience. Employers want to know you can put theory into practice. And even if you’re only getting coffee for the senior executives at the company during your internship, you’re benefiting from learning about the decisions they have to make on a daily basis. You’re getting exposure to the industry. You’re learning the lingo of your chosen profession, which is not taught in the classroom. In other words, your starting (just starting) to pay your dues. So don’t let an unpaid internship slip through your fingers just because you think you should get paid.