If you are in college, then you are probably thinking about getting an internship. You might be feeling overwhelmed about getting an internship or maybe you just don’t know where to find one. I’m here to share with you my experience and let you know where you can find companies that are hiring interns.
My Experience
When I was trying to find my first internship I didn’t even know where to begin. I didn’t know what company I wanted to intern for like a lot of people did so I felt a lot of pressure. My sophomore year a lot of my professors were pushing students to get internships for the summer which caused a lot of stress for me. They were just doing their job which I appreciated, but I couldn’t help how stressed out it made me.
All the stress was coming from a place of uncertainty. I didn’t know what I even wanted to get experience doing. So I took a step back from searching online and just thought to myself “what am I passionate about?”. Videography, photography, social media marketing and management, and writing. After that I had a better understanding of what experience I wanted to get.
Then, I started searching on websites like Glassdoor and Indeed. I knew I wanted to be creating marketing videos since it’s something I’m really passionate about. I still couldn’t find anything that stuck out to me so I put my search on hold.
In one of my classes I was working on a project for a local township. We had to create marketing deliverables that the township could use and present it to them. After presenting, the head of the Parks and Rec department told me he really liked my marketing designs. It hit me in that moment – I can bring up the idea of working as an intern for them! And that’s exactly what I did.
He was very excited to have a social media intern to create marketing videos for the summer. This worked out for the township and me! Since then I’ve been working with many different companies as a freelance videographer.
The purpose of this whole story is to let you know that you shouldn’t be super stressed about getting an internship and don’t settle for anything you don’t want.
Internships are all about learning new things, getting experience in your major, and making connections.
Tips For Finding An Internship
1. Narrow down what experience you want to get or what company you’re interested in
Before you do anything, figure out exactly what you’re interested in. Think about what you are passionate about and what jobs include your passion. It might seem like your passion doesn’t go with your major, but keep an open mind when it comes to this.
For example, maybe you are passionate about photography but you’re a business management major. Then you could look for jobs in event planning since at big events people need a photographer. It’s a way to open up doors for what you are passionate about. Maybe you’ll work for an event planning company and you’ll offer to the people having the event that you’ll be the photographer.
Or you’re set on what company you want to work for. Then keep on reading to find out more about how to find their internship opportunities.
2. Talk to your professors
Your professors are there to help you so go to them if you need help. Go to their office hours and let them know you are trying to find an internship. Explain to them what you are interested in doing because they might know of an opportunity that you would be a perfect fit for.
If you know what company you want to intern for, but want help landing an interview with them, ask your professor if they know anyone at that company. They might be able to put in a good word for you.
3. Go on websites like Indeed or Glassdoor
You can search keywords, companies, or job titles on websites like this. Make sure you fine tune your results to make sure you are browsing for internships. You can also select if you are look for part time or full time.
This is an easy way to apply as well. You can upload our resume right to the website and then if the company is interested they will contact you.
4. Ask family and friends
Reach out to your family and friends, let them know what you are interested in, and see if they know of any opportunities. Maybe one of your family members knows of an intern position at the company they work for.
If you are a very motivated freshman and looking for an internship opportunity, you might find that some places require a certain amount of credits before you can apply. This is a great way to get around this hurdle. If you have a family at a company then they might be more likely to let you still intern even if you haven’t satisfied credit requirements.
This is a great way to find internship opportunities for college students.
5. Go to a job fair if your school has one
Go to a job fair if your school has one. This is a good way to meet companies and get a feel for them. Hand out your resumes and let them know you’re looking for an internship.
I was always too nervous to talk to people at job fair freshman and sophomore year (I went, but just walked around) because I thought they only were looking for full time employees, but you honestly never know what opportunities will be there.
If you are a freshman, I urge you to go and at the very least just walk around and get a feel for the way it’s set up and things like that. That way when sophomore year comes around you’ll be comfortable going and handing out resumes.
6. Use all resources your college offers
At my school, we have something called the “Career Development Center” where you can go and get help with your resume, find internship opportunities, get help with interviewing skills, etc.
There is a website where employers can post job listings and intern positions. This makes it really easy to look for opportunities because they are looking for students at my college.
If you have something like this at your school take full advantage of it! I just started going this past year when I was looking for employees for my business. It has been such a great help having a resource like this.
I hope these tips on finding an internship in college are helpful. Remember not to stress too much about this process, there are tons of resources and people around you to help you.
Finding an internship should be a fun process where you can learn a lot about yourself and what you are interested in!
