The Invaluable Internship
More people are getting college degrees than ever, and those degrees don’t always guarantee that graduates are worth their weight in wood chips, much less their weight in gold. For example, that idiot who sat next to you in Math 110 playing World of Warcraft got a diploma, too. He will get hired somewhere, show his new boss what a useless lump he is, and get fired. His boss will resolve never to hire someone just because of their degree. He will look for something more than just a fancy piece of paper from a fancy school. He will be looking for real skills, experience, and accomplishments.
The best way to get those skills, experience, and accomplishments is internships. Unlike the insulated assignments and exams of academia, internships give students a chance to strut their stuff in the real world. During internships, students can network with knowledgeable business leaders, pick up new skills, make tangible contributions, and refine their career goals. As an added bonus, internships can also involve making new friends and going new places. Graduates with internships under their belts are far beyond their peers when it comes time to find their first job.
Finding a great internship is much like finding a great job except that the application and screening processes are much less rigorous. Check out the following tips to help you nail the right internship and give your career a turbo-boost:
1. Start early. The early bird catches the worm, and the early student catches the internship they want. After all, you won’t be the only student smart enough to seek out an internship. If you wait too long, all the good ones will be taken and you’ll find yourself selling nightcrawlers at Jed’s Fine World of Fishing theme park.
It’s never too early to start contacting recruiters. The more contact you have with them, the more they will remember you. Email them with questions (good questions only). Send them notes to thank them for their help. Stay on their radar.
The web also offers some great internship-hunting resources. Vault.com, in particular, has one of the best internship databases I’ve seen. Among other things, they provide detailed internship descriptions and recruiter contact info. Check them out at Vault.com.
2. Get the most bang for your buck. Naturally, you want to find the internship that will give you the most leverage after graduation. Assuming that you know what you want to do after graduation, you should find an internship that has as much in common with your goal as possible.
For instance, if you plan to work as a fashion journalist, seek out an internship in the fashion industry. If you can find one with a fashion publication, even better. Another way to maximize the value of your internship is to find one with a well-known company. Future employers will be looking at the companies you’ve worked for and the positions you’ve held. The closer you get to what they’re looking for, the better off you will be.
3. Treat career fairs like an interview. Some students just wander into career fairs oblivious to what is really happening. They’re dressed like bums. Bits of their lunch is still hanging from their lip. They walk up to recruiters and mumble something like "So, like, what is all this stuff?" The recruiter shoves a pamphlet into their hands and moves quickly on to the next person.
Recruiters at job fairs are looking to fill internships and much of their evaluation of you is done on the spot. They will be assessing your attire, your mannerisms, your poise, and your questions. Therefore, you should prepare for career fairs as if you were going to an interview. Research the companies you are interested in. Think of insightful questions beforehand. Bring several polished copies of your resume. Dress in appropriate attire. Brush your teeth. Fix your hair. You know, all that ‘clean, respectable appearance’ stuff.
4. Be willing to bend. I’m not recommending that your compromise your ethics in any way. I am, however, suggesting that you show a certain degree of humility as a lowly intern. If they tell you there might be some travel required, don’t tell them you hate flying and would rather not. Instead, take up the challenge to do something that might be difficult. If they want you to rearrange their files, take up the challenge and show them how quick and effective you can be.
To be an intern is to take on the lowliest tasks. Do them with efficiency and a positive attitude and they may move you on to worthier tasks. By the time you finish, you will have a slew of accomplishments to list on your resume. If you constantly turn down opportunities to prove your usefulness, you will find yourself being ushered out the front door prematurely.
So go get ‘em! Internships can be a lot of fun and definitely worthwhile. Good luck in your internship search.
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Tags: career, college, intern, internship, job, university
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