Summer Internships

Internships are fantastic opportunities, and they can be difficult to land. Once you've applied and been accepted, make sure you show those that have hired you that you’re worth it. Here are some things, that I've learned about making the most of that internship. Every internship I have done (this adds up to two – go figure) has been paid. I really think that this is the best way to go. There are many great, unpaid internships, but you probably want to try for a paid one if you can. It only adds to the benefits. You deserve compensation for your time. Work hard, and they’ll know that you’re worth it. The tip that trumps all other tips is to work like crazy. If you work hard, they’ll see that you’re trying. Try your best to show them your stuff. They’ll remember you, in the future. Another piece of advice I can give is to go for different internships. The more you can get, the better. Each summer, try for a new one. I’ll admit it, it’s not easy to restart the application process and try again, especially when the internship you got last summer is waiting to welcome you back with open arms. The more experience you can put down on a job application, the better, and you’ll be undergoing new experiences and learning more and more.  

I completed an internship with a local town manager this past spring semester.  It was a great experience because I have ties to that community, and it is a smaller town, so it was somewhat of a "microcosm" of bureaucracy at work.  I especially enjoyed the special research projects I was given.  However, I didn't keep a journal or record of my work, which made writing the final paper about my experience difficult.  The experience proved beneficial as I was able to connect with other government officials and learn about the ins and outs of a small municipal government at the same time.

 Hi Tiffany,  That DC internship sounds amazing! That's the kind of thing that looks great on a resume and gives you some really good hands-on experience.  A few summers ago I had an internship with Project Vote Smart. The work itself was tedious (mainly data entry), but it was a good experience all the same. You really get a good sense of how nonprofit organizations work and the kind of organizational issues that can come up. I also learned a lot about the legislative process and how to research and read bills.  Of course, if you can get a paid internship, that's always better ;-).

 Hi Java, You've listed some really good resources for summer internships. Some people also have success just emailing or sending their resume to a company or organization, even if they don't have a listing for an intern posted. Even if they don't have a position available at that time, they will sometimes keep you in mind for the future.  I have found on-campus internships and fellowships through my advisor in the past. They are often the first to hear about a department that needs an intern and can give you a heads up before the others got a word of it. They can also give you advice about how to find off-campus internships as well.

When I was at the university about a year ago, I wanted to obtain an internship experience very bad. I attended a career fair that was organized at the university. This was in my first year of transfer between majors, so I didn't have all the qualifications required for my major. Also, I was an international student without a transport. So yeah, my college experience was not well planned. After a year, I had to take a break from academics. So, I could not complete an internship.  But, I will definitely complete internships once I resume academics. From your above experiences, I see internships can be fun and informative. Thanks for sharing!

  I love internships, but there are a few cautions. First, make sure it is truly an internship.  For a legal, for-real internship, you have to be either getting college credit OR getting paid. If you are getting neither of those, you are not, technically, an intern—you’re just a volunteer, or apprentice. Make sure you talk with your professor about whether what you are doing will truly count as an internship. Once you have, start talking to professors—they have so many contacts it’s amazing! Ask them for recommendations about where to go and ask if they can give you letters of recommendation.

  Take into account other factors, too—location (do you like it? Would you rather be closer to home? In the city? In the country?), for one. Another thing is, what will you be learning in the internship that you’re not learning in your classes? You want practical experience that gives you experienced doing what your classes taught, but you don’t want to be repeating them, either. A nice balance is perfect. Find a balance between grunt work and actual skilled work. Sometimes you have to start with the former, it’s true, but you don’t want to be stuck doing that all the time!

Scoring an internship opportunity is an excellent way to get your foot in the door with a company and also set yourself up for success after college.  Many people get nervous about the interview process.  Here are three tips that I think help in any behavioral interview:   Composure and Introduction - When first going into your interview be sure to greet the interviewer(s) with a confident handshake and look them in the eye.  Be sure to dress appropriately for the interview and have good posture throughout the interview.  You want your body language to display confidence.   Rapport with interviewer - This point plays off of the first regarding confidence and composure but takes it a step further.  Your next goal is to gain rapport with the interviewer(s).  Gaining rapport is as simple as matching matching body language, tone of voice and pace of speech with the person performing the interview.     Situation, Action, Result - Finally this is one of the most important tips.  Whenever you are asked a behavioral interview question, logically put your thoughts together prior to answering.  Think of a situation which is appropriate to discuss based on the question and describe it accurately to the interviewers.  Next, explain the actions you took in the situation to address the issue at hand.  Finally, explain your results the the interviewer.  

I have done a couple of summer internships, in addition to internships I did during the school year. Since I have worked a lot in government, most of my internships were not paid. That isn't to say that the experience wasn't worth it -- it was. But if you need extra money, I would recommend interning for an organization that pays some sort of wage. The summer internships I had required a commitment of at least 40 hours a week, and I often worked longer than that. I always knew which organizations or public figures I wanted to intern for, so I went directly to their websites in search of information on how to apply. A lot of organizations or companies will have that information on their website; the place I currently work at does. As far as recommendation letters went -- only one internship required letters, and they needed one from a previous employer and another from a college professor. Most places will require references, and most will make some sort of contact with those references. One of the best takeaways from the internship application process, I believe, is how it prepares you for entering the job market. When I searched for full-time jobs, I realized that I gained a lot of my interview and resume building experience from the brunt of the internships I applied for. Keep in mind that most organizations, regardless of how big or small, will grill you as if you're applying for a full-time position with them. The waiting period varied. One time, it took two months from my submission until the interview. Another time it took three days. It really depends on how busy the organization is and how you stand out as a candidate. Internships will let you see how organization functions. If you're lucky enough, you'll get to shadow select few people on staff. If you're even luckier, you'll work on projects that are central to that organization's goals and missions. Those are great benefits, and again they give you real-world experience so that you are prepared to find a legitimate job in your major once you exit college. But, there are cons. You often work long hours. Sometimes you are invisible to the rest of the staff. You don't get paid very much, if at all, and if you're taking the internship for credit, then you could be stuck in a miserable environment for three months. That said, the pros far outweigh the cons. They're just some things to consider before diving in. If I have any advice, it's this: Know the organization you want to intern within and out before you apply. Watch videos. Read press releases. Keep up with their blogs. "Like" them on Facebook. And once you get the internship, always show them you're an asset. I have never had an internship translate into a job offer, but I have kept in contact with previous coworkers, and they have helped me find other opportunities. So network like crazy, too. And remember, if any assignment is too time-consuming or makes you want to throw your computer against the wall -- this is only a temporary thing.

I really think internships are a great opportunity for any and every college student.  Unfortunately, not every student is going to be able to do one for various reasons.  But they are good experience and many times interns are offered full-time jobs after college at the company they interned at, and if they don't offer you a job then at least the internship will put you ahead of the game when it comes to making your resume for an entry-level position stand out from the rest. Personally, as an undergrad, I never did one, but it wasn't I didn't want to, but it just didn't happen.  However, even though I didn't do an internship, I never for a day looked at it like an internship was the be all end all, when it comes to finding work after school. I did well in school, and I was super confident that I had as good a shot as anyone to land a job, and I ended up getting a good job offer before I graduated. I think your attitude and approach to getting what you want to go a long way in life.

Also another good thing about doing internships early in your college career is they help you to select your major.  By this I mean, a lot of times, undergraduate students select majors, based on what sounds good or childhood dreams, but they have never had a real-life feel for what exactly people that studied that major do in the field. So doing an internship early actually gives the student a chance to get out into the real world and get a preview of what they will be getting into if they stay on the path that they are going on. Sometimes this preview lets students know that the major they are pursuing is not for them before its too late for others it reinforces their desire to get the degree in that field.

What made you decide on what internships you would take? I’m very interested in political science and the internships on Capitol Hill that could follow. But I have so many questions about them. First of all, how do you go about applying for them? I have always figured that the school you are attending will help with that sort of thing. What did you do to help yourself be a top candidate for your internships? I was just wondering if there were any special classes that you had to take or other school activities that you participated in to make sure that you would be eligible for these internships. Also, did your college counselor help you find these internships or do you just have to take the initiative and find them yourself? Any information you could give me will be helpful. Thank you.

I am now in the last three weeks of my internship at a printing press. I am completing this internship in the last term of school and am taking two other classes at the same time. It is an unpaid internship, and I have to complete 120 hours in 12 weeks. I usually go in three days a week for 15 hours, but since I would we way over the hours I need by the end, they are pretty flexible with me.  This internship was found for me by the director of my program. He recommended me to the owner of this shop so it worked out pretty easily for me. I have to complete a lot of paperwork every week, such as a detailed account of my hours and what I worked on. I also have to turn in a paper about my experience at the end of the internship period. My experience has been pretty positive. An internship will only teach you as much as you want to learn. You are pretty much in control of the internship. Set some goals for what you want to leran before the internship starts and meet those goals as you go along. Have fun but take it seriously. It could turn into a paying job once your internship period has ended.   

Yes employers you have interned for will definitely remember the hard working, team playing college graduate in the future because when seeking a full time paying position your name would be at the top of their list of hirees.  This is a great time for you to shine as a potential employee of the company you're interning at.  Getting paid for your internship wasn't bad either because you can always use those extra funds for gas to work, future school items and entertainment.  You also learn about getting a paycheck and the various types of taxes taken out of your paycheck.  Your pay should look a lot different once you have become a graduate and working full-time. Working hard has its benefits for sure and those professionals you meet during your internship may even offer you a position right out of college.  You have shown them you're worth their time, worth the money and a possible valued employee.  Not getting caught up in any negativity during your internship will be noticed and how you conduct yourself in a professional environment will show if you're mature enough to handle some major situations.  Just because you're at a company working during the summer, many things are still going on behind the scenes but you can learn a lot by just observing and taking mental notes, this would be a good time for you to take notice of possible mentors, and if they are exemplary in the handling of business. Yes applying for different internships will keep your options open, and you can just add that to your resume.  Keep an open mind for success to shine down on you in the world of business. Denia

Most of the benefits can be gleaned from speaking to other people in the field, reviewing their work, and visiting the job site--an internship is the most powerful component of a student's toolkit for determining whether a job is right for him or her, to be sure, but it shouldn't replace the groundwork normally done to prepare for applying for an internship. Working with people in the field is something students should be doing to begin with--colleges offer great shadowing and placement programs for students interested in various fields, and students can even develop mentorships with established professional from these shadowings and placements. Testing out the career is a bit tougher to do, even in an internship, as the intern's duties are typically much lighter than those done by the professionals, and in the cases where they aren't, either one of the very rare ones where they work at the same level as the professionals or one in which they do completely different work altogether. Even so, the kind of attrition that sets in after a year or two is very different from any sense of attrition an intern may experience--if there's any doubt you'd want to do that job after only two months of light duties, sincerely consider whether the path is right for you.