Flickr user UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens
Internships are amazing resume-builders, and the experience you gain from them is incredibly valuable. Really, any internship is a great opportunity to learn, but an internship in your particular field of study—or related to your future dream career—is even better. Here are some tips for finding the perfect internship.
Talk to the faculty in your department.
There’s a good chance that your professors and department heads have network connections outside of school. Talking to them or your academic advisor should be great ways to sniff out any internships over the summer. Your department website should also be a good place to look.
Go to your school’s career fairs and find ones in your field of study
Depending on your field, you might actually be better off looking for a summer internship at your school’s fall career fair. Many companies start their searches early and enjoy being able to talk with students one-on-one during the application process. If your school has another career fair in the spring, you might be able you find something there as well. Some schools might even host cover letter and resume writing sessions before these Career Fairs to help students attain these coveted internship positions.
Think about what kind of company you want to work for after graduation.
Now, you might be imagining your final and goal, the company that you want to be working for for the rest of your life. In many situations though, we don’t get to start with our dream company. We have to work our way up to that. But if you have a company in mind, you can compare it to other businesses and see who might be hiring if they have similar job requirements and goals. Internships are like stepping stones. They help you get to the position where you want to be eventually.
Study your dream job requirements.
What skills do you need for your dream jobs? What experience is beneficial to gaining success in your field? These are questions you can apply to your internship search, which in turn helps to keep your internship relevant to your career.
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