Some of the most meaningful experiences I had in college didn’t involve my major classes–although I enjoyed just about every one I took–or socializing with my friends. They were the experiences I had working. I had a work-study job in the writing center, which taught me how to explain ways to improve writing, and I had an internship–my only one–at a local magazine.
I was an English major who wanted to work in publishing and I longed for an opportunity to see what the world of work was really like. I just didn’t get paid, which was pretty standard for internships back then.
My internship did just that: It provided me with a taste of what a day job would be like and it gave me the opportunity to be coached in “real world” writing. And to this day, I consider my internship supervisor at the time as one of my favorite people because he took the time to help me develop as a writer and employee. Thanks, Michael!
Fast forward 25 years and now internships are both paid (thank goodness!) and almost necessary for many career pathways. If your student doesn’t have an internship on their radar, this is your message to get the conversation started. While there are some majors that have internships baked into the degree program (think nursing with clinical rotations or education with student teaching), your student may have a major (like English or math) where an internship would give them a taste for different career options.
So, what does your student need to do to get one of those internship-things? Well, as it turns out, your student needs to start preparing now, no matter what year they are in. Internships are competitive, some as competitive as landing a job, and being prepared is essential for scoring an internship that can have a positive impact on their future.
Here are some ways to coach your student to apply for internships. Use this as a checklist as your student moves through the process.
Applying for Internships
- Create a resume. Get your student started with a basic resume. Wake Forsest University’s Office of Personal and Career Development has wonderful resources for creating a resume.
- Write a generic cover letter. Why write a generic cover letter? Because your student needs a template to start from that can be revised to be more specific once they start applying. Cover letters usually include at least these three elements: 1) what job/internship they are applying for, 2) how their current qualifications/experiences connect to the job/internships description, and 3) why they are the best candidate.
- Create a LinkedIn account. It is never too early to start developing a professional social media profile. Plus it is a great way to start building a network. There are many resources such as this video to help with the process.
- Secure recommendation letter writers. Yes, your student should identify at least two professional people who will be able to write a detailed, grammatically correct, positive letter. I wrote about how to get good letters of rec in a previous blog post.
- Visit the careers services office. Start early, go often. Campus career services is not just for seniors about to graduate. They can and do help students at all stages of the job-seeking process.
- Search for internships. Your student should start with the service, such as Handshake, that their career services office provides to look for internships. But they can also use Google, Indeed, or LinkedIn to match their qualifications and needs with internship openings.
- Read the position descriptions. Each internship will have different qualifications, expectations, and job duties. Your student should underline key phrases that they will use when writing or talking about themselves.
- Revise the generic cover letter with specific details. See above for those specific details. The cover letter (and even the resume if possible) should be tailored for the specific internship. This is great practice for being on the job market. If the description says that the intern will be “analyzing data” or “creating sales pitches,” then the cover letter should include why the student would be able to do those things.
- Develop a “story.” This tip warrants its own blog post–and that may happen soon–because your student’s qualifications and experiences only matter if they can tell the story. This means that they need to be able to connect what they have learned in their classes or in specific experiences to job skills. For example, your student’s math classes may have help them develop analytical skills and attention to detail or their group projects may have helped them develop leadership skills and the ability to manage conflict.
- Apply to multiple internships. The more the likelier…that they will get one. Internships are competitive. When applying to different ones, be sure that the resume and cover letter match the internship description and contact information.
- Practice interview skills. Even before your student gets an interview, they should be practicing. The next time you see them, pepper them with fast-moving questions about themselves to see how easily they can respond clearly and coherently. Never, I mean never, have them go into an interview without practicing basic question-and-answer skills.
This is all just to get your student started! My next blog posts will focus on interviewing and getting the internship.
