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Ten Tips for Finding the Perfect Internship

By Thomas J. Denham

An internship is a short-term work experience in a professional environment where the emphasis is on learning versus earning. You will learn new skills, gain insider contacts and references, as well as clarify your career goals. More and more students realize these benefits enhance their college education. And many employers expect to see evidence of an internship or two on a student's resume. Once you decide to build your resume with more than McJobs and campus activities, follow these 10 steps to find the perfect internship.

1. Meet a career counselor - Make an appointment to see a career counselor. A career counselor will help you every step of the way to ensure you find the right internship.

2. Define your goals - Begin your internship search with self-assessment and inventory your skills, values, and interests. Determine your focus career field and your geographic preferences. Answer these questions:

• What exactly do you want to do in your internship?
• Where do you want to do it?
• How many hours a week can you devote to your internship?
• Will it be an established and structured internship program or something more informal that you create?

3. Research your internship prospects - Your career center has books, periodicals, employer literature, and internship directories to read and research potential targets. Check the Internet: many firms list internships on the company web site.

4. Explore your options - Put your options in writing. Come up with three to five internship choices. Develop a time frame. Your internship search will take more time than you expect. Commit a few hours each week to your hunt. Note application deadlines.

5. Develop your resume and cover letter - You need two important documents. A career counselor can give you samples of resumes and cover letters, including examples written by former students. Tailor your cover letter to a specific person-don't address it to "Dear Sir or Madam."

6. Implement your internship campaign - Network: talk to friends, family, faculty, alumni, and your "connections." Don't worry if your parents get you in the employer's door. Check other opportunity options: o Your career center's recruiting program and internship listings;

• Classified ads;
• Headhunters;
• Career fair contacts; and,
• The Internet Send out several resumes and cover letters over a period of time to produce a number of interviews and offers.

7. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! - Your goal is to convince the employer to schedule you for an interview. Follow-up each resume and cover letter with a phone call if the employer doesn't contact you within a reasonable amount of time. Politely tell the employer that you are checking on the status of your resume and cover letter and you are still very interested in an internship.

8. Develop your power interview skills - Ask your career center to help you prepare for the interview. Review handouts, especially those with sample interview questions. Schedule a mock interview-a practice interview with analysis.

• Dress professionally for your interview
• Express your enthusiasm for the internship
• Ask, "What's the next step?" before you leave the interview
• Clarify if the employer requires a transcript, list of references, application, etc. Send anything requested immediately.

9. Send thank you notes, be patient, and follow-up again - Jot down notes on advantages and disadvantages of the company and the internship immediately after the interview-these will help you choose between offers. Within 24 hours after the interview, send a sincere, tailored thank-you note. Only about 10 percent of candidates ever do this, so it can give you that all-important edge. A career counselor can help you with the thank-you note draft and advise whether to send a handwritten or typed note, by mail or e-mail. Be patient: the internship process takes time. If the employer does not call you when he or she promised, then it is acceptable for you to phone and reiterate your interest in the internship.

10. Evaluate internship offers - You may receive several offers and discover that you don't know which option is the best. Talk to your career counselor about which internship will best position you for your future. Show the counselor any notes you took after the interview. Weigh factors such as job content, training, supervision, prestige of the employer, location, salary, and benefits if any, and contacts. Will the internship give you college credit?

An internship is a short-term work experience where the emphasis is on learning. Make sure you choose one that fits your career goals.