7 tips for finding student internships
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Still from The Intern movie. Cover credit: Salem Web Network
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Fall semester is just around the corner and many students worldwide have already initiated the hunt for relevant internships as part of their university requirements. So we’ve compiled a list of practical tips to help you optimize your chances of landing a good student internship.
1. Define your interests.
Before getting your fingers moving, you need to have a clear picture of the kind of position/role you are interested in. Some majors allow a larger scope of internships than others but you can always direct your search towards two or three positions that top the list of your preferences in order to avoid wandering aimlessly across the web.
2. Optimize your LinkedIn presence.
It has become crucial for college students and young professionals to have a strong online presence, notably on LinkedIn, the world’s number one professional network, because it is the first thing your employer would be looking at to find out more about you. You can follow our useful compilation of tips to set up a neat LinkedIn profile.
3. Start growing your professional network early on.
You’re probably fed up with people preaching endlessly about the importance of networking but this does not take away from the necessity of weaving as many connections as you can with professionals in your field. Get inspired from our beginner’s guide to optimize your networking skills and break away from your little corner to start initiating meaningful interactions with the right people.
4. Refer to your university’s career guidance office.
Every academic institution has its own career guidance office where one or more professional development experts are ready to put their experience and connections at your service at just any point in your college journey. This is an important resource that many students unfortunately either do not benefit from or are unaware of in the first place. Do not be one of them.
5. Attend career presentations, workshops and events.
Do not disregard career presentations or internship fairs that take place on campus but rather do your best to make it to each of them. In addition to on-campus events, keep an eye on interesting/relevant talks, workshops and events happening around you in order to enhance both your knowledge and skills and find new networking opportunities.
6. Sign up for online job portals.
Job search is not a one-time thing but rather an ongoing process and the same goes for the hunt for internships. Check out the latest postings across job portals in your region regularly in order not to miss any golden opportunities that would’ve otherwise been perfect for you. It is also important to acquire this continuous search habit during your university years as it is likely to carry on into your job search later on.
7. Keep relevant companies under your radar.
One efficient way of doing this would be to bookmark the careers page on relevant companies’ websites/follow relevant companies on LinkedIn for you to easily keep an eye on their latest postings. You can also expand the scope and efficiency of your radar by following these companies on social media for you to check out their latest updates.