Do you know that feeling of pride and accomplishment when you put all your effort into something and then you finally see the prize at the end? I had one of those moments last week when I accepted my first internship about a week ago. I was offered right there on the spot! People always say to be prepared for whatever may happen during an interview, but I was definitely not prepared for that. Now that I have reached my goal, I've looked back and realized what worked for me during that tough search. I want to offer you those tips and some advice to help you as you go on your own internship search.
1.) IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH: When I started my search, I knew why I was looking for an internship: gain experience, gain connections, see if PR was the right field for me, and because chances are higher for those college grads with internship experience to earn a job after graduating. People always told me to get an internship, but they never told me how tough it was going to be. I started my internship search towards the end of October/beginning of November, and numerous interviews and applications later, I finally found one. I know people who started before me and are still looking. It's tough to get your resume ready, apply a cover letter to each position, keep in touch after applying, thank you cards, etc. IT'S A LOT! So start now and be aware the search is long and tough.
2.) CREATE YOUR INTERNSHIP LIST: I attend a lecture last fall semester where the speaker spoke all about internships. Her name is Lauren Berger, also known as the Intern Queen. I received a free copy of her book 'All Work, No Pay'. In one of the chapters, she talks about creating a dream internship list and how it can be a tool to keep track of all the positions you applied for. I took her advice to heart, created an excel spreadsheet, and got to work. I listed all the places I applied to, contact information of the internship coordinator, which materials they required (cover letter, resume, etc), and dates of all the times I made contact. I had different columns for the first contact, second, and third contact. I highlighted in different colors those that I interviewed for, those that said to apply for the summer, those I was rejected from, and those I just never heard back after numerous attempts at contact. That spreadsheet become my everything in my internship search. It kept me organized and on track. Create your own dream internship list and never look back.
3.) USE ALL YOUR CONTACTS: When I started my search, I let my mentor know and she said she would ask her husband if he's heard anything. Her husband is a local business owner, a board-member of a nonprofit he helped created, and involved with other organizations. He invited me to a board meeting of his organization and it was great to see how business meetings worked behind the scenes. They offered me a position a couple weeks later, and even though I decided to go with another opportunity, I created more contacts and established myself even further. That door has been opened so if my path offered another chance to intern with them, they will remember who I am since I have connections established. Reach out to all your contacts because you never know who that person may know or if they heard anything about possible internships.
4.) HAVE BONUS MATERIALS READY: You should have thank-you cards and business cards ready to go. I learned that the hard way. The day before my very first interview, I realized I did not have any thank-cards available. So I ran to Target looking for decent looking thank-you cards. I didn't want anything to plain, but I didn't want anything too crazy looking. Don't get me started on my journey to find stamps. Please save yourself a hassle and have those materials ready because after the interview, first thing you want to do is go home, write a nice thank-you, and send it off that day. Another bonus material to have ready are business cards. It is embarrassing when you have an interview or meeting and then at the end, the interviewer asks for your business card and you don't have one. I had that experience and the minute I got home, I placed an order. It impresses people when you give them your business card: it shows initiative and that you are serious about your career.
1.) IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH: When I started my search, I knew why I was looking for an internship: gain experience, gain connections, see if PR was the right field for me, and because chances are higher for those college grads with internship experience to earn a job after graduating. People always told me to get an internship, but they never told me how tough it was going to be. I started my internship search towards the end of October/beginning of November, and numerous interviews and applications later, I finally found one. I know people who started before me and are still looking. It's tough to get your resume ready, apply a cover letter to each position, keep in touch after applying, thank you cards, etc. IT'S A LOT! So start now and be aware the search is long and tough.
2.) CREATE YOUR INTERNSHIP LIST: I attend a lecture last fall semester where the speaker spoke all about internships. Her name is Lauren Berger, also known as the Intern Queen. I received a free copy of her book 'All Work, No Pay'. In one of the chapters, she talks about creating a dream internship list and how it can be a tool to keep track of all the positions you applied for. I took her advice to heart, created an excel spreadsheet, and got to work. I listed all the places I applied to, contact information of the internship coordinator, which materials they required (cover letter, resume, etc), and dates of all the times I made contact. I had different columns for the first contact, second, and third contact. I highlighted in different colors those that I interviewed for, those that said to apply for the summer, those I was rejected from, and those I just never heard back after numerous attempts at contact. That spreadsheet become my everything in my internship search. It kept me organized and on track. Create your own dream internship list and never look back.
3.) USE ALL YOUR CONTACTS: When I started my search, I let my mentor know and she said she would ask her husband if he's heard anything. Her husband is a local business owner, a board-member of a nonprofit he helped created, and involved with other organizations. He invited me to a board meeting of his organization and it was great to see how business meetings worked behind the scenes. They offered me a position a couple weeks later, and even though I decided to go with another opportunity, I created more contacts and established myself even further. That door has been opened so if my path offered another chance to intern with them, they will remember who I am since I have connections established. Reach out to all your contacts because you never know who that person may know or if they heard anything about possible internships.
4.) HAVE BONUS MATERIALS READY: You should have thank-you cards and business cards ready to go. I learned that the hard way. The day before my very first interview, I realized I did not have any thank-cards available. So I ran to Target looking for decent looking thank-you cards. I didn't want anything to plain, but I didn't want anything too crazy looking. Don't get me started on my journey to find stamps. Please save yourself a hassle and have those materials ready because after the interview, first thing you want to do is go home, write a nice thank-you, and send it off that day. Another bonus material to have ready are business cards. It is embarrassing when you have an interview or meeting and then at the end, the interviewer asks for your business card and you don't have one. I had that experience and the minute I got home, I placed an order. It impresses people when you give them your business card: it shows initiative and that you are serious about your career.
5.) BE PREPARED: When it's time for the interview, be prepared for it. Do research of the company the night before and good researching takes a couple of hours. You want to look up the services provided (you probably should know this already since you applied), the clients, the company mission, history, team, etc. Have your portfolio ready to go with everything you'll need: extra resumes, pens, pad of paper for notes, questions to ask, business cards, and writing samples. Have your clothes prepared and be groomed: picked out your outfit the night before, pressed, clean, your hair styled, light make-up, clear or nude nail polish, and I personally believe in no perfume. You want to go to bed the night before your interview confident and ready to go. Nothing is worse than rushing the morning of your interview because you forgot something.
Everyone has different tips or advice on what worked for them during their internship search. These are my own and worked best for me. I hope they work for you! Let me know if they do! Do you have other tips that personally work for you? Share them in comments; until next time....
~Selina
Everyone has different tips or advice on what worked for them during their internship search. These are my own and worked best for me. I hope they work for you! Let me know if they do! Do you have other tips that personally work for you? Share them in comments; until next time....
~Selina