One of the biggest worries of college students across America is getting a job out of college so that we can focus on fixing our biggest worry—paying off student loans. However, in order to do accomplish those goals we have to first “earn experience” and we get those experiences through internships.
Let’s be honest, looking internships can be discouraging—especially when you’re up against sometimes hundreds of other college students. However, it's possible to get the internship you want without going crazy.
1. Start looking as early as possible.
It is possible to grab a summer internship right before the semester ends. It's even possible to get one a few weeks into the summer if you are desperate. However, the "good" internships—the ones that will challenge you and get you closer to your goals—are typically the internships that have early deadlines. For the big companies that will have hundreds of applicants, the deadline can be anywhere from the end of November to the middle of February. Keep an eye on your dream company's deadline so you don't miss your chance to work for them.
2. Have a clean and original resume.
If you have the ability to design your own resume, do it. The person who looks through all of the applicants will see the same Microsoft Word formatted resume over and over again, get a small edge by having one that looks different from the rest. However, if you have no experience in design, don't try to learn while designing a resume. If you have a friend who does have knowledge and experience, ask them to help (but make sure you pay them for their help).
3. Spell check EVERYTHING.
If you are going to put on your skills list that you are "detail oriented" you better not have any errors on your resume, cover letter, or any emails that you send out to your potential employer. Read everything out loud and as slowly as you can. In doing this, you'll be able to find grammatical errors and words that have escaped the spell check. Also, for the love of God, if you are speaking with someone over email, make sure you spell their name correctly. Most people with have a signature at the end of their emails, check the spelling before you send the email, even if it's a simple name.
4. Get to an interview early, and wait patiently.
Everyone knows that when you are offered an interview, you should make sure to get there early. However, no one talks about what happens after you arrive early to an interview. First, be kind to the secretary or whoever greets you at the door. They might not be interviewing you, but they will relay a negative experience to the person in charge of hiring interns (you should always be kind to people in general, but the moments leading up to an interview is not the time develop a superiority complex). Secondly, don't touch your phone. It might feel awkward to stare at a wall while you are waiting, but it looks more professional than slouching in your chair with your eyes glued to your phone when the interviewer comes to get you.
Chasing down internships can be discouraging when you hear "no" a lot. If you lack the experience for your dream internship, you might have to apply to other internships that don't require as much experience. It may feel disappointing because it feels like a smaller internship, but those first internships will teach you a lot about yourself, your desired job field, and the way you interact with other people. So while it's not the glamorous internship that you dream of, it's an internship that will prepare you for your future job or another internship, so take it seriously when you get hired.
