Everyone is probably going to have to get one at some point. But you can try and make this process work for you.
1. Use Google
There are a ton of places online that will take your resume and send it out to employers. Just put your name, work/volunteer experience, anything you can think of, you can even include that one time you wanted to be a vet so you volunteered at an animal shelter for two days. As long as it shows that you're a hard worker and you are committed to working, you're on your way.
2. Talk To That Smart Kid In Your Class
Ask other people you know who have internships. There is always someone you know who seems to always have a different internship every semester. They've done everything from assisting everyone at an accounting firm to account for everyone at an assisted living home. Ask them how they did it, you can even offer to take them out to lunch. And if they had an internship that you want, ask them how they got it and what the employer was looking for during the interview.
3. Ask Adults
Talk to your career adviser, every university should have one. It's super easy to talk to them. Their whole job, most of the time, is to help you get onto the right path for your future. This probably includes internships. They can explain the process, help you apply, and maybe even answer the phone at 2am when you're spiraling because who needs an internship anyway if you're eventually just going to end up at a job that you hate working 9-5 until you finally are able to retire, and isn't that really what the internship is all about, just finally getting to retire… Yeahhhh. Your roommate may not be able to help with that one, but your adviser can reassure you that you won't hate your life in the future (too much).
4. Write A BOMB Cover Letter
Look I'm not saying that you should apply to every internship with the same basic and generic cover letter. But you should have a template. Every cover letter you send out should not be the same, but you also shouldn't write it from scratch. If you think every place you apply to needs to hear about your second-grade softball championship win, then include that in the cover letter! But if you think that only the music place will want to hear about how good you are at acoustic guitar, then only include it in the final draft of the cover letter to the music place.
5. Actually Do It!
Apply! You can look at every job posting, talk to everyone, get advice, write an amazing cover letter, but if you never actually apply anywhere, you're never going to get the job. And as difficult as rejection may be, apply everywhere! Apply to as many places as you can! It is way easier to handle those rejection emails when you have a couple of acceptance emails in your inbox as well. Whatever you do, do it to your fullest. If you're applying for internships, apply your butt off, write 40 cover letters, put your resume on every website, call places if you have to. Let the world know that they better watch out, because you're coming, and you're ready to work 20+ hours a week for no payment whatsoever.
- The (True) Life Of An Intern ›
- 10 Realities of Being an intern, as told by George O'Malley ›
- 8 Big Takeaways From My 12-Week Summer Internship ›
