It's April 4, 2016 and as a student in the Big Apple of hardworking people, you are probably sitting there, barely awake in your 9:30 a.m. lecture. But, your ears will perk up with the distant mutter of a summer internship. Your roommate already got offered a spot at Bank of America and JP Morgan. Your pre-med best friend is headed to Honduras for the summer. And you, you are left with a drool stain on your favorite sweatshirt and an empty sheet of lecture notes on Google docs. Even though it is April and you aren't headed to Honduras, you can still land a summer internship and turn your life around, and maybe wash your sweatshirt? Here are some resouces to score the perfect summer gig.
NYU Wasserman Center // Located in Palladium
I would argue this is the most underrated tool that most students don't take advantage of. Beyond just being an actual place (located in Palladium) to check over your resume and cover letters, it is also an online portal that posts hundreds of jobs and internships per day. Sign up for an account, upload your resume and complete your profile and you are set the apply to opportunities directly offered to NYU students. They also host networking events in specific fields, only open to NYU students. Make sure to visit their website, get signed up and check your email. Before going to any networking event, check the dress code (and when in doubt, do business casual, more on the business side), bring multiple copies of your resume, portfolio or business card and a sense of professional desperation
If you haven't created a LinkedIn account, what are you actually doing? It's a great social media tool to connect with your classmates, potential employers and past colleagues. You can showcase your work on your profile, present your skills (and have people endorse them) and scout other young professionals who you can connect with. It's networking, but instead, you don't have to put on a suit and leave your bed to do it. Also, LinkedIn has a great, extensive job board that you can easily tailor to find specific internships for certain terms or locations. Make sure to pick a pretty headshot and I'd like to formally ask you to be a apart of my professional network.
Networking Events
While the Wasserman Center offers great networking events, there are also a ton of other places you can be checking. Living in New York City and being an intern turn young professional, the possibilities are endless. Websites like FindSpark and WayUp post jobs and beyond that, post information about relevant conferences and networking events. Having trouble finding an event that fits into your schedule and interests? Directly email people in your ideal industry and ask them out to coffee. Don't be intimated. Be confident and you'll get what you want (a latte and an internship, duh).
Apply- everywhere!
I'm not a science person, but I am vaguely recalling some science moment where atoms or molecules collide, and the more atoms or molecules there are, the faster they are moving, the more likely they are to collide and bam make stuff happen. That being said, apply to anything and everything. If you are qualified and hold some interest in either the company or field, why not apply? You never know who is going to read your resume and where that will lead. Sometimes it is even good just to get interview practice. When in doubt, just think about this poorly explained scientific model: the more internships you apply to, the more likely you'll get hired.
Presentation
Have a habit of being late? Do you still not own an iron or ironing board? Have you ever gotten around to buying that crisp white button-down? Does your resume still have some made up charity work you kind of did in high school? If you answered yes, you need to revise your presentation. A lot of young adults don't understand the importance of the smaller things: being five minutes early to an interview, promptly emailing your employer back, being overdressed for an interview, bringing four copies of your resume to said interview, sending a "thank you" follow-up email. There are so many other things to consider than just the cover letter and resume you submit. Make sure to be on top of your game, even with the finer details.
