Internship Starter Pack (bonus pep talk!)
By Judy Lee ‘17
Hey! Judy here. As we enter the panicked phase of internship applications amidst schoolwork, I wanted to offer some personal (and some outsourced) tips regarding this flurry of madness.
I’m currently a publicity intern at CBS International and was a social media intern last year at Stretch Synergy, a social media marketing startup.
Now, I know it’s a little strange hearing internship advice from a sophomore. I’m not going to pretend that luck and timing doesn’t play into it. Hence, I won’t be labelling these as foolproof–rather, my observations and experiences!
The Cover Letter should include…
- Your address/contact information
- Their address
- To whom it may concern, or “Dear (name of recruitment officer)” if you know the name of the recruitment person.
- The letter should be 2-4 body paragraphs and should NOT exceed 1 page.
- Address who you are, where you’ve come from, where you are, and where you’re going.
- Use SPECIFIC and DESCRIPTIVE language. There’s a difference between being “great” at something and “having a working knowledge” of it or “having a developed and refined skill set” for it.
- Close by expressing eagerness for correspondence with something along the lines of “Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.”
- This is also a good time to link to online portfolios (if necessary)!
IMPORTANT: EACH COVER LETTER SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AND CUSTOMIZED TO THE EMPLOYER YOU’RE APPLYING TO.
Here’s an excerpt from one of my cover letters:
Here’s an outside example:
The Resumé should be…
- Clear, well laid out with headings and page breaks (categories usually include: Education, Experience, Leadership, Activities/Awards, Technical skills, etc).
- Readable. Not everyone has the patience to decipher oddly-structured blocks of text–especially when there’s a large volume of other things to read. To confirm your resumé is easy breezy, hand it to someone you trust for 10 seconds before taking it back and asking what kind of picture they got of you from those 10 seconds.
- In reverse-chronological order (most recent first).
Side note: Creatively formatted resumes are very subjective and situational. While a resumé for a design internship would lend itself to a colorful and visually dynamic resumé, the same one may not go over as well for a finance internship at DeLoitte.
Side note #2: I didn’t mention an “Objective” heading because from what research I gathered when I first compiled my resume, it’s not exactly necessary. It’s generally assumed that your objective in submitting an application is to get hired into the position. You can still include it if you’d like, but make sure it’s more descriptive than “To obtain an internship with ________ for Summer 2015.”
Here are some examples:
The Resources are…
- Google! Apply directly on the career tab of their websites!
For the Interview/Job Fair (not the movie)…
- Be dressed appropriately
- Speak with confidence (smile, make eye contact for emphasis, use hand gestures, and nod/respond to interviewer)
- Talk about your strengths. Only talk about insightful analysis of your weaknesses when ASKED. Make sure to mention that they’re only weaknesses temporarily, as you are striving to improve.
- Research the business (and think of relevant questions to ask)
- Pre-think defining experiences beforehand so there aren’t awkward pauses when you get asked the inevitable “talk about a time…” question.
Final Thoughts
- Going to networking events only really helps when you make a genuine question and also get a business card, or give them yours. Make sure that you’re remembering these things when you go to recruitment events!
- At the end of the day, there isn’t a set way to a successful job application. As cliché as it sounds, there’s nothing duller than trying to fit exactly into a template. Use the confines and parameters of cover letters and resumés as an opportunity to find little ways to express yourself in between the lines and shine!
BONUS PEP TALK:
Before I got my first “big” internship, I was down in the dumps because I’d applied to 10+ internship programs and received absolute silence for my efforts. I was frustrated and ready to give up and wait for the next semester. I’ll mostly likely experience this again. It takes time to fully accept that employers don’t care about you if you don’t fit their needs. It’s nothing personal (unless it is).
Even still, moving on can be hard. Just keep running is all I can say! It’s worth it to run, walk, crawl, or drag yourself toward your goals–even when no one seems to be watching because at the end of the day, you’re that much closer to narrowing your options and finding something perfect for you.
One of my favorite quotes is one by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
What I mean by this is that I know writing a resumé and talking about yourself in an interview is awkward and feels self-serving. Honestly? That’s exactly what it is. It’s a time that you can take full control and credit for everything you’ve worked hard for.
People hear others humble-brag or cut themselves down to size to be liked every day. A situation in which you need money and/or experience is not the time to think that way. It does not serve you to be shy about what you’ve accomplished in life when you’ve earned the right to own up to it.
NOW GO OUT THERE AND GET SOME EXPERIENCE!
