Work On It Wednesday: Preparing For Your Summer Internship Search

By Emily Young MA ’16  

The key recruiting time for most internship programs is February through April.  Most employers have deadlines for summer internships that fall in late March and early April, but candidates who apply early always improve their chances.

 Here are my tips to help you secure a sweet summer internship, all while staying sane throughout the process.  

1) Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a summer internship.  

Okay, everyone might be a little overkill, but the best way to gain an internship is through an existing connection.  If you’re just getting started and have never had an internship, talk to your parents, your parents’ friends, and your friends’ parents.  Even if they do not have a job you are interested in, they might be able to put you in contact with someone that does.  If you’re interested in a niche industry try talking to your professors to see if they know about any opportunities. Knowing someone who can put in a good recommendation for you is much better than option #2 below, AKA applying online.  

2) Search Connect SC and company websites.

Meet your new extracurricular activity, applying for jobs online!  Now when I say extracurricular activity, applying for jobs online usually isn’t fun.  In fact, it’s actually quite tedious, and it will have you wondering how many times you have to enter the exact same information on different company career platforms.  Connect SC can eliminate some of the tediousness when you can apply through the connect SC platform and get matched with job listings.  Expect to never hear back from 2/3 of places you apply to online and the ones you never expect to hear back from, that you apply to for a giggle, will always get back to you.

3) Craft personalized cover letters.

The best way to stand out is through a good cover letter.  A personalized cover letter can separate you from other candidates and get you an interview.  Check out our Trojans 360 Blog on Cover Letters for more tips.   

4) Stay calm.

My junior year I applied to over 21 different places online and yet by late April I still had not secured an internship.  I started panicking and stressing, to a point where I was grinding my teeth and wasn’t sleeping at night.  I had this expectation that I needed to get a good junior year internship at a great company that would hire me after graduation senior year.  (This was of course before I decided to pursue a master’s degree.)  Desperate, I had a conversation with a person that led me to one of the best internships I’ve ever had.  So the moral here, don’t get worked up over the internship application process, everything will work out.  Keep talking to people, keep applying online and eventually something good will come your way.  

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