Finding Your Dream Summer Internship–Even on last Minute Notice
Like I mentioned in another article, there are so many fantastic reasons to do internships. They improve you as a future employee, a person, and a student. They give you invaluable memories and, sometimes, decent pay. Your dream summer internship can be the key to unlocking all of those.
BUT it can be stressful to apply to them, especially if you’ve waited until the last minute. Sometimes the time just sneaks up on you, and before you know it, it’s the end of April. While it’s undoubtedly better to start early, it’s not too late to find that internship! Use the seven tips below to help you make the most of your summer.
#1: Know Your Platforms
There are so many fantastic job and internship searching platforms out there, and you should absolutely take advantage of them! Do you have a LinkedIn yet? If not, you should sign up! It’s free, and it exposes you to a whole virtual network. I have found internships and applied to jobs through this before with some success. It also helps because it tells you what your profile is a good match for and it recommends jobs for you. While LinkedIn is my go-to for internship searches and the tried and true platforms like Indeed and Ziprecruiter are very useful in the search for a dream summer internship, there are also some other helpful sites and platforms:
Sometimes, all you need to do is look up “____ internship ____ (your city).” For example, when I was looking for internships in 2020, I would simply type in “writing internship San Diego 2020.” It automatically populates with local sites, and this will often take you to other platforms like Indeed or individual websites. This is a good way to just see what’s out there. It isn’t as good as LinkedIn (in my opinion), but it does do a pretty good job of giving you timely notices and updates. You can also filter paid vs unpaid, which was very helpful in my search.
Idealist
Idealist is a less-known platform that’s geared toward people seeking work in nonprofits. This is a very helpful platform, especially because it will connect you with likeminded people. One of my favorite things about Idealist is that they have clear tags regarding remote vs on-site internships. Like the other platforms, they connect you with internships in your area that fit your interests. You can also sort internships by sector/duties, issues they handle, compensation, and org type. I absolutely LOVE their organization, and I’ve had good success with them in the past.
Handshake
I’ve noticed that a lot of colleges (mine included) have shifted to Handshake lately. Handshake is geared toward college students, although alumni can use it as well, and it essentially aims to facilitate your job/internship search. All you have to do is log in with your institution, and it allows you to filter jobs based on your interests, locations, and qualifications. Handshake is more unique in the sense that it is targeted toward students like you.
Many colleges also have their career center team up with recruiters through it, which means that you can reach out to recruiters or vice versa directly through the platform. You also have the option to upload your resume and create a profile on there that potential employers can see. I’ve been contacted by quite a few recruiters from reputable companies simply because of my resume, qualifications, or attendance at things like virtual internship/career fairs through the platform.
Glassdoor
While I don’t personally use Glassdoor to apply to internships, it is extremely helpful. All you have to do is go to their site and type in a particular company, keyword, sector, or location, and they will populate the information for you with available internships. My favorite part about Glassdoor (and the thing I use it for most often) is that you can look at employee reviews for various aspects of the company OR the specific job. You can see how the employees rate the management, what the pros and the cons are, what the average salary is, and usually the trends.
Personally, I was saved from doing a pretty bad-looking internship I’d been accepted for because of checking it out on Glassdoor, and whenever I am considering a new position to apply for, I check it out here first. Even if you don’t use this to find an internship, it’s a useful tool to use to vet that internship and learn more about the company culture.
Internships.com (Owned by Chegg)
Once more, Chegg hasn’t let us down. Their website, Internships.com, offers a search engine and career advice as well. Whether you want to simply find internships in your city, improve your resume, or learn how to excel in an interview, they have you covered. This is definitely something I’d recommend to strengthen your professionalism before you go on the internship hunt.
#2: Spice Up Your Resume
A good resume gets your foot in the door. One of my campus mentors, a professor with decades of career and leadership experience, once suggested that I update my resume twice a year. She suggested doing it during either Daylight Savings or around New Year’s. By doing this, even if you aren’t actively applying to jobs, you will have an updated resume that you can reference. Then, for each position, tailor it just a little. What skills do you have that applies to this? What positions have you held in the past that are most related to the one you are applying for? How can you tweak your wording to focus on former duties that most closely match what this position is asking for? For more information on crafting a strong resume, find my article here.
Additionally, I have found it useful to create a master resume. This is basically a resume in which you go into more detail about all of your qualifications, careers, and skills–beyond the simple on page resume. This is helpful because it allows you to not lose small details about various positions. If you want to learn how to create your master resume, click here for my article on it.
As one final point, make sure that your resume looks nice. It shouldn’t be too flashy, too long (keep it to a page), hard to read, or filled with typos. Remember that you want to come off as professional as possible. It often helps to have someone else, particularly someone older who has gone through the job application process, look over your resume and give you feedback.
#3: Follow Up on Applications
What makes the difference between an average applicant and the applicant that gets their dream summer internship?
The winner follows up to their application. They express interest. This shouldn’t be naggy or agressive, but it could be as simply as sending a quick, “Hi ____, I hope you are doing well. My name is ___ and I’m reaching out to check on the status of my application. I’m super interested in this position and I especially like _____ about it. I look forward to speaking to you soon! If you have any questions, please reach me at ____” over email. The more eloquent you can make it, the better.
To employers, this shows that you actually have some investment. You’re putting more than the basic amount of effort in, and this will make them remember your name more. It’s obviously not wise to follow up too many times, but doing it once after a reasonable amount of time (1-2 weeks, depending on the schedule they said they’d follow) is helpful.
#4: Work with Your Advisor
Your major advisor, career center advisor, or general advisor will have some great insight for you here. Chances are high that they have been working with students who need internships for years. They probably also have connections in the field, and they can offer you some helpful advice on how to go about your search. In my major advisor’s office, there were posters of available internships all over the wall when you walked in, and he would update them regularly. Most of the time, he received word of those opportunities (or those flyers) from former students who were looking to find qualified interns. My advisor also posted these announcements on our digital homeroom, and he would update them about twice a week. By scrolling through these, I found quite a few potential internship and volunteer opportunities.
Additionally, it helps to get to know your advisor well, as I suggest in this article. The better your relationship is with them, the more they can guide you. I worked closely with my advisor, and he was able to tell me, “No, that probably wouldn’t be a good fit,” or “You should definitely apply for this one. I can reach out for you.” Even after I graduated, he would send me jobs/internships that he thought would be a good fit for me, and I ended up taking some of those.
Your advisor could also be someone more informal, like another professor who simply has research/internship connections in the field. Whatever the situation is, definitely take advantage of their expertise and connections!
#5: Apply Sooner Rather Than Later
If you’re looking at applications in May, you might have already figured this one out. It helps to research your industry. Some fields (like accounting) start their recruiting cycles about a year early. That means that if you recruit in March 2022 as a sophomore, you’d be starting your internship in June 2023 as a junior-becoming-senior. Others accept people on a rolling basis (more common in politics or nonprofits). Others still make their due dates very clear, and they often go by semester/term (spring, summer, fall).
Regardless of when internships start accepting applications, you should apply ASAP. This shows more interest and initiative (you’re not putting it off to the last minute), and it also gives you more time to find backups. This also allows you the time to find people from the company to network with to get your name out there! Waiting until the last minute is stressful for many reasons. Do everyone a favor and up your chances by applying to that dream summer internship sooner!
#6: Check If Your connections Have Anything
Use your network.
Let me repeat that: use your network.
Remember the saying that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?
Well, it’s absolutely true. Like I mention in my article about why you need to do an internship, it is crucial to expand your network and also to be aware of who it includes. To land your dream summer internship, you might just need to talk to a family member who has a friend in that field. Other options include:
- Friends and friends’ parents
- Former employers
- Professors
- LinkedIn connections
- Family (and extended family) members
- Old teachers
- People you volunteered with
- Pretty much anyone you’ve come into contact with that you have a good relationship with!
I’ve found that most people don’t really know their network until they really think about it. For example, say that you want to look at an internship related to law. You could easily sit down and think, Huh, my mom’s friend is a lawyer. I wonder if she knows anyone that needs an intern. Then boom. You have a contact. Even if it doesn’t pan out, that person will think of you in the future.
LinkedIn is a different (but great) way to make connections. While you might never meet some of these people in person, you can request informational interviews with them. Informational interviews, if done right, can raise your chances of getting a job or internship in the future.
The point is pretty simple: you never know who knows someone until you try asking. Most of the time (if not all of the time), you won’t regret falling back on your network. Who knows? They might just be your ticket into your dream summer internship.
#7: Consider Other Options
At this point in the game, many internships might be taken. Many are still onboarding interns, but you should have a backup plan. Maybe you don’t get your dream summer internship this year. You might need to consider something that’s unpaid or volunteer work. However, this volunteer work can still connect you with some great people, build awesome skills, and set you up for future internships. The same thing applies to unpaid internships. You might even consider an internship or job that is adjacent to the area you want to go into. For example, if you want to go into teaching, you could work at a summer camp over the summer. Even if you want to work with older students, this will still be a great resume builder because it will show that you are dedicated to teaching, no matter what form/shape it takes.
Another internship area that has expanded greatly is virtual internships/volunteer opportunities. Many companies still offer virtual options, and there is quite a bit of flexibility now. For example, the San Diego Diplomacy Council has both in-person and online options for their simulation small group facilitators (a great volunteer opportunity, especially if you are interested in working with high schoolers, doing Model UN, or learning about international relations!). On LinkedIn and Handshake, you can specify that you only want online internships. While this certainly doesn’t have the same office dynamic, it can be fantastic because of flexibility and a wider search net. I’ve done things based in DC because of this option, and I haven’t regretted them.
The point here is to be flexible. You might not get your first choice, but there are certainly other fantastic opportunities waiting for you.
Bonus Tip: Stay organized
With the amount of internships that you send out PLUS your usual commitments, it can be hard to keep track of everything. What I like to do is make myself an internship tracker and organize my folders on my computer with all of my documents. In my internship tracker, which I’ve included a sample of below, I usually use Excel or some other chart to create five columns: name of internship, date applied, heard back (Y/N), reached out again?, and comments. This helps me to keep track of what I applied to, when, if I heard back (and within this, if I got an interview OR what the response was), if I think it’s worth reaching out to the company/recruiter to check in, and what I have learned from this application. It has been extremely helpful, if only to have everything in one place.
Additionally, it really helps to have your folders organized. Whether you work on Google Suite, Microsoft Office, or some other program, it is absolutely essential to organize your job search. Sometimes applications only need your name and a cover letter. Sometimes, they need a crazy amount of documents (especially when you start applying to jobs and higher level internships). I organize my folders pretty anally. I have a folder for each semester (i.e., Spring 2022, Fall 2023), and I put summer internship searches into the “summer” folder under their own name (Summer 2022->Internship Search Summer 2022). Within that folder, I group each set of documents in a subfolder based on the application (i.e., X Writing Internship). I also make sure to keep a general version of my resume in the main internship search folder (Internship Search Summer 2022). This makes it quick and easy for me to access.
Another helpful tip with organization is to save everything as a PDF and submit it that way. I do almost everything on Word, so in each folder, I have my Word version AND a PDF version. When I submit applications, I only send the PDF to ensure everything goes through correctly.
A Final Word
Finding an internship can be stressful. Don’t be discouraged if you receive rejections. I fell into this trap, and looking back, it only made me more stressed. It’s not personal when a company rejects you, and it’s likely saving you in the long run. Your dream summer internship is out there somewhere–it’s only a matter of finding the right one.
However, if you use these tips and put your best foot forward, you’ll have a much better shot at success. Best of luck to all of the Summer 2022 internship applicants! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or internship seeking advice in the comments below.
