How to Find an Internship

Anonymous writes:

I am currently a student looking to find an internship or externship. I know I should target a company and then compose some sort of letter, but I have no idea where to start. Could you give me a few pointers?

The Career Doctor responds:

Now is the perfect time to start searching out internship opportunities for summer. There should be plenty of opportunities for all college students to obtain internships.

How can college students track down internships? Here are the top four sources:

Use your network of friends, family, former bosses/co-workers — everyone you know — to let them know you are interested in an internship this summer. Networking is a great tool for uncovering some hidden opportunities.
Use your college’s resources, including the career services office, the alumni office, and your teachers. All of these folks should be able to provide you multiple internship leads.
Use the Internet. There are quite a few internship Web sites out there, some where you can apply for an internship directly.
Use your imagination. If you have a certain niche or a certain set of companies you would love to intern for, then research those companies and apply for internships either from the company’s Web site or through a mail campaign using a cover letter and resume.

In all cases, once you decide to apply for an internship, please make sure your resume is tailored to each internship opportunity and that your cover letter (in about three to four paragraphs) makes the case that you are the ideal candidate for the internship.

By the way, internships are a MUST for college students who want to have the best employment opportunities upon graduation. Employers want to hire college graduates that already have a proven track record of success.

And, of course, for students who are not exactly sure of their career paths, internships are a great way to get a glimpse of a career path — and help you decide if that career is right for you or not.

Finally, internships are also wonderful opportunities because they grow your skills and employability, expand your network, and may even give you a permanent job offer upon graduation.

Use these resources from Quintessential Careers to help you: