Find an Internship

Learn About Your Options, Find an Internship

I have three children, but only one is college age, and she just finished up her freshman year at UGA. When it comes to finding an internship, she saw an opportunity via a post on her sorority Facebook page and went for it. Easy as pie for her – not the norm for most. Her friends, on the other hand, have had very different experiences when looking for and landing internships. In the case of her best friend from home, a freshman and a Finance Major at UGA, the search was pretty typical, resumes emailed, phone calls, and follow up. Her roommate, also a freshman at UGA, is majoring in Genetics and has experienced a very different search from the other two.

There are quite a few avenues to take when looking for an internship.  My first recommendation would be to check with the college. Many times professors and other professionals within the college will hear firsthand from prospective employers about new internships available. Also, contact or visit the Career Center on campus. There will be career fairs throughout the semester and different companies will come to UGA looking for students to gain experience through internships. Check out the Career Event Calendar for updates on the next career fair and workshop. Professional attire for these fairs is recommended as well as bringing a copy of your resume and researching the employers that will be in attendance.

The UGA Career Center has tons of resources and Internship Links available to help your student get connected with companies in need of interns. They highly recommend different websites like Handshake, About.com, Intern Web, The Princeton Review, and many more for internship postings in all fields. They also have specific website recommendations for internship postings in specific fields: environmental, government, human development, engineering, etc.

There are other generic websites out there that are great for internship searching. One, in particular, Internships.com, as most of the sites do, allow students to put in their city and field of choice and even whether or not they are looking for paid or unpaid internships. From there, a proper cover letter and resume would be the next step. Occasionally a Skype interview may be requested. Using sites like Indeed or SimplyHired may be worth a try, but spending a lot of time on these to simply hit the “apply” button and having their resume sent into a black hole generally doesn’t prove too successful as most of these positions get filled by students with a more personal connection.

Some websites, like Internmatch.com, allow students to sign up to get daily notifications for new postings about jobs that may be of interest to them. Glassdoor.com and YouTern.com may also be useful websites to find an internship. FindSpark.com is better known for its more creative internships and entry-level job postings. LinkedIn can also be an excellent resource. Perhaps your student saw a position at a company they are interested in on one of the above sites and then, by scouring LinkedIn, they can make a connection, and possibly be approached about an internship from there. To search for internship listings, be sure to have a detailed and updated LinkedIn page ready to go, then go to the jobs tab at the top of the page and put “internship” in the search box. Refine your search by filling in the boxes on the left side of the page.

HaveUHeard which companies were selected as the 100 best internship programs in the U.S.? WayUp presents their Top 100. Vault also has their list of the Top 20 Most Prestigious Internship Programs for 2020.

Another great way to find out about internships is through networking.  My daughter has met many professionals through her sorority as well as different clubs on campus. She has been able to make connections, gather business cards, and build relationships with people whom she might be interested in working for or interning with in the future. Starting the process of finding an internship typically begins the summer before students Junior year so making these connections should take place during their sophomore year, but really, it is never too early for them to start thinking about or trying to get an internship. Should your internship take you out of state, learn about housing options.

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