How to Find a Great Internship

For college graduates, the job market can be a tricky place. The goal is to find entry-level placement at a great company, in the career of your choice, with very little or-gulp-no experience. Yes friends-these days, internship experience is all but required for first time job seekers. Internships are great for getting some much-needed hands-on experience in your field, and having internship experience on your resume will help distinguish you from other applicants in the eyes of potential employers. Today we’re going to give you some strategies to help you get a great internship, so without further ado, let’s begin.

Career Counseling

As a student, you should take advantage of all the resources that your school offers. If you are unsure about the tools you have at your disposal, take a stroll on down to your academic advisor’s office and pick their brain-they should be able to put you in touch with a career counselor.

Your school’s career counselor can help you identify internship opportunities in your field. Since one of their primary functions is finding jobs and internships for students, career counselors have access to a large pool of contacts both inside and out of your university or college. The chances are your career counselor has already found some sweet internships for other students in your field, so it’s highly likely that they’ve got some good leads for you.

It’s also worth mentioning that your school’s career counselor has access to an alumni network. This network consists of key contacts across a wide variety of industries and practices, and more times than not, those who have achieved the goals that you’re setting out to accomplish would be more than happy to help you out.

Teachers and Students

Your professors and fellow students are also a solid resource when you’re looking for a great internship. For starters, your professors have contacts outside of your school that are relevant to your course of study, whether they’re former students, colleagues, or friends. It’s highly probably that your professors have knowledge of great internship programs in your field, so make sure you ask them when the time comes.

If you look around either in class or while walking around campus you’ll see many things, but most importantly, you’ll see a whole lot of other students! That’s right, your peers are an excellent resource for learning about and finding internship programs. Other students who have already taken on an internship are especially helpful, as they can relay important information about their own experiences in researching and identifying great internship opportunities.

Friends and Family

If you’ve tapped out your school’s resources or you’re just looking for another angle, your friends and family members might be able to help you out. It can be far too easy to rely heavily upon the resources your school provides, so when it comes to finding a great internship, you’ve got to get creative with your search.

Maybe you’ve got a family member that works at a company that has an internship program in your field, or perhaps your friend’s older sibling has a connection that you can take advantage of. You’d be surprised how vast your personal network can be when you start reaching out and asking questions. The bottom line is, when it comes to your career goals, keep your eyes open, your ears perked up, and your finger right on the pulse so you don’t miss any great opportunities.

Vault-Firsthand

Hey, that’s us! Yes friends, along with your school’s resources and your friends and family, your own research capabilities are an integral component in your search for a great internship. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and put together this year’s massive, super in-depth internship rankings-just for you! We’ve surveyed thousands of current and former interns, and organized some of the top internship programs into handy categories to help you find what you’re looking for.

What’s most important for you in an internship? Is it the potential for full-time employment? How about internships that provide the best quality of life? Our rankings allow you to conduct your own research in a meaningful and organized way, and the information is coming straight from the source-actual interns! Check out this year's rankings.

The right internship could lead to a great job, so having a variety of resources to draw from on your search is incredibly important. If you’re into spirit animals, try to imagine yourself as an octopus when you’re looking for an internship program-this way, you can reach in many different directions all at once. With a little creativity, help from the right people, and belief in yourself, you’ll be able to score a great internship!