40 Ways to Land Your Next Internship
In January 2013 nearly 10% of
graduates from the previous May
were still unemployed.
Outlook
Today’s Road Map
1. How to think about job seeking
2. How to get your materials perfect
3. How to network and get job offers
Roadmap
Internships are not just for junior
year summer, they are the #1 gateway to jobs!
Why Internships?
Internship Facts
• 70% of interns were offered a job in 2012
• 50% take that job• Students with internship
experience get on average 20% higher starting salaries those without!
HOW TO THINK ABOUT JOB SEEKING
Section 1:
1. Treat the Search Process Like a Job
2. Look for something Different
Just because you are interested in marketing does not mean you need to or should go intern at a big marketing firm. Consider startups, NFPs, and more!
3. Look to Non-ProfitsAbility to get hands on experience and make an impact!
3+ VolunteerShorter hours, easy to schedule and often much less competitive. Skill based volunteering in particular is a great path to get experience!
4. StartupsSmaller companies are more willing to take risks on less experienced employees. At startups you can impact the bottom line and develop a portfolio of real work.
5. Small Businesses
99.7% of US businesses have under 500 employees. Firms under 20 employees make up 18% of all jobs. Often less competitive for hiring and great for getting hands-on experience.
Guess this famous former intern?
6. Don’t Get Discouraged
Bill Gates
Congressional Page
Harvard
Microsoft World’s Largest Non-Profit
Guess this famous former intern?
Brooke Shields
San Diego Zoo
Model
Actress
Guess this famous former intern?
Patrick Ewing
Congressional Finance Committee
NBA Career
Various Movies
Guess this ‘famous’ former intern?
ME! Nathan, InternMatch Founder
Arnold Worldwide Marketing
National Audubon Society
Law School
Founder of InternMatch
The Career Web
Policy/Government
Sports
Non-Profits
Film
Business
Modeling
??????
Where are Internships Now?
• Class and School Work• Extracurriculars
• Clubs• Sports• Greek Life• Etc
• Socializing• Friends• Band• Happy Hour?
Internships
7. Prioritize internships and the job search. Think of it like an extra class.
Why Internships Should Be at or Near the Top
Internships
• Class and School Work• Extracurriculars
• Clubs• Sports• Greek Life• Etc
• Socializing• Friends• Band• Happy Hour?
Internships
HOW TO STANDOUT
Section 2:
9. Have 0 typos in your resume! (45% of resumes with just one typo are thrown out immediately)
10. Get TA recommendations
11. Put professional experience on top of your resume–employers need someone who can hit the ground running.
12. Want to be a Marketer?
• Write a Blog!• Build a social media following.• Market your blog.
Go to WordPress.com right now and sign up!
12. Want to be a programmer?
• Write some Code!• Post completed projects on
Github.
13. Want to do PR?
Get a story published!
14. Want to do accounting? Learn QuickBooks!
15. Want to be in management?
Run a club or Greek House!
16. Want to be a journalist?
Write for the University Daily!
17. Cover Letters…
Compliment the company you are applying to, everyone likes flattery.
18. Cover Letters…
Mention something specific about the company, something you like, some idea you have that is relevant to them, some press they got, etc.
19. Build your personal brand.
20. Should I design my resume?
Not unless you’re an art/design student. Maybe put the company you are apply to’s logo on it.
21. Get Business Cards.
22. Make a personal blog.
23. Make personalized letter head.
24. Make personalized thank-you cards.
25. Always follow-up after networking AND after interviews.
26. Follow-Ups should be short and very positive:
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me yesterday. I really enjoy how your company focuses on generating deep online relationships, this is something I have found important in my own writing for the Daily blog and why I always follow-up with guest bloggers when they write for me.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards,
John Doe
27. Put class projects online and link to them in your resume, business cards, and more.
HOW TO NETWORK AND GET HIRED
Section 3:
28. Go to events (Chamber of Commerce, Local Associations, alumni mixers, etc.).
29. Use MeetUp.com and other professional services to learn more about your industry and meet connectors.
30. Talk to teachers, family and friends.
31. No one hires on the first date – build relationships.
32. Ask Questions. Ask about how they got to where they are now, ask for industry feedback, ask for tips on how to break into your industry of choice.
33. Expand outwards – ask the person you just networked with if they know anyone else you should speak with?
34. Remember to follow-ip (Always Follow-Up!).
35. Get on LinkedIn
36. Get your LinkedIn friends to intro you to their LinkedIn friends.
37. Get rid of any suspect photos on Facebook or make them private.
38. Make Your Facebook picture the same as your LinkedIn picture, the same as your InternMatch picture, the same as your business card picture (personal branding).
39. Find a way to make the process interesting for the person you are networking with. Can you help them? Can you give them insights into what college students are doing or what colleges are teaching?
40. Stay optimistic and have fun!
Thank YouNathan Parcells
Founder/CMO
InternMatch
301.873.8435
Sign up at www.internmatch.com
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