Internship Tips

By Eliza Jordan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

With Spring semester well underway, many students are juggling classes by day, work by night. They’re possibly involved in a current internship and looking for a new one to follow. If you are looking for an upcoming internship, make sure you cover all the bases.

Here are a few last-minute tips to check off of your list when applying to that internship that you just have to have!

Investigate possible cities and companies.

Pick an internship in a city that makes the most sense. Basically, know what’s possible. If you’d love to do an internship in Hawaii but don’t known anyone who lives there and the internship is not paid, the chances of you actually getting that internship and going to Hawaii are slim to none.

Think financially and logically. Make a list of your daily living expenses.

Think long term— Where do you see yourself after graduation? Will this company help you? Can you test sharpen your skills there? What can you offer to them?

After you’ve investigated all of your possible cities and companies, make a list of what you’ll need to send to those, let’s call them, “future employers”.

Make sure you have all of the necessary materials in order— cover letter, resume and then recommendation letter— and that they are all in either .doc or .pdf formats so that the documents can open on any computer.

Today, email is one of the most efficient ways to contact and communicate with a prospective company. Contact the company that you would like to intern for by sending a friendly email, while providing all of the materials they would need to address your interest.

Use a brief introduction in the body of your email explaining who you are and what you are looking to do.

Attach to the email:

• Cover letter (start off by congratulating them on a new success—it will show you are up-to-date with what the company is doing)
• Resume (recommended 1-2 pages)
• 2 letters of recommendation (with signatures)

Send off your internship email and wait for a response. If you do not hear back within 5-7 days, send a follow-up email to make sure that the email was received. Never pester the company or hound them for a response.

Hard work pays off, so before you know it, you’ll be adding that internship to your resume!