How to Land Your Dream Internship Advice on How to Best Prepare

How to Land Your Dream Internship Advice on How to Best Prepare Image via. https://pixabay.com/vectors/application-job-work-workplace-2076445/ Cover Letter Most of you may be shocked that I’m starting off with talking about cover letters and no resumes, but you will see why in a second. Often times, people make one cover letter template and use it for every internship that they apply to. DO NOT DO THIS! I know it takes more time and effort, but if you individualize each cover letter to the company you are sending it to, it will show the company that they aren’t just one on a list of 50; it will show them that you want to get hired because you put in the extra effort. Another cover letter tip has to do with optional cover letters. Some companies don’t ask you to submit such a document; even if this is the case, still write and submit one along with your resume. It will show that you went the extra mile and that you aren’t just taking the easy route (it shows a strong worth ethic and diligence) Interview Process If you make it to the interview process, make an appointment at a career center to set up a mock interview with a counselor. Career centers not only have a background in the field and will help you be your best self in the interview, but they will also help with your interview outfit. In addition, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The more that you practice your interview, the less likely you are to use silly filler words (i.e. “like,” “um,” and “so”). Another way to prepare for your interview is to go on websites, such as Glass Door, in which people who interview at that same company will post the questions that they were asked, along with the position he/she was applying for. If you don’t want to go to the career center, practice in front of the mirror, practice in front of friends and family, and type out or handwrite questions and responses so that they are forever engrained in your head. An additional note: have a strong, firm, confident handshake. A hand shake says a lot about a person. Image via. https://pixabay.com/photos/handshake-hand-give-business-man-2056021/ Resume If you have a friend who offers to help you with your resume, that’s really nice, but take into consideration the job he/she is going into. I say this because a friend of mine offered to help me with my resume, but she was going into finance and I was originally going into creative writing. Potential creative writing employers are going to want to see a more creative-looking resume, while finance employers will want to see something business-formal and extremely direct. You want your resume to highlight who you are, your accomplishments, your educations, your honors and awards, etc., but that doesn’t mean it needs to look or be boring. Go on Etsy and look up cool resume and cover letter templates that will make you stand out on paper since it’s impossible to get to know each applicant on a personal level. Microsoft Word also has some free resume templates if you don’t want to pay. Just remember to include the following, regardless of what your template is: Name Description (who you are and what you’re looking to do) Contact information (e-mail, phone number, address, LinkedIn profile link, website/portfolio link, etc.) Academics from the past 4 years Jobs/internships/extracurricular positions from the past for years Award and honors held from the last 4 years (National Honor’s Society can be mentioned since you are inducted for life, even if you were inducted more than 4 years ago) Leadership and activities from the last 4 years Skills and strengths In addition, don’t just list everything; provide a brief description (it can be bullet-pointed) under each thing you mention. Image via. https://pixabay.com/photos/cv-resume-job-employment-business-3726428/ Landing a great internship won’t take the same pathway for everyone, but what is talked about above are most of the common denominators that have to be considered in most internship application processes. I’m warning you now: there are going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout the application journey, but don’t get discouraged and please don’t give up. Remember that everything happens for a reason and you will find a great internship as long as you work hard and smart! Good luck!