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How to Find an Internship

 

A successful internship search and experience requires you to invest time and effort, because an internship is not and should not be a "regular" job. The following 10-step plan is designed to assist you in preparing for and conducting your internship search. Begin your search with whichever step you're on, but remember that all the steps are important for finding the best internship for you.

 

Step 1: Explore Careers & Develop Goals

 

  • Talk with a Career Counselor or participate in Career Workshops to better understand your interests, skills, and strengths and to begin generating a list of potential career options.
  • Talk with professors and instructors to better understand the learning outcomes for your major.
  • Research careers of interest using our career exploration resources.
  • Determine what your career goal is. Since an internship is a career-related experience, it's important to have a career goal in mind when searching for one.
  • Ask yourself the following questions about experiential education and internships. Talk with a Career Counselor about these topics:
    • What do you hope to gain from an internship?
    • What are your preferences in terms of location (hometown vs. out-of-state), type of organization (small business vs. large corporation), and pay (paid vs. unpaid)?
    • Do you want to earn academic credit for the experience?
  • Decide when you want to participate in an internship:
    • Semester - Fall, Spring, or Summer
    • Year - Sophomore, Junior, or Senior

Step 2: Determine the "Type" of Internship You Want to Pursue

Step 3: Prepare Your Resume

  • Use our online resources, including the online presentation, "Resume Basics."
  • Have a Career Counselor review your resume by scheduling an appointment or stopping by Career & Leadership Development during weekly "Quick Questions" drop-in hours.
  • Look at the "empty" spaces on your resume. Develop a plan for building experience in those areas.

Step 4: Get Experience

  • Stop by the Warhawk Involvement Center and get involved in one of UW-Whitewater's Involvement Pathways.
  • Look for a skill-building part-time job.
  • Make the most of class projects, individual and group, to develop leadership and other skills.

Step 5: Gather References

  • Ask supervisors, instructors, or other people who know you in a "professional" capacity to serve as references or to write letters of recommendation.

Step 6: Network

  • Begin networking!
    • Develop a broad list of contacts and build relationships with those people. Your network begins with your family, friends, neighbors, supervisors, and instructors.
    • Let your contacts know that you're looking for an internship.
  • Connect with relevant professional associations or with student organizations that have ties to those associations.

Step 7: Search for Internship Opportunities

  • Get organized. Develop a system for keeping track of internship program/position details.
  • Finish your resume.
  • If participating in an Academic Internship, meet with the faculty internship coordinator to find out about placement or available opportunities. How you proceed from here will depend on the department's internship procedures.
  • Check out the Hawk Internship Program to access internship opportunities in Walworth, Rock, and Jefferson Counties.
  • Register to use HawkQuest and search for internships.
  • The students' "internship" section of our website has additional online search resources (General Internship Search Resources, International Internship Resources, etc.)
  • Access print materials in the Career Resource Center in Career & Leadership Development.
  • Search employers' websites for employment opportunities.
  • Attend job fairs, such as the Hawk Career Fair in the fall and Multicultural Career Fair in the spring.
  • Connect with relevant professional associations, career-related student organizations, and network in general.
  • Make "cold calls" or send "prospecting letters" to employers you're interested in an internship opportunity with but who are not advertising any openings.
  • Finally, be sure to gather information about each employer or internship program you're considering to determine whether the positions/programs match your goals for an internship and to prepare for potential interviews.

Step 8: Apply for Internships

  • General Application Timeframes:
    • For a Summer Internship - Employers recruit from January until May.
    • For a Fall Internship - Employers recruit from April until August/early September.
    • For a Spring Internship - Employers recruit from September until December/early January.
  • Important: Some summer internship programs may have application deadlines in November or December of the preceding year.
  • Don't wait until the last minute! Summer internships, in particular, are in high demand which means there is more competition for the positions.
  • Write cover letters. Meet with a Career Counselor for assistance in developing a cover letter.
  • Complete all application materials and submit them well in advance of application deadlines.

Step 9: Prepare for and Go on Interviews

  • Know your objective for seeking the internship position.
  • Review the research you did on the employer or program.
  • Schedule a "mock interview" with a Career Counselor.
  • Practice potential interview questions on your own or with a friend.
  • After each interview, write a thank you letter and send it within 24 hours of your interview.

Step 10: Make a Decision and Share Your Success

  • As you receive offers, evaluate them and decide on the internship that is best for you.
  • Accept an offer and get all the important details (like start date, work hours, etc.).
  • Contact other employers you submitted application materials to and withdraw your application.
  • Write thank you notes to the people who helped you and let them know you secured an internship.
  • Start your internship and have fun!