Your Guide to Finding your first Internship

Why is finding an internship important?

Internships provide students, young professionals and people changing careers with the opportunity to gain work experience in their desired field. As someone entering the workforce or entering a new industry, having relevant internship experience on your resume can improve your chances of getting a job. An internship that aligns with your professional goals teaches you valuable hard and soft skills that you can use to develop your career. It will also help you learn how to interact with professionals in your field and build a network of contacts.

5 Steps to find an Internship

The following strategies will help you find an internship that’s right for you:

1. Determine your career goals and interests:

Before you start your search, think about the type of internship you want to pursue. If you have a specific position in mind, look for an internship within that role’s industry. Since internships provide hands-on experience, you’ll be able to develop the specific skills necessary for your chosen position.

If you do not have a specific role or career path in mind, think about your interests and the type of work you enjoy. Internships can allow you to test a variety of fields to determine which one fits you best. Once you have your goals and interests outlined, you can then focus on the types of companies where you want to work.

2. Perfect your CV 

Writing your first CV is always a bit of a catch! You need a CV to apply for your first internships but haven’t yet got much to include. Or at least you think you don’t. In truth, you probably have lots to mention. Consider personal hobbies and extracurricular interests, volunteering, and part-time work, and all the skills and knowledge acquired during your studies. What skills do you have that an employer could use? This could be anything from research and planning to social media community building or analytics. Instead of organizing your CV based on employment, list your key skills and then give concrete examples of how you’ve acquired and utilized each one.

3. Start searching early

Internships can be competitive, so you should start searching and applying as soon as you know what you want and when you’ll be available. Some industries or internship programs often also have deadlines for applying. Research early so you don’t miss them. For a summer internship, for example, you may need to apply for opportunities six months in advance. Applying early will demonstrate that you’re proactive and give you more time to consider your options.

4. Search online

Thanks to the power of the internet, there are countless job boards where you can start applying for internships. Now, the problem with that is, there really is an almost endless amount of job boards to choose from. So, if you were to start looking for and applying board-to-board one-by-one, that approach would simply take too long, and land you very few actual openings. And if that wasn’t enough, there are also countless people competing against you, for the same spot.

To beat the competition though, make sure you’re filtering the job boards to your location. This way, you’re at least only competing with people in your region. By searching for internships on INTERNME, you can filter your search by location, industry, job title and even time of year. Use these filters to find an internship that best fits your needs and interests.

5. Reach out to your network

Review your professional and personal networks to find people with experience in your desired industry. Ask them if they would be willing to speak with you about your career goals. Building these relationships can help connect you with relevant internship opportunities, especially if someone is able to provide a referral. Even if your network can’t currently connect you with a specific internship, they often have valuable advice to offer, such as the steps they took in their career path or which skills you should build to succeed.

Conclusion

In this blog, we’ve covered some of the best ways to search for internships. Everyone can find a way, whether it’s exploring websites or networking with people. So, don’t hesitate to start your search and get ready for an exciting career ahead. Your dream internship might be just around the corner. If you wish to learn more on this subject, check out our other blogs.

Ready to kickstart your career with the perfect internship? Visit INTERNME now and find the opportunity that aligns with your goals and interests!