I’m sure most of you have a good
understanding what career you would like to pursue. But how do you really know for sure that type
of job is the right one for you? Even if
you liked some of the courses relating to the job, will you really enjoy it
once you’re working in the field? I
think having an internship will resolve some of the doubts you may have. The hard part is finding the right one for
you.
There’s an overwhelming number of
companies in the world, so how do you narrow down your search to find an
internship that you will enjoy? The
first step I would take is to write down your interests. Making a list always helps me get things
done. Envision the kind of career can
you see yourself doing, even if it’s for the next couple of years. An internship will give you great hands-on experience
for your future job. On your list, write
down things like your career interests, where you would like to work, if it will
be in the summer or during the semester, paid or not paid, and what you want to
gain from the internship.
Now think about where you would
like to work. It’s best to try and get
an internship in an area where you would like to start your career. That way there, you can test out the area,
and if you don’t like it, then you know it’s not for you. For example, I have visited cities like Boston,
Los Angeles, and New York City because I am interested in working for a company
in those areas. Some ways I plan to search for companies in those areas would
be through a Google search, job search engines, and career books.
I found a great Web site that
linked their top 20 internship search engines, click here to follow the
page. Their list includes Web sites like
Monster College and Internships.com. After
checking the pages, one important thing to keep an eye on is the date the job
listing is posted. Unfortunately,
sometimes you see a great job listing, get all excited, then look at the date
and notice it’s from 2009…ugh! What a bummer, right? What’s great about these search engines are
that they allow you to look for the type of career, location, provides details
about the company, and what the internship entails.
If you rather use Google to
search for internships, that’s fine too.
Try searching keywords like “best companies to work for 2010,” or log
onto the CNN Money’s Fortune 500 to get a list of what organizations are ‘on
top of their game.’ After seeing the
list of great companies, check out their Web site, see if they have an
internship program and contact them.
Another underused source is a ‘good
old-fashioned’ book. Yes, that’s right,
a book. Why not walk into your town or school
library. Better yet, go to a Barnes & Noble or some other book store where you can browse the career aisle,
look at books, and lounge in the café. Sometimes
I think books are better than short Online articles. One book I found over the summer was all
about breaking into the advertising business and listed hundreds of companies,
their contact information, salaries, how many people they hire a year, and more.
Searching for your ideal
internship can be incredibly frustrating and time consuming, but it will totally be
worth it in the end.
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