Top 10 Ways to Find an Internship
Here are some ideas, in a top 10 list format, of how you might find an internship. You may need several approaches to landing an internship.
Also keep in mind that if you want credit for an internship, you need our approval. You must meet certain criteria and you must complete the internship course. Our web page has the details:
http://www.umassd.edu/charlton/internship.cfm
10. Blasting out resumes – if you know of a company or a nonprofit that you would like to intern for, send them your resume. It is best if you have a contact name at the company but if you don't send it to the
HR department. You might think about scanning job sites like Monster.com or UMD's eRecruiting system for ideas. There are also lists of top 10 employers in various categories. For example, you can find a list on the
Internet or through a publication called the Providence Business News, that lists the top ten CPA firms in Rhode Island. I know a student who sent resumes to the top five CPA firm, landed an internship and then
eventually got an excellent job offer. If you find an internship that way, we can work with you to shape it into a for-credit-internship. Some tips – sending a resume via email is fine if you have a contact name. It will probably be a waste of time to send a resume to a blind HR email.
Your email attachment (resume) should be accompanied by an email message that would be similar to a cover letter – but keep it brief.
9. Vault.com , Yahoo, Monster – You must harness the Net to your advantage – especially if you are looking for internships from out of the 50 mile radius of UMD.
Vault.com Fortune magazine recently called Vault "The best place on the Web to prepare for a job search." The site has videos on top rated internships.
hotjobs.yahoo.com is another place to search for internships. Use the keyword: Internship and search for a specific state: (i.e., MA).
MonsterTRAK is the leading website for college students and alumni to find jobs, internships and part-time work during school and after graduation. In addition to targeted job postings, the site features a range of career management resources including job search tips, alumni networks and more.
Go to Monstertrak.com (www.monstertrak.monster.com)
Select State: Massachusetts.
Select University: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Click Search Now.
8. Indeed.com– Indeed is another internet resource/search engine that I have had luck with. I list it as a separate Top 10 List Item because I know of students who have used Indeed to their advantage. With Indeed,
you can conduct keyword searches such as: "Marketing Internship, Boston, MA" and get listings of all postings with those keywords that have recently hit the Internet. And here's the best part, you can specify to
have Indeed.com send you email alerts when job postings with your keywords hit the net. I receive emails from Indeed.com almost every day notifying me of internships in Springfield, Worcester, Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, etc. Sometimes some very interesting opportunities are discovered.
7. eRecruiting – As many of you know, the Career Resource Center subscribes to a service call eRecruiting. It is a job and career planning portal that is run by a Boston-based firm called Experience Inc. eRecruiting is the standard used by many colleges and universities through the US. Bryant University relies heavily on eRecruiting to post internships opportunities and to help their students and grads find jobs and excellent internships. You need to know how to log onto eRecruiting and how to effectively search for internships that make sense for you.
eRecruiting not only offers you local information but it can be used to search all over the country and abroad, for internship opportunities. Investing time in eRecruiting can pay off! Contact Anthony Baird or Betty Goodine in our Career Resource Center if you need help with eRecruiting. The log on link to the portal is:
http://umassd.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp
6. The Washington Center – UMD has a great relationship with the Washington Center, the premier provider of internships in Washington, DC. Twice a year a Washington Center representative visits UMD to discuss their excellent programs. TWC helps you find internships in government, nonprofits, and the profit sectors in DC. Robbin Roy, Associate Director of the Career Resource Center, is our campus liaison for TWC. If you are interested in TWC, visit their web site: www.twc.edu <http://www.twc.edu> and then talk to Robbin. She can tell you about the costs involved, scholarships that are available, logistics etc.
5. A faculty member – Let your favorite faculty member know that you're looking for an internship. Go see them during office hours or mention it after class. Sometimes timing and luck is better than being smart! Just kidding …. But there is some truth to the idea that you might be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes a faculty member will have just heard about a project, job, or internship that might be a great match.
4. Friends and Family, UMD Alumni, etc. – Use all your contacts to find an internship. Who do mom, dad, uncle Charlie, Auntie Edna, the CPA next door, etc. work for and can they help get you into an internship?
Learn how to network. That's where some great opportunities will be born. The CRC is sponsoring a session called "Networking 101". Check out the CRC web site for more details. Our accounting majors are real good
at using networks to find internships. They start with their families and make contacts through their involvement in the Accounting Association. If you join a club and hear a speaker who is interesting, ask the speaker about internships, get their business card etc. There are so many opportunities to get the word out that you are looking for an internship. You need an army of contacts on your side. UMD Alumni also like to help. If you know an alum who works in an area or a company that interests you, talk to them about internships. Students have also landed internships through local temp agencies
3. Referrals from peers who have completed internships – Listen to your peers. If a student has had a good internship, ask them for a contact person or if they know if another position is open. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to land an internship and the best part is that you can probably trust your peer's perception of whether it was a good experience.
2. Local nonprofits – Don't ignore local nonprofits. Many are eager to get some good interns on board. Southcoast Hospital Group is the largest employer in the region and they have shown great interest in getting
some CCB students in as interns. The New Bedford Whaling Museum, Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, CEDC (VITA Program), the Fall River and New Bedford Chambers of Commerce, etc. have all either utilized CCB
interns in the past or would like to do so. Nonprofits usually don't pay interns (although a small minority does). Especially during these tough economic times, a nonprofit might be your best bet for an excellent
internship experience.
1. The Internship Blog and emails – As many of you know, I receive internship announcements from local companies and I usually send targeted emails to junior and seniors. For example, if I know of a CPA firm internship, accounting juniors and seniors get the email. Marketing internships get sent to marketing majors and so on. Just about all emails also get posted on the Internship Blog:
www.businessinternships.blogspot.com/
Make it a habit to check the blog for current listings but all check out the archives of the blog for all postings and if there is anything there that seems of interest, don't hesitate to send a quick email to the contact person to see if an internship might be available and if not, when one might come open.
Here is a tip about responding to any internship postings: good things happen when you respond quickly with a well done resume. Internships are competitive situations. We don't "place" students into internships, you must "land the internship" by sending a resume, getting an interview, and making a good impression. If you need help with your resume ask the folks at the CRC for help, get a knowledgeable family member or friend
to review it or a respected faculty member. If you don't have a resume yet, check out the Optimal Resume portal available through the CRC. It is excellent and can also help you with cover letters. I have used it
several times to help students and it is a great tool. If you need help with Optimal Resume, contact CRC – but it is quite easy to use and simple to log onto.
Good luck hunting for internships.
