Leave No Intern Behind: Part II

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Internships are like a test-run. While they're not full-time, real-life jobs, they should be taken as seriously; and although you may be paid less (if at all) than you're worth, it's an extended job interview that will reap great rewards for you.

In Part I, you learned about the benefits of interning, including work experience in your major, improved networking and interview skills, references, replacing nervousness with confidence and a competitive edge over your classmates, and the ability to apply what you learned in the classroom and your career. In this half, you'll learn 10 Steps to Getting an Internship and view a sample timeline for planning and applying for internships that'll prove valuable toward your success. So, let's get to it...

The best time to look for summer internships is during the spring semester (or quarter), but if you'll be too busy with course work, then start looking during the winter break when you'll have more free time. It's better to have booked an internship while attending to final exams and finishing the semester on a strong note.

Step One: Check on whether your school or department head has an internship program or know of available internships in your field of interest. Then, visit their websites and collect info about the internship positions, including deadlines, prerequisites and qualifications for each. Also, choose which ones best fit your abilities. For instance, if you don't have a car and an internship is far away from where you live, that may not be the best fit for you.

Step Two: Ask your advisors, professors, past and current employers for recommendation letters. What others have to say about your personality, potential and achievements hold enormous weight when your application is reviewed. Have one or both talk about your personal and professional self, including the traits mentioned in the previous sentence.

Although you can 'recycle' a recommendation letter, be sure that each letter is aligned with the internship you're applying for. For instance, don't use a letter that speaks mainly about your public service work for an nternship that didn't list public service as a prerequisite. If all that employer cares about is your great personality and good grades, then use a letter that's attesting to that.

Also, be very careful to change addresses and names on each letter you decide to recycle to prevent denial and embarrasment.

Step Three: Research local companies that you would like to intern. Utilize search engines and ask your advisor and professors for a list of companies you should try. Doing this might result in them making a few phone calls on your behalf. Also, just because an employer did not advertise that they're looking for or host interns does not mean they won't hire you as an intern. Be aggressive! Be proactive!

Step Four: With your new list of potential employers, decipher which will provide the most experience, guidance, knowledge and stand out the most on your resume. No one wants one of those 'fetching coffee' internships... unless you're fetching Donald Trump's coffee and offered him a few investment tips.

Step Five: As mentioned in the first half of this series, employers don't expect collegiate to be gurus in their field (or you'd be applying for a 9 to 5, right?), but they do expect hard work, genuine interest and competency. Make sure your skills and interest mimick the company's services and mission, and that they're displayed in your resume and cover letter.

Step Six: If your major is journalism, like mine, or graphic or web design, photography, fashion design or anything artistic, a portfolio is the receptionist that introduce potential employers to your quality of work. "Hi! Welcome to John Doe, where brillance and creativity is paramount. Would you like to see more?"

Use about 10-12 samples of your best work. For those that don't fit in the above majors, use personal and class projects, and research papers to develop your portfolio. Your completed portfolio may include your resume, cover letter and contact info (although it should be on your resume, it's okay to repeat this, I feel). My portfolio reads like a magazine with a personalized, yet simple cover. It's also available in pdf form, allowing me to quickly email employers for competitive jobs.

Step Seven: Speaking of emailing... nowadays, the first moment of contact with employers is via email. The body of the email has become your cover letter, so the same rules apply. Briefly, explain who you are, what you admire about the company, what you hope to gain from an internship there and which qualities you possess will be an asset to the company. You can attach your resume and portfolio then.

Step Eight: Once the email is sent, follow-up within three days with a phone call to confirm receipt. Be cheerful, but professional. If you get a voice mail, leave a message with your phone number. Speak slowly, but not 3rd-grade-education slow. If the call is not returned, call back the next day.

Step Nine: When you hear back from a company rep, this shows interest. They'll most likely make arrangements to interview you or ask for more information.

Some companies are busy year-round, so be aggressive in scheduling an interview after they show interest. Although, there is a thin line between assertiveness and stalker, so maintain professionalism. It's kinda like having a crush on a cheerleader, but you play it cool whenever she passes by. She knows you want her, but has no idea how much. Play it cool!

Step Ten: Finally, once you secure an internship, be sure you understand your duties and the little, but also vital details, such as what time should you be at work, work attire, etc. If you're not sure about these details, make sure you ask on your first day.

In doing research for this blog, I realized there aren't much resources about applying for internships. The numbers are scarced compared to online info about scholarships and applying for college. I did, however, stumble upon a refreshing website, Intern Queen Inc. that provided a Summer Internship Timeline. Use this sample to organize your own strategy to land an internship, whether it be during the summer or next semester. To calm your nerves, this website also offers interview tips and a personalized list of internships in your area—all of that in one place... incredible!

We covered sooo much in two halves. Now, all that's left is seizing all the blessings God has for you. Enjoy!

What questions do you have about internships? Employers, any advice for our potential interns?

Leave No Intern Behind: Part I

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Just like scholarships and a college degree, applying for internships are as vital and crucial to your post-graduation success than a 4.0. It's the cherry on top of a sundae. It's the extra candy that rattles out of the vending machine. It's the... well, you got it.

This post was split into two parts: In Part II, you'll receive 10 Steps to Getting an Internship and a sample Summer Internship timeline. In this half, we'll explore the benefit of internships and dismiss the fear that the old and experienced or the young and inexperience are somehow disadvantaged in applying for internships. We have a lot to cover, so...

The Benefits

After spending my summers at paid (and unpaid) internships, I was shocked to hear my fellow graduate classmates admit they'd never interned while in undergrad. Four years of college. Each summer lying on the couch doing nothing toward their degree. Quite simply I was dumbfounded and my ego shot up couple notches, because I realized the edge I had on my classmates. Always the competitor, I calculated how my job history would award me coveted writing assignments, jobs and other internships over my classmates. While these 20-somethings feared the newsroom, I'd raked up broadcast and print mentions on my resume. Whether or not you get the internship, you'll eliminate nervousness and sharpen your interview skills long before your job search if you start early.

Other interns will also attest that working in their major improved their understanding and classroom participation.

Lastly, and probably the most valuable benefit from interning, is networking. There's really no value you can place on networking with other professionals in your field. That's why you should never turn down an unpaid internship without first evaluating the experience and networking pool, where you'll rub shoulders with executives and CEOs—future employers and references. You can't compare $8 an hour (depending on where you're earning it) to experience and a reference letter from a prominent employer.

Older & Experienced

In the post, Suit Up! Get Back in There! you learned that you're never too old to earn a college degree. Time can never elapse on your dreams if you let it. Here's more proof: one of my favorite people and PhD candidate at Southern Methodist University, Chris Davis shares how he, at age 27, interned and how it redirected his career:

The program I was aligned this past summer is called Education Pioneers. Ed Pioneers is a national organization that recruits talented individuals to the education sector. Most people who participate are in MBA, Education, JD, MPP (public policy) or PhD programs. A lot of my fellow pioneers this summer were in school full-time while I was looking to make a career change.

Ed Pioneers partners each fellow with an education institution partner. Mine happened to be Teach for America. I worked on a strategy project for the Teacher Preparation, Support and Development wing of Teach for America.

The internship made sense for me, because I was looking to change careers. The internship was the best opportunity and the opportunity I was really looking for. I am now connected nationally and locally with all education key players. I have a better understanding of what Texas and the rest of the country are facing as far as the "achievement gap."

I had to quit my full-time job at TXU Energy, because they would not support my 10-week fellowship. This was ok, because I knew TXUE was not in my immediate plans and sticking around would only show a lack of faith and courage. When I decided to quit TXUE to complete the fellowship, I had no job in hand except for two part-time positions. This was a far cry from the salary I was making at TXUE. However, God blessed me with a full time position with Dallas ISD which was where I wanted to be, making more money. I was offered the job roughly two weeks after resigning from TXUE and two days before I started my fellowship with Teach for America. God is good.

Advice: If an internship will get you to where you want to go, don't be scared. Leap out on faith knowing God will have your back. If I were still at TXUE, I would have a paycheck but no fulfillment. At Dallas ISD, I have a larger paycheck and, more importantly, fulfillment.

Chris' words and the true story-turned movie about Chris Gardner's The Pursuit of Happyness proves that older college students are not crippled when applying for and benefitting from internships. Played by Oscar nominee Will Smith, Chris Gardner is a homeless salesman and single father who interns his way to a broker job for a better life.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when he tells his son: "You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you (that) you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period."

Young & Inexperienced

Likewise, don't believe that you're too young or inexperienced to ace an internship interview. Employers don't expect you to have a whole lot of experience, anyway. They just want to see passion, potential and purpose. If you love learning about your major that you want to gain as much knowledge as possible then you'll be sure to be hired. What if you're not hired? Treat not getting an internship as practice for the one you will get.

The key to applying for any internship is preparation and displaying all those traits in your cover letter (which we'll explore in Part II). The fact that you're young is a plus, meaning you're impressionable, a clean slate. The benefits are the same for you as are for an older intern. Take advantage of them.

How did you benefit from interning? What do you know now that you wish you knew back then about internships?