Macalester's Job/Internship Database»
Other Internship Databases»
Recently Arrived Postings (Spring 2010)»
Plan Ahead - Summer 2010 Postings»
January Exploreships and Academic Internships»
Resume and Cover Letter Resources»
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Finding an Internship
Where to start
Internship Program resources
General internet search tips
Networking
Contacting potential internship sites
Where to start
What kind of internship experience do I want?
- Assess your skills, interests, and motivations. Speak with
your advisor, faculty, friends who have done internships, and
the Internship Program Director.
- Focus on opportunities that are realistic for you at this stage
of your development (experience builds upon experience; internships
generally build in quality and focus).
- Research organizations you are interested in. Know what a particular
position will require of you!
- Does your personal and professional philosophy align well with
that of the organization you are considering?
- If you are exploring an internship for credit, does the work
complement your area of study and/or does the department need
to approve the experience?
How would an internship fit best into my schedule?
- Internships may be done as early as the summer after your first
year.
- Some students will want to do several internships in their time
in school to explore different fields, gain a range of experience
and skills, build their resumes, etc.
- Your major, class schedule, study abroad, and work schedule
may limit your options for when you can actually add an internship.
- Keep in mind that you can do a four-credit internship as one
of your four primary classes, and that it can be a really nice
way to balance out a term with three demanding academically-oriented
classes (a change of pace). You may also add an internship of
up to two credits on top of your four 4-credit classes, if you
can realistically commit the time required.
- If your time is limited, consider doing an internship during
January term (the cost of a January credit-bearing internship
is built into your tuition) or over the summer. Because financial
aid does not extend to the summer, students who wish to register
a summer internship for credit will have to pay for that credit
out of pocket. However, students in situations where academic
registration is a condition of employment or visa status may qualify
for the "Full Tuition/Full Grant" program. Contact the
Internship Program Director for more information.
- Plan ahead to develop the kinds of experience and skills you
want to have by the time you graduate. Consider using a number
of different experiences to achieve your goals. For example, attaining
a high profile, competitive internship is far more likely if you
have already demonstrated your abilities through other, perhaps
more accessible internships.
When do I start my search?
- This takes time to do well. Generally speaking, the best opportunities
go to students who have worked the longest and hardest! Sometimes
a good internship requires you to develop a relationship with
the organization over time.
- Set goals for completing all the steps in the process.
- Simultaneously work on a number of options (back-up plans are
good to have, for there are many factors you cannot control).
- Plan to use your school breaks to network and research future
internships.
How do I keep my search organized?
- Keep track of all of your options and where you are at in the
process with each one; it is easy to lose track of which sites
you have written to and who has responded to you. A simple spreadsheet
works nicely.
- Make sure you follow through with communications with each organization,
especially if you have accepted a position. It is appropriate
to let the others know you are no longer a candidate for their
position so they move ahead with other student applicants.
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Internship Program resources
- Explore the numerous links grouped on our resource
page.
- Check the Today
daily for featured internships. Full listings may be found in
the office as well as on MacLACN, Macalester's primary, searchable
internship database.
- Every internship we receive is added to the Recent Arrived Postings
(R.A.P.) list. Available on our home page, it includes a brief
description of the opportunity. You may access the full description
by contacting and/or visiting our office.
- Green binders in our office hold copies of postings organized
by discipline/field. A variety of handouts are also available.
- The office bulletin board features postings and special events.
- Consult with the Internship Program Director about your search,
as well as for assistance with cover letter/resume development,
interviewing tips, and free candy!
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General internet search
tips
- Do a Google or Yahoo! type search for organizations/companies
you are interested in. Enter search criteria such as “Internship,
healthcare, Minnesota” and see if you find specific internship
programs and positions. Increasingly, organizations are simply
putting their internships on their sites with the expectation
you will find them.
- Broaden your search to identify organizations of interest in
the desired field and geographic location. Many organizations
do not necessarily post internships, but if contacted, would be
open to creating a position for you.
- If you do not have a contact name, look in the organization’s
human resources/jobs/personnel area.
- When proposing the concept of an internship to an organization
that is not currently advertising one, it is often helpful to
focus more on how you might help with projects that need doing.
This project focus helps the community site person move beyond
the mindset that an intern would be an energy drain (a fear of
every potential site) to the point where they can consider the
potential for productive work accomplishments.
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Networking
- Talk to people. You would be amazed at the number of
internships that result from students simply talking to other
people about who they are, what they do, about their career, and
asking questions about an interest in an internship. Do informational
interviews to learn more and network.
- Talk to faculty and staff. They often have many personal/professional
connections in the field that may lead to opportunities. Talk
with them about your interests and do not be afraid to ask them
to make a contact for you.
- Talk to your academic department(s). Find out how it
manages internship postings. Most will forward postings to majors
and minors, but some simply post them on a bulletin board or in
a central binder.
- Get involved. Connect with professional and community
organizations; go to meetings, seminars, and conferences in your
field and talk with people; talk to your neighbor, professor,
your parents and their friends, etc. You never know when you might
run into someone with a connection or opportunity that would be
great for you!
- Read and research. Newspapers, organizational bulletins
and newsletters may well describe programs or activities of great
interest to you. Contact them to learn how you can get involved.
- Contact Macalester alumni. These folks are a wonderful
resource for checking out a field, locating an internship or job,
or simply being a supportive mentor. These connections are especially
valuable the further away the alumni is from St. Paul, because
those individuals who have moved outside the Mac Mile have significantly
fewer chances to join with others to sing “Old Macalester”!
They will appreciate connecting with you. You can request a list
of alumni by field and location from the Career
Development Center.
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Contacting potential internship
sites
- Always try and identify the best person to target in an organization.
This may be done by networking/referral, looking at the organization's
website, or just calling them and asking who might handle internship
inquiries.
- Do not rely on this single person to get back to you when you
are in a hurry, just in case they are out of the office or have
left the organization. Talk with someone and find out who the
best alternative person might be to speak with.
- Assume everyone in the organization is busy and stressed; if
they are short with you it is not likely personal! Be prepared
to send your resume if they request it (make sure it is up-to-date).
- Utilize redundant initial contact modes and inform them that
you will be following up with the other format (some people are
phone folk, and others are emailers). Find out their preferred
mode of communication.
- Be clear about what you need and the deadlines you are operating
under.
- Throughout, be assertive, consistent, and clear without going
too far and becoming obnoxious. It is perfectly okay to ask them
for clear target dates for getting back to you with various steps
in the process. They need this information to make a decision.
- Offer to do the lion's share of the work in filling out the
application paperwork to minimize the stress on the organization.
- Remember, what you negotiate at the beginning is not written
in stone and can be re-negotiated to some degree in the future.
What is most important is the basic theme, target populations,
and responsibilities. All positions will require fine tuning.
- Keep track of all your communications with the organizations
so that you know exactly who is doing what, when it is due, etc.
- Be upbeat and positive. Share your excitement about the possibilities!
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