Employment Spot

Internships: Get Your Foot in the Door

It’s never too early to start thinking about next summer. Summer internships have become increasingly competitive since more and more students have abandoned mowing lawns in favor of career-enhancing summer positions. And the more prestigious the internship, the earlier the deadline.

Here are some words of wisdom before you jump into the internship hunt. If you feel you’re too young for the corporate world, check out some of the more adventurous options. If you’re in college, your career placement center should be your first stop. Even if you’re not enrolled in classes, you may still be able to use your local university’s services.

Be prepared for un- and under-paid positions. After all, the more people who want the job, the less the company has to pay. If you can’t afford an unpaid internship, find one that only requires 20 hours a week and find another part-time job waiting tables or in retail. Lastly, focus your search on a few industries, such as ones you have experience in, are majoring in or want to go into permanently.

For more help, check out these resources:

• Wetfeet.com
  Don’t just dip your toes in the water, dive in! Wetfeet.com has a plethora of advice on job hunting and different industries. The site also has descriptions of hundreds of companies. Employees often anonymously comment on their companies to give you a more complete view of what’s available.
   
• Campus Career Center
  This site offers job postings geared toward students and a good selection of international positions.
   
• Internship Resources
  Sponsored by Colorado College, this site offers several links to job and internship sites. Be sure to check out Rising Star Internships.
   
• National Institute of Health
  If medicine is your potential field, this internship is among the best you can hope for. The NIH in Washington, D.C., offers high school, college and graduate internships for the summer.
   
• MediaBistro and Journalism Jobs
  Aspiring writers can find summer positions at the nation’s top media outlets. Most of these jobs are based out of New York but you can search by state as well. Many internship listings aren’t likely to go up until later in the school year, but some may appear earlier.
   
• JobsinSports.com
  Sports internships are very popular among students, and thus very competitive. This site has listings with leagues, television stations, sports marketing firms and the like, though you have to register and pay for access.
   
• Newspaper Sites
  Newspaper websites now offer complete listings for jobs and internships, often more extensive than what you’ll find in the print classified ads. For example, in Washington, D.C., check out the Washington Post and in Chicago check out the Chicago Tribune. You can find your local newspaper’s classifieds through HeadlineSpot.com.