Everything you need to know to get an internship

General internship-hunting tips

• If you would like an overview of where to find internships, how to utilize internship resources that exist on campus, and learn best practices for a successful, proactive internship search, attend the Newhouse CDC’s Finding an Internship seminar. A full list of dates and times for these seminars is ready by the start of each academic semester at bit.ly/cdcseminars.
  
• Your goal is to find at least 10-15 internships that fit your criteria and once you have this list, you’re ready to act. We would much rather you have the problem of which offer to take than not having any offers at all. 
  
• Make sure that you stagger the “competitiveness” of these companies, too. Applying to only big companies will decrease your chances of getting an offer. Instead, stagger these like you did for college—remember how you had “reach schools,” those for which you were pretty competitive, and your fallbacks? Do the same thing for your list of internships.
  
• Listen to our internship podcast for all the details you need to be successful!
  
• Visit our internship resources page for tips, guides, and other materials that will help you in your internship search.

How to focus your search

Lots of choices can make an internship search overwhelming, so you have to put some limits on your search.

• The first thing you have to do is to figure out what your motivation is: Examine your résumé and determine what holes exist. 
  • Which skills do you have yet to build or strengthen? What types of organizations offer the opportunity to build those skills? Make a short list then start looking for companies that fit that profile. This will also help guide your search and filter out opportunities that are the best fit.

• The silver lining of this pandemic is that it has leveled the internship playing field a bit: students no longer have to factor geography into their searches since many (if not most) internships will be virtual this spring and summer. This means the world is your oyster! There are many opportunities… maybe too many. 

Where to find internship postings

As you’ve discovered, there is no one-stop place to find all internship postings. They’re posted pretty much everywhere and because of this, the internship search requires a lot of legwork on the part of the “hunter.” 

• LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Parker Dewey, and other large posting sites may have internships of interest, but due to the great numbers of postings, you will need to utilize the site’s search filters. This will help you to limit leads by geographic location, type of posting (e.g. internships rather than jobs), focus (advertising, PR, photography, etc.) and other categories.

• Keep an eye out for the Newhouse CDC’s Wednesday emails. They all have the subject line of “New events, leads, and advice!” and list the latest opportunities that have come into the Newhouse CDC. That email is full of helpful information, from leads to blog entries (like this one!), to upcoming events.

• Check out the latest postings that have come into the CDC at any time here on our Resources site. We add new leads throughout the week on the “Opportunities” page and announce the new ones on Wednesdays, but you can check the page at any time.

• Search Handshake. This site posts all internship leads that are submitted at the University level. Like the big posting boards, you will want to filter out those leads that are not of interest. Handshake also provides recommendations for opportunities it thinks you will like. The more complete your own profile is, the better your recommendations will be.

• You can also visit to a company’s website to find postings, too – they are usually listed on a “careers” page. If you can’t find internships posted for a certain company, sometimes a general email address or a contact us button is available on the web site, which you can use that to inquire about internships or how to apply. Just make sure the answer isn’t in the careers or internship section of the web site first!
  
• Whether calling (more direct and easier to get information) or emailing (allows you to craft your message and avoid the phone, but more likely to be ignored), keep your message short and to the point and DON’T begin to pitch yourself for the internship. That will come later. Simply state that you’re interested in internship opportunities and ask if there is someone you can contact to discuss them.

• If you are having a hard time finding contact information (or companies for your list) you can use CareerShift. This is a subscription service that the CDC has purchased for you. It searches all publicly available information and allows you to save searches, organize information, and find contact information. You can:
  • Search, select and store job listings from all job boards and all company job postings;
  • Get up-to-date contact information, including e-mail addresses, for millions of companies; and 
  • Access in-depth information about contacts and companies posting jobs.

• Email the Newhouse CDC to ask for the CareerShift access code, or schedule an appointment through Handshake to learn how to access and use CareerShift. You can also watch this video to learn how to link information, a more advanced feature: https://youtu.be/BuCVuvkGY94.

Applying!

• You’ll find that most companies just want to see a resume and cover letter expressing why you’d be a good choice for them. Pay close attention to the application requirements in terms of required application materials and if the company requires that applicants have completed a certain number of years of school in order to be considered.
  
• It’s important to get the name of any individual you speak with (and don’t be shy about asking for the correct spelling of their name). Being able to ask for someone specific will be critical during your follow-up in the coming months.
  • Before making your call, make sure you have your questions written out so you can run down them easily and not stumble on the phone. A list of what info to collect is on the CDC’s “Six Steps to Finding an Internship” handout.
  • When you do get a hold of someone, introduce yourself and have a couple questions ready. At smaller places, whoever answers the phone can probably give you the information you need.
  • Closing with something like, “You’ve been very helpful – may I ask your name? Thank you, Sam.” If possible, get the person’s email address. Again, this will be very helpful for follow-up after sending in your application.

• During the academic year, you can attend the Newhouse CDC’s Resume and Cover Letter Writing seminar to learn what the communications industry is looking for in these materials. This is a great opportunity to learn AND ask questions. A full list of dates and times for these seminars is ready by the start of each academic semester at bit.ly/cdcseminars.
  
• Refer to our guides on resumes and cover letters to polish your materials, and email nhcdc@syr.edu to request a review of either document before you submit your application.
  
• Whenever possible, be proactive in your cover letter! Note that you will follow up, then, once you have applied, reach out to company to see when interviews will be set up.
  
• If an internship requires credit, refer to these guides for undergraduates or graduate students. When it comes to interning for credit, you do not need to complete any of the listed students until you have accepted an internship offer.

You applied… now what?

Following up is one of the most important steps for any application. It truly can be the “make or break” factor that determines which applicants receive an interview.

• As noted above, being proactive is important. Reach out after applying to inquire when interviews will be set up. BRIEFLY introduce yourself, state what you applied for, then ask when the company might be setting up interviews. Sometimes calling is enough to land you an interview or get your application flagged for review!
  
• For phone calls, if a phone number is listed, call that and inquire. Many companies are rerouting calls to workers’ home lines if they are working remotely, so it’s still worth a shot.
  
• If you left a voicemail when following up or emailed and don’t hear back within a reasonable timeframe (about a week), make a(nother) phone call. Often, the applicant who shows they want the internship the most is the one who is hired, or at least interviewed!

The good news is that there are more internships out there than there are students who want to fill them, so if you want an internship, you’ll get one. WHICH one will depend on how quickly you move on this, which deadlines have already passed, and the quality of your application materials.