Internship Video Series: Start Here!
Click here to watch the Newhouse Career Development Center’s quick-yet-comprehensive walk-through of what you need to do to land an internship in the communications industry, from finding internships to applying, interviewing, and following up.
Key Takeaways
- The first step in the internship search process is to focus on what you are looking for when it comes to opportunities. What types of skills or experience do you want to get out of this internship? Where can you physically (location) be for the internship? These answers will help you sift through opportunities and find an internship that fits your criteria.
- Be sure to have an A (top choices) and B list (not your first choice, but still great opportunities). Apply the same principle as when applying to colleges. You can’t apply to ONLY big names – this will limit your chances because those opportunities will have many candidates. Instead, find competitive (big names, industry leaders), mid-size, and small or non-profit opportunities so your application list is varied.
- For summer, apply to a minimum of 15 internships, but on the flip side don’t apply to hundreds. Students who apply to a great number of internships should re-evaluate their focus.
- Get organized. Keep an Excel sheet that has all the information to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. E.g.: When do you need to submit materials? Which materials do you need to submit? To whom and where do you submit these materials? Refer to our guides below for an example Excel spreadsheet.
- Make sure your résumé and cover letter are up to the communications industry standard. Take the Newhouse Career Development Center’s résumé and cover letter seminar and then have materials reviewed by the CDC.
- The Newhouse CDC provides a multitude of resources to help with the search process. If you have any questions be sure to schedule an appointment with a CDC team member through your Handshake account.
- Attend the CDC’s Get Ready to Get Ahead: How to Land an Internship Seminar! Click button below to find a date that works for you!
All Your Questions Answered
I need an internship. How do I go about finding one?
The Newhouse CDC can guide you in a proactive search by teaching you the six steps to finding an internship and providing a variety of resources to identify opportunities.
We recommend taking the CDC’s how to find an internship seminar and/or watch our internship video series that walks you though:
- Establishing your criteria;
- How to find existing opportunities at the CDC;
- Using outside resources to identify additional opportunities;
- Getting organized;
- Applying to opportunities; and
- The importance of following up
Once you have an understanding of where to start, you can use a variety of online resources to develop a target list of companies and/or opportunities for internships:
- CDCNews/CDCGradNews – During the academic year, the CDC sends this email to alert you to the internship opportunities that have been submitted over the past week.
- CareerShift – CareerShift is an online tool to help find internship opportunities, search for contacts, and conduct company research. CareerShift works by using an exclusively licensed, patent-pending set of integrated tools that allows the job seeker to organize a company of interest database, find networking connections and internship openings.
Make an appointment through Handshake with the Newhouse Career Development Center to learn more about our resources.
As a freshman, can I do an internship this coming summer?
We get this question a lot from first year students and the answer is two-fold.
On the academic side, as a freshman, you can do an internship as long as it isn’t for credit. In order to do an internship that requires credit, students must have junior standing.
On the employer side, employers typically recruit students that have at least one academic year completed. The reason is that students will have gotten academic, as well as, on-campus extracurricular experience.
What does this all mean? It means, that as a freshman there is possibility to do an internship the summer after your first year, but to keep expectations in check. You will want to target smaller employers that would be open to hiring a first year student and don’t require credit.
It also means to get involved with campus activities to gain experience in your own backyard.
Lastly, if as a freshman you don’t get an internship your first summer it is absolutely okay. Take the summer to job shadow, volunteer, work to save money for that internship following your sophomore year.
The CDC is here to help you with navigating your first year so be sure to attend the Internship seminar or watch our Internship video series.
When is the best time to apply?
The timeline can vary depending on the time of year, the opportunity, and the company. Check the company’s website for past applications because that can give you an idea of when applications will open. Below is a general timeline:
- Summer: Applications can open as early as November, but typically open in January.
- Fall: Applications start to open in May and may stay open as late as September.
- Spring: Applications start to open in September.
I want to intern for XYZ company, do you know of any alumni that work there that I can reach out to?
It is great that you have identified a company and you want to start networking! You will want to attend the CDC’s networking for internships seminar to learn the best practices of networking.
Once you have learned the best practices and resources available schedule a meeting with a CDC Career Counselor to discuss finding and making the most out of your connections.
Here are some suggestions to begin identifying connections:
- LinkedIn: Searching alumni at Syracuse University (the school) will allow you to identify thousands of alumni. Pro tip: You will always want to write a personalized connection message.
- CareerShift: CareerShift is an online tool to help search for contacts, and conduct company research. CareerShift works by using an exclusively licensed, patent-pending set of integrated tools that allows you to find possible networking connections.
- Newhouse Network: This is a volunteer database of alumni who have offered to be networking contacts for students. It is required to take the Networking for Internships seminar and to meet with a CDC Counselor to gain access.
- Family/Friends: Make sure you are asking family and friends! You might be surprised who someone might know.
How to register an internship for credit?
Click here for the Undergraduate guide on how to register an internship for credit.
Click here for the Graduate guide on how to register an internship for credit.
For questions, contact Shawna Lawrence at slawerc@syr.edu
Resources Available to You
Check out the additional resources the CDC provides to help you find a great internship. Be sure to scroll down for videos, podcasts, articles and handout guides.
INTERNSHIP SEMINAR
Attend the CDC’s Get Ready to Get Ahead: How to Land an Internship seminar. This seminar will provide an in-depth look at process leading to a successful internship search. You will also learn about the resources available to you through the CDC and ways to identify resources outside of the CDC.
CDCNews or CDCGradNews
Each Wednesday, you will receive CDCNews (for undergraduates) or CDCGradNews (for master’s students), which will highlight the latest internships that have been submitted to the Newhouse CDC. If you are not currently receiving CDCNews, email nhcdc@syr.edu.
HANDSHAKE
Take advantage of the many leads on Handshake: click the “Jobs” tab at the top of the page (even if it’s an internship! This tab is all-encompassing when it comes to opportunities). Search for opportunities using the many search tools at the top of the page.
Check out the Handshake Student User Guide for more info!
CAREERSHIFT
CareerShift is an online tool to help search for contacts, and conduct company research. CareerShift works by using an exclusively licensed, patent-pending set of integrated tools that allows you to find possible networking connections. 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.
To access Careershift to here
Next: Create an account. You will be asked for an access code to get a FREE student subscription
ACCESS CODE to get FREE student subscription: newhousecdc
Review CareerShift Cheat Sheet under the Guides section (below)
Great Internship Articles
Time investment: 3 minutes
