What to do AFTER applying to internships

Two words: follow up.

In most cases, the people who show they want the internship the most are the ones who get it, so you need to be following up with the internship coordinators/contacts at the companies that you’ve applied to. Don’t call or email inquiring if they “got your stuff,” and don’t sit back and hope to hear from them. (If that’s your plan, you probably won’t.)

Though many companies have workers doing their jobs remotely, it’s still worth calling to follow up. While that’s not the ideal method for most students (email is so much easier, I know!), calling can make a huge difference and get you answers immediately.

When calling, briefly state which role you applied for that that you would love the opportunity to discuss your qualifications further. Then ask when the company plans to set up interviews. Keep it short and sweet and avoid closed questions (those that can be answered with a quick yes or no) to get the person talking.

When answering your question about the timeline for interviews, it’s likely you’ll get a vague answer (“a few weeks,” for example). That’s ok. Thank the person for their time and say that you look forward to hearing from them. This can be enough to get your application flagged for review!

Mark your calendar for another follow-up checkpoint. “A few weeks” translates to about two or three weeks in the internship world, so in this case, making another short phone call (with the same approach) in about two and a half weeks is appropriate. The goal is to call right at the end of the timeframe the person provides – this demonstrates that you can listen and that you’re eager to speak with the company.

If you are unable to get through to a real person when calling, leave a voicemail with the same information. Likewise, if calling is not an option, send a quick email to the company to perform the same type of follow up. Who you email in this case really depends on the company. You can look on a company’s web site to see if you can find an HR email address, or poke around LinkedIn for the name of a person in HR or who is a senior member of the department you would be interning for.

There are internships that say “do not contact us.” These tend to be at large companies or very competitive places like major agencies or popular television networks. Certainly, in those cases, obey the request. I wouldn’t hesitate to either send an updated resume or additional materials to keep you on the top of the pile in these cases, though.

Keep in mind that your actions are a reflection of the kind of intern you’d be. If you’re passive and wait for employers to contact you, it could be viewed as lacking initiative (not the type of intern companies want). If you are pleasantly persistent and follow up, you’re demonstrating that you can take charge and have initiative, which are appealing qualities in a candidate. Realize that many internship coordinators handle interns in addition to full-time job duties and finding interns can be a long, tedious process. Patience will be key to your success!

Finally, consider applying to a few more internships. For summer, you should apply to at least 10 internships. That’s really the bare minimum to have a realistic shot at having an internship this summer – think about how many students are available during that time! That said, there is no magic number of applications to guarantee that you get one. Focus on what you can control in this process: the quality of your application materials, the number of places you apply to, and applying to opportunities that run the gamut competition-wise. We would much rather you have the “problem” of picking which offer to accept than the true issue of not receiving any offers at all!”