Internships are an excellent opportunity for all students. An internship, specifically, is a temporary job at a company where a student or recent graduate can gain experience in their field. Internships are either unpaid or pay a low wage, but the true value is in the work experience and training the intern receives.
Finding, applying for, and receiving an internship may be made easier following the steps below:
Finding an open and appropriate internship is the first step in applying for an internship. Almost every university has a list of local internships, and asking a college advisor or someone from the career center can usually point a student in the right direction. Another way to find an internship is to search for one on the website of a company or government agency in the student’s chosen field. Most companies list open internships on their websites, along with instructions on how to apply. Some internships can be found searching job or employment websites on the internet. There are also a few internship-specific search engines.
Once an appropriate internship opportunity has been identified, the next step is to apply for it. Regardless of where the student found the internship opening, there will almost always be an application to fill out as well as a list of documents that must be submitted with it. If the application is missing or the deadline is unclear, the student should contact the organization offering the position using the listed information to learn how to apply. Internship applications are typically found on a company or office’s website, so students should check there first.
Important information for interested students will be included in official postings about an open internship. The deadline for receiving applications, the internship’s duration, the location of the internship, what the student will be doing, how much pay to expect, and how to apply for the position are all typically provided. In order to apply for an internship, the student must ensure that the company receives all requested information and paperwork before the deadline. University transcripts, the physical application form, letters of recommendation, and an essay on why the student wants the internship are typically included in this information and the requested paperwork.
After applying for an internship, the applicant waits to hear back about the position. Applicants will usually be informed when and how they will be notified whether or not they were selected for the internship in the application or the initial posting about the internship. Unless the notification deadline has passed and the organization has stated that they will notify all applicants, or the organization has stated that it is acceptable to contact them, it is usually not appropriate to contact the organization offering the internship.
How to apply for an internship can be summarized as follows: carefully follow all of the directions provided the internship organization. The best and most successful way to apply for an internship is to follow this simple guideline.