How to Find the Perfect Internship

By Lindsey Son on June 6, 2013

During the end of my third year at Ohio State, I decided that I wanted to live in Los Angeles for the summer in hopes to find the perfect internship. What is the perfect internship? I’m not sure, but I think I found mine.

Although it is unpaid, I have been interning for a music marketing company for a month now. I have already consumed so much about the industry, and I know I am taking more from the experience than any pay check would have given me. And just the other week, the company asked me to go on an all-expense-paid trip to Bonnaroo with them. Not only am I going to be at Bonnaroo for free, but they’re flying me out there and I’m getting paid for it. You could say I’m pretty lucky to have been given such an incredible opportunity, but it wasn’t just handed to me.

Do you want to know my secret? First, I’m going to need you to do this and say “please” repeatedly at the same time.

Alright, great. Sorry to disappoint, but there is no secret…only work. Here are ten steps I took to find my perfect internship:

1. Use Google or any other search engine to find companies in the specific area you are looking to be in. I’m fortunate enough to have an older brother that lives in LA so I could stay with him rent-free.

2. Research. After you have typed in something like: “Public Relations Firms in Los Angeles” or “Marketing Companies in Columbus,” click through every single one for the next couple of pages. Do some digging. Learn about the companies and see if any of them really stand out to you.

3. Pick the companies you want to intern for. When you see one you think would be a good fit, find a link that says something like “Contact” or “Internship/Job Opportunities.”

4. Get in contact with somebody. E-mail an appropriate address and give your elevator speech. Also, talk about what you love about them. Do not copy and paste one message and send it to all of them. I’m telling you now–that isn’t going to work. Be passionate. Don’t be afraid to use an exclamation point; it shows friendliness. Just don’t go overboard. One of my rules in E-mailing is to never use a smiley face until the person you’re E-mailing has used one first. :)

5. Have your resume ready. Before you send that E-mail, attach your resume. Make sure someone with experience looks over your resume. Scratch that. Make sure many people with experience look over your resume. Have it as polished as you can. And please, delete any work history/experience that has absolutely no relevance to what the company is about.  Also, don’t talk about what you were supposed to do at each job, make points about what you accomplished.

6. Now, wait (at least a week). If you don’t hear back from any of the companies, go ahead and shoot another E-mail to the ones you found most interesting. Be adamant, but not obnoxious and aggressive. Someone will reach out to you. Be patient!

7. Wait more & contact more. If you still haven’t heard from anyone, find other places. But if you have received an E-mail back, congrats! You are that much closer. Hopefully, they have responded to let you know more about their internships. If you are asked to be interviewed, quickly reply and make sure you don’t bail.

8. Prepare for your interview. For my interviews, I either used FaceTime, Skype, or just spoke on the phone. I couldn’t fly out to California for an interview, and they understood that. All you really have to do is be as out-going and kind as you can. Smile. They already know what you’re capable of; that’s why they asked you to come in. So now you have to wow them with your personality. This means that you cannot be forgetful. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received about interviews is to wear something bold. For example: Ladies, wear a bright colored piece of jewelry, like a necklace. Interviewers go through so many potential candidates that it can be hard to remember names. Wearing a statement piece allows the person who interviewed you to say, “Oh yeah, I loved the girl with the yellow necklace.”

9. Be presentable in other ways. Say something that proves why you stand out from others, and mention something that you learned or have prior knowledge about through the company’s website. This proves your eagerness to work with them.

10. Don’t sweat it. If you don’t get the internship, it probably wasn’t the perfect one for you. There are so many businesses out there that are looking for interns. And if your main interest is to obtain course credit through school, build up your resume, or just to gain the experience, then you’re more likely to find a company that would love the extra help!

Overall, just remember why you would like the internship and how badly you want it. When I was in the process of looking, I E-mailed probably around 30 different companies. I heard back from about 10, and set up interviews with 3. I was offered an internship from all three, and I am now interning for an absolutely wonderful company.

My last piece of advice would be to ask questions in your interview. Ask about what your duties would be and what you could gain from being their intern. You don’t want to be doing “bitch work” 24/7 (although, being an intern does come with doing some). And you definitely don’t want to be taken advantage of. Just be smart about your choice, and remember: you have to start somewhere!

Best of luck & I hope this doesn’t happen to you…

 

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