How I Get an Internship as a College Student
Let’s find out!
Today I would like to talk about how I got an internship in a company as a student. The company that I applied to wasn’t a big company but it is worth it for me at least help me earning experience as a designer and worked with other developers and also a mentor.
There are many tips that I learned, especially during this uncertain time.
- Take the opportunity
At that time, I was lucky enough because one of my friends in the group was looking for a designer. And she reviewed my work without me knowing about that. She admitted that she loved the design work that I posted on social media. So, she would like to ask me to work with her together on the team. First, I thought I would like to reject it because I was afraid that I couldn’t commit during summer. After a few days of thinking, I thought I needed to stay out of my comfort zone and try to work with others to improve my communication skills.
2. Create the project
Many jobs require us as an intern to have our own portfolio or coding project, for instances, product designer or software engineer. It’s better to show the company the skills you already learned and apply it to your own project. Joining the hackathon or business case competition is another way to increase your chance to stand out if you love a challenge. To summarize, find an online competition that matches your interest.
3. Do research
Do you want to be a software developer in a consulting company? Or, marketing analyst in an insurance company? Find out what the requirements are and try to match them with your skills. Do you have those skills already? Or do you still need time to learn about that? Every company or organization has a different job description. Try to understand and see if you need to improve those necessary skills.
4. Find and use resources
Don’t wait until graduation to get information about the job that you would like to apply for. My past mistake was waiting until graduation to research the job and company that I was looking for. It’s too late already. Campus career centers, alumni, and even your professors can be your resources.
Then, try to attend a career fair and job conference (everything is online during COVID-19). Find out how you can land the job in that company by asking questions related to interview or resume preparation. You can ask the recruiter or people from a specific department (that you would like to apply for) in the company. If they don’t understand what you are looking for, they can connect you with other company representatives.
5. Don’t ignore soft skills
Many people thought that hard skill is more important than soft skill, while in the real world, they are both equal. Try to improve this skill by attending a course or virtual event that relate to self-development skill. I can say that I learned a lot when I joined the Summer academy that was hosted by AT&T Learning Academy and Fall Upkey Virtual Internship. This taught me how to be a critical leader and how to prepare for a career. Please refer to this link if you would like to learn more about Upkey internship. They are currently opening for Winter 2021 program.
6. Spend your little bit of time to work voluntarily
Either you work with a school or NGO as a volunteer, these things can add value to your resume. Even though you are not getting paid, you get so much experience and connect with other professionals. I spent 5 hours a week doing volunteer work, and surprisingly I connected with so many people within 2 months of my volunteer work. You don’t have to waste more than 10 hours to work for a week. Furthermore, you can show the company or organization that you have a good work ethic and are willing to spend a little bit of your time contributing to volunteer work.
7. Use social media as a tool to connect
Engage with more people and connect with professionals through LinkedIn. If they didn’t get back to you, it’s fine. Many other people can respond to you, not only them. Post or share the post at least three times a week so you will be more likely being noticed by the other professionals, especially recruiters. Hmm, do you know when you like people’s posts, that person’s post will be shared to your connection? You can try to like or comment other’s posts. Additionally, you can also try to post an article or just short key takeaways from your seminar.
8. Involve in many virtual events
Because of covid 19, everything got canceled, but it’s a chance for us to be shining. Be yourself, don’t put the mindset that you are an introvert; everyone can take away that mindset and be more open-minded. Speak up during the event or meeting if they ask for your opinion. As for my experience, I already participated in more than 30+ events within 3 months, and I feel that I improve my communication and leadership skills afterward.
9. Support is necessary!
This is always the best thing ever. I am so lucky to have many people around me that are so supportive. Mentor, teacher, or family, can be your supporter.
Those all the points that I already highlighted. Hope you guys enjoy reading this article and please let me know in the comment your experience looking for the internship. Thank you! :)
Do your best and we can get through this pandemic together!
