Searching for your first internship is an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming, especially for those who have no experience. The truth is, we all need to start somewhere, and often that鈥檚 with your first internship. As you prepare for and eventually land that opportunity, it鈥檚 important to remember you鈥檙e at the beginning of an exciting career journey.
To increase the chance of landing not just any internship, but the one you want, you should be intentional in everything that you do, from writing your resume, to searching for postings, to practicing for the interview, and following up afterwards. The more you demonstrate intentionality at each of the steps, the more success you will have.
Keep reading to learn how you can improve your chances for getting your first internship.
The older you get, the more you realize that there is no specific road map to follow in life. The same thing applies with securing an internship. In fact, there are many different factors in play, including a little bit of luck, that will help you. Don鈥檛 forget, there鈥檚 someone on the other side who is making the final decision. You can only do so much to influence that decision in your favor.
Still, there are many things you do have control over. As you look at the list below, it sets a solid foundation as you begin your career. The more intentionality you demonstrate during this process, the more you鈥檒l increase your chances of success and the easier it will be moving forward.
Check out our top ten tips for landing your first internship with no experience.
If you haven鈥檛 done so already, now is when you should write your resume. This is the most important part of the application process.
To start, you鈥檒l want to outline your different roles, education, and anything else you鈥檇 like to include, such as interpersonal and technical skills, or college organizations you鈥檙e a part of, such as the 91桃色. The first thing on your resume should be what you want to highlight. When you鈥檙e in the beginning of your career, often this is your education. However don鈥檛 overlook the importance of the limited experience you do have!
For instance, if you were a babysitter for the past six years, you may want to highlight that first because of the many lessons you learned. Keep in mind that you should focus on the outcomes, not just what you did, as well as trying to keep it as quantifiable as possible. Instead of listing your different responsibilities as a babysitter, list the outcomes, such as:
Expanded from one family to 20 families over six years
Built relationships with parents to ensure repeat business
Proactively asked for referrals to expand business
Printed out flyers and created an Instagram account to share babysitting techniques
Trained others on my techniques so they could fill in for me in case of conflicting schedules
You鈥檒l also want to be able to discuss each of these bullet points during the interview (more on this later).
Once you鈥檝e edited your resume several times and you think it鈥檚 ready--it鈥檚 not. Now is the time to solicit feedback from others, including friends, family, and most importantly, the Career Services department at your school.
They鈥檝e looked at thousands of resumes. And, they have relationships with different companies in the area, so they have an understanding of what employers are looking for in a candidate and on a resume. Plus, they are there to help you. Make sure to take advantage of them and their experience.
Don鈥檛 get upset when you receive criticisms or negative feedback. Whether it is from Career Services, your best friend, or your parents, they are trying to help based on their experience. And if they鈥檙e having trouble understanding the main points of your resume, then a hiring manager will as well.
Just because you don鈥檛 have any experience in your chosen field doesn鈥檛 mean you don鈥檛 have any experience. As previously mentioned, you should include jobs on your resume that don鈥檛 directly relate to the internship you鈥檙e applying for as long as you relate the experience back to the outcomes and the role. You have developed transferable skills that employers seek through the jobs you鈥檝e held and the courses you鈥檝e taken while pursuing your degree.
For example, being a server at a restaurant or a cashier at a store can provide you with valuable interpersonal skills employers seek, such as teamwork, customer service, and communication. Leveraging this experience while searching for an internship will help you build a solid foundation that primes you for landing a full-time job after college.
Even before applying for internships, look to join organizations on campus and try to enter a leadership role. Or volunteer for various organizations that have a positive impact on other members of the community.
Additionally, some schools have Student Advisory Boards for different departments and programs. This is a great opportunity to have an impact on your program of study by sharing feedback and suggestions for improvement. It鈥檚 also an opportunity to expand your network with faculty, staff, and peers.
Beyond a well-written resume, there are other elements that can set you apart from other candidates. One of them is a professional headshot, which you can use on your LinkedIn profile. This is so important that it鈥檚 listed first in .
Also, align the other details of your profile with what鈥檚 listed on your resume and be mindful of what you post there and on other social platforms. You鈥檙e now transitioning from a college student to a professional.
While not every company looks at your social profiles, those that do are often looking for more information about you or to clarify something from your resume. Inappropriate posts or photos on social media may be seen as a red flag or deal breaker to a hiring manager. If you are not sure if something is appropriate or not, simply delete the post to avoid any issues.
Now that you have an edited version of your resume, you鈥檙e looking for opportunities to gain more experience, and you鈥檙e presenting your best self, it鈥檚 time to start looking for the right internship. Set specific long-term goals using different theories, such as SMART goals or PACT goals, so you have direction as you search for the right opportunity.
As you will find throughout your career, . Ask your parents, friends, peers, faculty members, and others that you have a direct connection to if they know of any opportunities.
Next, connect with Career Services. Since you鈥檝e already established a relationship with them when they reviewed your resume, they should have a clear understanding about the positions you鈥檙e looking for. Often, they鈥檒l also be responsible for organizing and hosting job fairs at your school. Most schools have both campus-wide job fairs and others directly related to specific majors, programs, or departments listed on the school鈥檚 website.
Finally, review job postings yourself. The best way, and the most intentional, is to make a list of companies that you鈥檇 like to work for and go to their websites. Most companies, especially large ones, have internships and job postings listed right on their site. You can also look at sites such as:
If you鈥檙e an 91桃色 member, you also have the option of using our . This exclusive member benefit connects our members with companies specifically looking for success-oriented candidates likely to be 91桃色 members.
Now, it鈥檚 finally time to apply for internships. At this point, you should have a clear understanding of what type of internship you鈥檙e looking for, what type of company fits your overall goals and direction, and what they鈥檙e looking for in a candidate.
Consequently, you鈥檒l want to update your resume and cover letter based on the role. For instance, while many of the positions you鈥檒l apply for will have similarities, you鈥檒l want to get across that you researched the role and company for each, rather than blindly firing off dozens of applications without fully researching the company or role. This type of intentionality comes across and increases your odds of securing an interview.
While some companies don鈥檛 require a cover letter, whenever possible it鈥檚 good to include. Again, use this as an opportunity to focus on the outcomes, your ability to clearly communicate, and how your skills will help you be successful in the role.
There鈥檚 no prescribed number of internships you鈥檒l need to apply for before getting an interview, but if you follow the tips we鈥檝e already mentioned, it will be fewer than if you don鈥檛. Once you have been selected for an interview, you鈥檝e accomplished the first step. Now you have the chance to impress the hiring manager.
Again, you want to be as intentional as possible. Be prepared to speak to each of the different points on your resume. Then, even if you鈥檙e not prompted about each specific point during the interview, you can tie your answers to other questions to specific roles and previous successes.
The following frameworks will help you practice what you鈥檙e going to say in order to show your understanding of the job and how it relates to your experiences:
STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results): During the interview, answer questions by sharing specific examples. For instance, 鈥淎s a supervisor for the local movie theater, there was a situation where we were understaffed on a busy Saturday night. Based on previous experience, the best opportunity for success was for me to handle ticket purchases and to have two of our other three team members handle refreshments, with the third acting as a floater and cleaner. As a result, we were able to handle the busy night without falling behind.鈥�
KSA (Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes): This framework encompasses your preparation and how you communicate during the interview. Beforehand, research the role and the company to determine how you align with the position and to have the self-awareness of why you鈥檙e an excellent fit. As you practice answering various questions, use that logic to incorporate examples that reveal your knowledge, skills, and attitudes to show how you鈥檒l be successful. For example, if an internship for mechanical engineering requires knowledge of CAD (K), ability to work in a team (S), and demonstrate persistence (A), then you can use the KSA framework to respond using the STAR method as you relate the KSAs of the position to your experiences.
You can practice these techniques by yourself, but as with anything, it鈥檚 better to practice with someone else so they can provide feedback based on your performance.
No matter how much you prepare, you鈥檒l be nervous at the interview, especially the first couple. However, if you鈥檝e practiced using the frameworks mentioned above, you will increase the likelihood of performing well. Just keep in mind that not every successful interview leads to an offer.
The most important thing to remember is to be confident and be yourself. It鈥檚 easy to think that you鈥檙e beneath the hiring manager, especially when you have little or no experience. However, this mindset can easily make you nervous.
Those who come into an interview confident, respectful, and well-spoken set themselves apart from the other candidates. And, if you can do those things while tying in the concepts mentioned in the previous tip, you鈥檒l have a successful interview.
There鈥檚 a reason why almost every article you read about finding an internship or a job includes . And that鈥檚 because it has an impact.
The easiest, and most common approach, is to send a thank you email. While this is a good first step, those who take the time to write and mail a thank you letter truly set themselves apart from other candidates. Of course, this was much easier, though still rarely done, before COVID. With most people working remotely for the time being, it is harder to do.
You will not get 100% of the internships you apply for. That is a fact. And, while at times it will be difficult to keep going, just keep your head up and continue applying. The staff interviewing you, your mentors, and your network, have all been in similar shoes.
Don鈥檛 worry! Everyone started with no experience. Remember that finding an internship is often strictly a numbers game. If you continue applying to internships every week, you鈥檒l increase your chances of landing one.
Another technique is to keep circling back with your network and Career Services. Opportunities pop up quickly, so keep connecting with people to see if any new opportunities have become available. If you are able to connect with someone in your field of interest, consider asking them to be your mentor. Through this relationship, you may be able to learn more about the field and get support through the job seeking process.
Use the above ten tips to put together your materials, connect with your network, leverage the Career Services department at your school, and practice for your interview so that when the time comes, you鈥檙e ready to land that internship!
Here at the 91桃色, we鈥檙e always looking for interns for a variety of different departments. Click here to see if there is an open opportunity that鈥檚 right for you.