As the summer approaches, I'm sure many of you are stressing over how to use your three-month summer productively. All my life I have been told by my parents and older sister about the importance of having "real-world experience" before graduating. I, too, agree that, although tiresome and sometimes monotonous, summer internships are important for your future career. In fear that I would never have enough experience to compete with applicants when it came time to apply for a full-time job after college graduation, I made sure that I had a summer internship each year since tenth grade in high school. The process is long and extremely competitive, so here are some tips to help you out.

1. Prep and edit!

It is extremely important that before you reach out to any companies about possible internship opportunities, that you prepare your resume and cover letter! This company will want to see what experience you have and what you are capable of. Your cover letter should entail both why you think you are fit for the job, and also what you could bring to the company. Finally, make sure you edit these documents. The first sight of any grammatical error, and the company will be sure to disregard your application.

2. Do your research!

Make sure you know what you're applying for! If they have set up an interview, make sure you know enough about the company to answer any questions they may have. Also, demonstrating that you know a lot about the company shows just how interested and dedicated you are.

3. Think small!

When asked where you would like to intern, most people jump to the large companies that are well known. However, these internships also tend to be the most competitive. Most of my success has come from looking online at websites that supply internship listings such as Looksharp or Internmatch. Thousands of companies both large and small post opportunities that are interesting and up to date!

4.Use your connections!

Another way to go about finding an internship is to ask friends and family if their work spots have internship opportunities. If they do, this is a good way to get your foot in the door through an insider. They will be able to send your credentials directly to that program director. Especially because internships are highly competitive, having a connection as a reference makes your application stand out among the rest.

5.Reach out!

Once someone has contacted you after receiving your application, it is extremely important for you to keep up with your emails and respond as soon as possible. Quick and respectful responses will only continue to demonstrate your dedication and professional work ethic. If you take too long to respond, they will soon look to the stack of other applications to fill your spot. Remember to always be courteous, but also remember that the people you will be dealing with are busy too, so if they haven't responded to your last email sent a week ago, feel free to reach out to them!