To land your first big job after college is a huge (but rewarding, obviously) challenge. Most positions that relate to college majors everywhere require a good amount of work experience, so here are some tips on how to land your first internship.
1.) It's never too early to start searching and applying for internships. There will always be companies that will only want to hire college students for class credit or students with a minimum amount of credits completed so they may be a bit trickier to get but stay on the look out because some may not follow these school related guidelines. The earlier you show interest in working at an internship the better. Future employers will see just how much you want to work for them which is always a great thing.
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2.) Perfect your resume and cover letter. Future employers pay very close attention to your past and current school achievements and may ask you about each position you held, each experience and past job duties so its important to know what to say about each thing. I personally have made blogs just to post work I have completed for my classes to show future employers examples of work I have done which has helped a lot because you may be asked to provide examples of your work. Also make sure your grammar is on point.
3.) Know your strengths and weaknesses. It helps to explain exactly what skills you will be able to provide for companies to give them a better idea as to what position they may want to put you in.
4.) Look into big companies and little companies. Try reaching out to both big and small companies because both have different perks so it is important to see which environment you feel like you would benefit more from working in.
5.) Do your research on each company before an interview. The best interviews always turn into conversations. You want to be able to discuss what you know about the company and ask insightful questions in return.
6.) Take advantage of career services your college may provide. Your school may hold internship fairs which would be great for meeting possible future employers in person to really make a good first impression. Check in with your career services office to receive help reviewing your resume, cover letter or portfolio and ask staff members if they happen to know of any companies that are hiring.
7.) Dress the part. Dress the way you think professionals in your field will dress. Dressing the part will show how serious you are about working with the company and living up to the company's expectations from their employees.
8.) Be confident or fake it 'til you make it. Showing or acting like you are confident will give the impression that you are more ready to take on this position.
9.) Keep an open mind. If you don't get your "dream internship" don't worry. Sometimes working at a company that you didn't think much of originally will turn out to be the best internship for you.
10.) DON'T GIVE UP!! You know that saying "Fall seven times, stand up eight"? Yeah make that your new motto. Landing your first internship is hard and there is a lot of competition out there but somewhere a company is looking for someone with your exact set of skills so keep trying because your hard work will pay off.
