As soon as summer internship season ends, it’s time for the internship search for next summer to begin. We advise students to take note and get started early, sparing themselves a lot of trouble in the long run.
Many journalism internships set due dates as early as Halloween or early November, like the Dow Jones News Fund. Applications for Google internships have deadlines starting in November, too. And many potential employers will come to campus for interviews and interest sessions.
Students might start to feel overwhelmed by the potential summer of unemployment that could await them if they don’t get their search in gear.
So get started now.
Start looking up internship requirements for the programs that might interest you. Even if they aren’t due until January, make a list. Put the due dates into your calendar. Set reminders.
Meet with someone from University Career Services, or submit your resume on Careerolina for review. Scrambling to prepare a cover letter and resume the day or night before a due date is no good for your future career or your present sanity. Stop that.
And take this opportunity to brand yourself. If your future employment involves being a public figure, take a look at your social media, your website and what shows up when you do a Google search of your name. Perfect your resume and logo to represent who you are.
Go to Career Services’ job and internship expo on Sept. 17. Take advantage of potential employers standing in a room waiting to meet you and take your resume.
Ask for help. You are surrounded by hundreds of students searching for an internship, too, or students who have applied for the same dream internship in the past and succeeded. We aren’t all fighting for the same internship, promise.
