This post is all about discussing tips for landing your dream college internship!
Landing Your Dream College Internship
Use these tips to help you land your dream college internship!
Making Your Dream College Internship Come True
Having the opportunity to work as an intern in a company or organization that you have been eyeing since freshman year is one of the memorable milestones that you can achieve in college.
Being an intern somewhere that you desire exposes you to real-life work experiences.
Plus, it can also boost your confidence and inspire you to do great things.
Most importantly, it will give you the opportunity to show your worth and your capabilities, and when you impress your superiors, you could be given a regular position once you graduate.
But before thinking of how you will reserve that spot for a regular position in your preferred company or organization, you must first secure an internship with them.
Here are some useful tips that can help you land your dream internship!
13 Tips For Landing Your Dream College Internship While You’re In College
- Know everything you can about the company
- Study their internship program
- Visit the company
- Prepare all the requirements
- Get a recommendation
- Write an excellent letter of intent
- Finalize your college resume
- Submit your application before the deadline
- Talk to people about the company
- Prepare for the exam and/or interview
- Dress appropriately for the exam and/or interview
- Be real
- Take the extra mile
1. Know everything you can about the company
Nothing impresses more than a person who knows what he/she wants and what he/she is doing.
If you want to land your dream internship in the company that you prefer, you should know everything about their organization.
Visit their official website and social media pages, read about their mission and vision, and familiarize yourself with their goals, operations, programs, people, products, and services.
2. Study their internship program
If the company has published information about their internship program on their website or other sources, make sure that you read about it from start to end.
Know all the requirements, schedules, and deadlines. This will help you in the process of applying and landing your dream college internship.
3. Visit the company to land your dream college internship
If you can, go and pay a visit to the company. Make sure that you let your presence known.
You can do that by calling or emailing them in advance saying that you would like to visit the company because you want to see their organization and culture first hand.
Also, let them know that you are planning to apply for an internship in their company.
4. Prepare all the requirements
Once you know all the requirements, prepare them as soon as possible. Get all your documents fixed and follow all the company’s guidelines when it comes to submissions.
Always remember that it is best to be prepared earlier than to be stressed by finishing all the requirements in a short period of time.
5. Get a recommendation
Sometimes, companies require you to attach a recommendation letter to your internship application.
Now, if your company did not say so, still getting and providing a great recommendation from someone who gauges your professional capabilities is a plus factor in landing your dream college internship.
A well-written recommendation letter that clearly shows your skills and capabilities will not be ignored by the company you’re applying to.
6. Write an excellent letter of intent
An excellent letter of intent contains the following:
- Your interest in the company and what you are applying for
- Your knowledge of the company
- Your qualifications and experiences that align with the position and the company’s goals
- Your personality and professional aspects which can contribute to the company
- Your expression of gratitude and appreciation for their time and consideration
Make sure to draft your letter of intent or letter of application early with clear statements and perfect grammar.
Then, have it reviewed by your adviser or mentor.
Once you finalize it, print it out on the paper type and size as prescribed by the company you are applying to.
7. Finalize your college resume
By now, you must have created a draft of your college resume.
The next thing to do is to finalize it and consult with your adviser and mentor before finalizing it. Inform him or her that you will be submitting your college resume to the company you’re applying for your dream college internship.
Related: How To Make Your College Resume Stand Out
8. Submit your application before the deadline
Beating the deadline, or worse, being late for the submission is a deal-breaker for the company.
The best time to submit your internship application is days or even weeks before the deadline is posted.
Being early for submission gives off the notion that you really want the position and that you have been preparing for this for a long time.
When you do this, you will find that it could truly help you in landing your dream college internship.
9. Talk to people about the company
Most likely, there are other people out there who know about the company you are applying to.
They can be your parents, your friends, your classmates, your professors, or your org mates.
Whoever they may be, have the time to talk to them and get their ideas about the company.
10. Prepare for the exam and/or interview
If there will be an exam and/or interview, prepare for it.
Review everything you know about the company and try to practice answering some basic interview questions about yourself, your background, and your experiences.
11. Dress appropriately for the exam and/or interview
It is true what they say – you can never get a second chance at a first impression.
So, when you are invited by the company for an exam and/or interview, make sure to dress appropriately and nicely.
Wear something that will mean that you are down for business and excellence.
12. Be real to land a college internship
During the interview, try your best to be real, but remember all the etiquette when doing interviews.
Shake their hand if they offered. Be polite and speak and act professionally.
Answer all the questions sincerely and look the interviewer/s in the eyes whenever you speak. In the end, shake their hand again and say your thanks.
An excellent interview will help you land your dream internship for sure.
13. Take the extra mile
After the exam, interview, and the entire application process, go back home and take the extra effort to write a short thank you email and send it to the company or organization that you applied to.
Say thank you for the opportunity and time that they have given you.
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