Edging Out the Competition for Your Internship is Easier Than You Think
Finding an internship is as tough as finding an entry level job, particularly in the current economy. Many employers scaled back or eliminated their internship programs during the worst part of the recession in an effort to save money and preserve their regular staff. So, the pickings in today's market are slimmer than they were this time in 2008, before things really started getting bad. To make their searches more effective, college students - and anyone else searching for an internship - should avoid making faux pas like not researching the companies where they want intern, arriving at interviews improperly dressed or unprepared, or allowing their parents to do their legwork for them.
Since most companies, both large and small, have Web sites, there's little or no excuse for a candidate to misspell a company's name when sending a resume. Doing so just makes it easier for a recruiter or hiring manager to immediately eliminate said candidate from the running. Typos, misinformation and failure to tailor a resume to the department where he wants to work, as well as to the company itself will also send a candidate's resume to the circular file, post haste.
According to Vickie Elmer in her article the Washington Post, Homework is Key in the World of Competitive Internships, candidates who allow - or worse, ask - their parents to call recruiters or hiring managers on their behalf are also quickly rejected, at least they are by the "gatekeepers for summer internships" at the Smithsonian Intstitution. It stands to reason that other employers feel just as strongly about candidates who don't do their own legwork. It creates the impression that they aren't mature enough to handle the responsibilities of adulthood.
Searching for internships really is a kind of dress rehearsal for job searching. But that doesn't mean that internship searches should be taken lightly. On the contrary, they should be conducted with the same seriousness and singularity of purpose as any job search. This is where students who started working part time while in high school have an advantage over their neophite classmates. They're already familiar with the hiring process and working with people from a variety of backgrounds.
Career services offices can help tremendously with internship searches. They can assist students from start to finish with conducting initial searches, writing resumes and cover letters, preparing for interviews and even how to prepare for that first day in the workforce.
The importance of internships in terms of preparation for the real world and learning and applying newly acquired skills can't be understated. Because they're more scarce this year, competition for them is tougher than ever; however, there's still a chance to edge out much of that competition for students who are willing to put in the extra time to research the companies they want to work for, write flawless, compelling resumes and cover letters, and ensure they meet most, if not all, of the criteria in the job descriptions.
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