If you’re a junior, you should get started on applying for internships. The whole process seems very intimidating when you don’t know where to start. Don’t worry, take a deep breath I’m here to help you.
First and most importantly, you need a resume. If you don’t have one created yet or want someone to look it over, career services is the place for you. This is the initial aspect anyone hiring you will look at. Also, have a cover letter ready that you can provide for different jobs if they require one. This is a personalized letter of why you fit the position they are offering.
You have to identify what career path you want to go down. If you need assistance reach out to your academic advisor to go over the different options and to help pick which one suits you the best.
Once you have that picked out, you need to decide on a location you want to do your internships. This may be fully remote or traveling part-time into New York City. If New York City isn’t the place for you, you can pick almost anywhere you would be able to get to.
Once you have those simple guidelines figured out, you can go onto My Red Dragon and go to the Handshake link. This is where you can search what career you are looking for with a location of your choice. Handshake will give you internships that fit into those criteria. Look around at the different jobs it offers and see if the job description and criteria works for you.
P.S. you can save the ones you like the best!
After narrowing down the options to which ones you want to apply for, you can apply straight in Handshake. It will give you a place to add your resume, cover letter if needed, and any additional information the company may be looking for. Some companies will want you to fill out an application on their website instead, but don’t worry, Handshake will take you straight there.
I recommend to use your school email when applying to any internship or job, this way it stays organized and looks more professional. Make a list of the internships you applied for so you can keep track from the ones you hear back from. Most companies take a week or two to get back to you if they are interested. During this time, they will set up a time to conduct an interview with you.
Once it comes for the interview, be prepared for the basic questions. Some range from; tell me about yourself, how do you see yourself contributing to this company, what are your best skills and accomplishments, describe a time when you conquered an obstacle/overcame adversity. These are just a couple I have came across, but you can google sample interview questions to get a better idea. If you have never gone to an interview before, I highly recommend making an appointment with career services for a mock-interview. This will help you conquer some of the nerves and get a feel for a real interview.
From there, each company has their own process. Some will have multiple interview rounds, and some are straight cut. It might take some time to hear back from the companies due to them having many applications, but don’t get discouraged! I hope this helped break down the process to applying to internships and made it not so intimidating. Good luck!