How I did it: I was required to complete a semester-long internship for college credit to graduate from my program. A classmate mentioned availability at the company she was interning for, so I applied for the intern position as a Web Designer/Developer. Luckily for me, it was one of the few paid internships available to me. Unfortunately, the place I was interning at was on a hiring freeze, so I had to wait for roughly 3 months before my paperwork went through.

After being hired as an intern, I worked with different members of the electronic media team on various tasks that was both helpful for the team and gave me experience. At the end of my semester-long internship, I was retained to keep interning (for pay) for about a year longer, until I relocated. This not only gave me great experience for jobs and working as part of a team, but also a good source for references, recommendations, and contacts.

Lessons & tips:

• Treat applying for an internship seriously, as you would a job. In most cases, you will be using this for references, recommendations, and contacts in the future.
• If you can, try to find a paid internship (so as not to overwhelm yourself trying to juggle school, job(s), and an unpaid internship).
• If in school, see if you can get credit or independent study for completing an internship.
• Check resources for students that may list possible internships.
• Be patient. And professional.

Resources: I heard of the internship offering through a friend/classmate who was also interning at the company. The internship was also posted on craigslist.

• friends/classmates/instructors/co-workers
• craigslist.com
• school listings of internships

Oct 28, 09:42AM PDT | 0 comments | 3 cheers