| Designing
Your Own Internship |
| |
| You
may be interested in gaining experience in a particular
setting, but there is no formal "internship program."
It is acceptable to approach the supervisor or manager of
a department within an organization to see if they would
be willing to have you as an intern. Before you contact
the organization, consider the following: |
 |
Does
it provide a salary? |
|
Can
you obtain academic credit? |
|
If
it offers a salary, what is the minimum dollar amount you
are willing to accept? |
|
What
skills and assets do you bring to the table? |
|
What
types of experiences are you hoping to gain? |
|
How
many hours do you have available and for how long? |
|
|
| Networking |
|
This
is the number one way to land a job. Eighty percent of jobs
go unadvertised, and are filled with people who are known
or referred. |
|
Conduct
an informational interview, which is a great way to learn
about different jobs and industries and meet people. |
|
Who
do you already know? Think about personal contacts, family
members, friends, neighbors, service providers (banker,
hair dresser, dry cleaner etc.) These people may know people
who are in jobs or careers that interest you or that can
lead to potential internship leads. |
|
Keep
good notes and records of strong contacts and your conversations. |
|
Stay
in touch with people. Create an A and B list. Determine
who is a possible hire connection versus a strong relationship
contact. |
|
Send
thank you notes. |
| |
|
|
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