By Kimberly Ilkowski
Arts & Entertainment Editor
For many sophomores and juniors at the College, the pressure is on to score the perfect summer internship. The process can come across as daunting in the beginning with the countless cover letters to write and applications to fill out. One of the best ways to combat this fear is to just get started! Start anywhere, just to get your feet wet, and begin to understand what potential employers are looking for in their internship applicants. Once you get the ball rolling, you’ll be surprised by how efficiently you will be able to answer application questions and market yourself to companies.
During the internship hunt, it’s important to branch out and go for as many positions that suit your skills and interests as possible. You may find a position that you love right off the bat, but don’t limit yourself to just that internship. It’s extremely important to line up good backup options if you don’t get the internship for which you were hoping. Ending up with multiple offers will help alleviate a lot of stress and allow you to weigh your options more thoroughly.
Some of the best advice I’ve received on the matter came from my journalism advisor, who told me to not be afraid to go for the big internships, even the ones that seem a little out of my league. Once all of those doubts are taken out of the equation, many more possibilities open themselves up to you. There’s no sense in limiting yourself and your opportunities out of fear of rejection. You never know what may catch an employer’s eye or what you can bring to the table, no matter where it is.
The College also offers a lot of great resources to help guide students in the right direction. LionsLink offers up-to-date job and internship postings that can be tailored to your skill set from organizations across the U.S.
We also have the Career Center, which often hosts career and internships fairs as well as workshops for constructing resumes and being interviewed. The next installment of their career and internship fair will be held on Friday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Recreation Center.
So get out there, utilize our campus resources and land that internship!
