Eight key steps to an internship

For many students at USC, November marks the time to begin applying for that perfect summer internship.

For programmers, a position at Google or Facebook means incredible benefits, stellar connections and rightfully earned bragging rights. Landing a job at one of the Big Four — Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG — as an accounting student is a sign that you’re doing something right. And once you’ve made it to Ogilvy & Mather or Edelman as a public relations professional, the sky’s the limit.

These generalizations, of course, don’t hold for everyone. Startups, for example, are becoming increasingly popular places to intern or work at, appealing to those who enjoy casual clothes and office dogs.

But regardless of whether or not you choose to pursue internships at high-profile companies, getting an internship anywhere requires knowledge of certain guidelines and unspoken rules. Daniel Kyu Lee, founder and CEO of CareerDean, is trying to make the frustrating internship process better understood and easier to navigate with his startup. Emphasizing the importance of having a network when finding internships, CareerDean is a platform that helps match students with companies and provides students with a personalized professional network. In an interview, Lee shared some of his wisdom on how people should be approaching the art of scoring an internship.

Don’t sell yourself short

Though it certainly can be competitive for students to find internships, just remember — the competition is not one-sided. “College recruiting is a very big space, and companies try to find the best talent,” Lee said. “Finding the best interns is also a very lengthy and aggressive process for recruiters as well.” Even if you might not think you can get an interview, apply anyway — you’ll never know if you don’t try.

Do your research

Undoubtedly, career fairs are helpful events for networking and internships, but chances are that not all of the companies you’re interested in will be there. This is because having a booth at an event like this can be very expensive. “Companies that aren’t as big sometimes can’t afford to be represented at these fairs or can’t afford to fly out to Southern California.” If you’re looking to discover more companies that you otherwise might not know about, make the most of LinkedIn by looking up companies you already know and then seeing related companies that other people have viewed. Sites such as AfterCollege and Internships.com have lists of companies that can help get you started with your search.

Dig deep

Sometimes, not all available positions are shown on a company’s job page because either the position isn’t urgently needed or the right people have not caught the attention of recruiters yet. If you’re eagerly waiting to apply to a company, try emailing a recruiter. For direct email addresses, try going to the campus career center and seeing if there is a contact for that company. If not, try adding him or her through LinkedIn or get introduced through a mutual friend or connection.

Start early

Though every industry and company is different, there are definitely patterns when it comes to the internship recruitment period.

“For larger tech companies such as Yahoo! and Google, technical recruiting begins very early — most internship decisions are made by November or December,” Lee said.

Other companies, such as Sony PlayStation, start opening their applications later in the year. On the other hand, startups vary the most in terms of recruitment. Though there are startups that follow the conventional fall application period, some take interns between January and March or even on a rolling basis. But in all cases, it never hurts to be prepared early on.

Luck be a recruiter

Being smart definitely plays a big role in getting internships, but as the playing field continues to change, you also have to be skilled at making connections. Being able to strike up a good conversation, whether in-person or through email, is an art that takes practice to refine. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to tell when you and a recruiter hit it off, and from there, you can follow up respectfully. It doesn’t happen each and every time, but if you make a great connection with someone, you could at least land yourself an interview.

Network, network, network

Because recruiters must go through so many applications and cover letters, it becomes very difficult to stand out, even if you are fantastic applicant.

“Networking is one of the most efficient ways to get a job,” Lee said. “It might seem daunting, but students don’t understand that having a large network plays a big advantage.”

People won’t be able to tell who you are on paper. But by networking with others, they get a better feel of who you are and might approach you with an internship if the opportunity arises. Need some help networking? Lee recommends that you start on LinkedIn and start messaging people.

“Reach out to people and say that you’re seeking mentorship and are interested in learning more about the company culture over some coffee,” Lee said. “You’ll probably get no for an answer 90 percent of the time, but if you message 10 people, you’ll get at least one mentor.”

Use all of your resources

If you feel like you’ve done all that you can to find an internship and are still left empty-handed, all is not lost. Surf through the Tech L.A. Internships website if you’re interested in working at an L.A-based startup or show off your creative side to companies on Intern Sushi. Check the ConnectSC portal frequently, since new positions are always being added. Ask professors and advisers and see if they can help connect you to people in their networks for internship opportunities.

Room for improvement

In the end, if you cannot find an internship, try following up with the rejections and ask how you could make your resume stand out the next time around.  Though rejection is difficult, learning from it will make you a better applicant.

 

 

Sara Clayton is a junior majoring in public relations. Her column “Tech Today” runs Tuesdays.

Follow Sara on  Twitter @saraclay15