In 2016, one of my graduations requirements for High School was to complete an internship and I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to find an internship let alone one that would align with my career goals. At the time I intended on Politics being my future career so I decided to google "Political Internships in Ohio". It took me to the website www.internships.com (this website is a great tool if you don't know where to start in your internship search!) and there I located an internship for my Senators re-election campaign. I sent an email saying I was interested and was referred to the field director in my area. I sent them my cover letter and résumé (this was a requirement for my class, it was probably too formal for just a campaign internship) and got started with interning for the campaign! During my internship, I made a lot of amazing friendships, got to attend lots of campaign events and even met iconic politicians like Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich. I think I was really lucky to have such an amazing first internship where I got to not only learn a lot but also have a really fun time. Below are just a few pictures from my first internship!
Thanks to Google, I ended up finding there were a few internship options at the Ohio Statehouse. I was really interest in the House Page Program they offered but felt discouraged when it said it was for College students only. I called the person in charge and asked them if they accepted those who have recently graduated High School and will be attending College next year. To my surprise, they said they do! I immediately applied and sent in my application to the appropriate person. Before I knew it a month and a half later I had an interview and a few weeks later I was hired! (I should also mention that you don't have to have an internship every summer, in fact I sometimes wish I had enjoyed my last summer before College instead of interning and working, but if you feel that you're very self-motivated and want to get a head start then go for it!)
Finding an Internship
1. If you don't know where to start, there are lots of great websites to help you find internships. Some that I really like are www.interships.com, www.indeed.com, www.idealist.com and www.experience.com. If you have an idea of where you'd like to intern, start contacting places you'd like to intern immediately and ask about internships. Don't contact just one place for a potential internship, contact many since the first place you email isn't a definite yes by any means. Make sure that when you send an email to someone who could potentially hire you, read it once, then twice, then three times and make sure its professional, well written, and there are no typos (sometimes when I would call about an internship, I would literally have a script written out so I wouldn't make a mistake). Your email is the first impression that the employer your contacting will get and if there is even a slight mistake or it's in any way unprofessional, it can reflect poorly on you
2. Once you have a potential internship acquired, it can go a lot of different ways. They could hire you after a quick phone call or they may want to meet with you for an interview. The situation really depends on the internship but typically they'll want to interview you or talk with you, similar to when you apply for jobs. It's important in this situation to act professional but you don't have to be stiff if that makes sense. If you're applying for an internship with a major brand or corporation then the questions they might ask you could be available online and you can be better prepared. Either way, it's important to be prepared, early (if its an interview) and dressed modestly and professionally.
3. Congratulations! At this point you will have successfully obtained an internship. It may be starting right away or in a few months in the summer, depending on what you were looking for. Make sure you have the appropriate clothing for the internship; for example, if its in a professional environment then you'll want to wear business casual, but if its an environment where you'll be doing a lot of hands-on work and there's potential to ruin your clothes or you want to stay comfortable, wear the appropriate clothing.
Succeeding at an Internship
- Always do more than expected. At your internship, you'll be expected to complete the tasks that you're told. If you can, do more than whats expected of you. For example, when I interned on a campaign, I was expected to make phone calls. Most people would use 2 or 3 phones but I worked to make sure I could make more calls with 6-7 phones.
- Be professional. It's important to be professional and not immature when completing an internship if you expect a good reference or a future job with this employer. This doesn't mean to be stiff but be professional in moderation and don't do anything that could reflect poorly on you.
- Be early but never late. Punctuality is very important to employers and showing up late is never good. If you show up late, I hope you have a good excuse! This past summer when I interned at the statehouse, I was an hour early on my first day and I'm glad I was because the cost of parking is insane in the city so I searched for a good deal. I remember hearing someone say they had to pay $20 for parking on their first day.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. One of the best parts of an internship is you get to learn more about your future career. It's good to ask questions about whats going on and it benefits you because the more you know, the lesser chance you'll have of making a mistake on a project.
- Do you research. Learn about who you're interning for if you haven't already. The more you know, the more you'll succeed and impress your employer! It doesn't hurt to take a little time to learn about who you're working with.
- Take initiative. Be a leader and someone who steps up. Employers love to see someone who takes initiative and wants to learn. Taking initiative starts when you apply for an internship. Make sure you show your leadership skills and improve them while interning.
- Put down the cell phone. Depending on where you intern, your employer may want you to do something and if you're on your phone half the time you either won't hear them or won't get what he or she wants you to do completed.
- Be committed. If you have to show up early or stay late, do it. This shows that you're responsible, committed and care about the work that you're doing.
- Improve yourself. Learn not only from your mistakes but also the mistakes of others. You're around people who have been in your field of interest for a long time; take advantage of that and ask them about what they've learned and for advice.
- Have fun! Don't be so focused on your work that you miss out on the fun. Take the time to make friends with others and socialize. Your internship will be boring and miserable if you let it be but it can be very enjoyable if you make the most of it.
I hope that all of this information was helpful to you and that I was able to provide some insight into the world of internships! If you have any questions that I didn't answer or want some advice, feel free to contact me. I would be more than willing to help you out!
Post a Comment