Good Ezines

After you have made decisions regarding the type of internship that you would like, the location you prefer, and other considerations, it is time to start hunting down the ideal internship. Fortunately, there are many resources that you can check for leads on internship opportunities. By searching at the following sources, you will be able to locate an internship to fit all of your needs and goals:

- Career Services Office: The Career Services Office at your college campus will have a list of internship programs along with their application dates and other important information. Some campuses even have internship coordinators who can work with you individually to help locate the perfect internship opportunity. Even if your campus does not have a coordinator, the Career Services Office is a great place to start your search.

- Department Offices: Visit the department offices of your major and minor areas of study. Quite often, these offices maintain lists of internship programs that are specific to those areas of study. Be sure to ask faculty members, because there may be a specific member of the faculty in each department who handles internships.

- Networking Sources: Ask anyone you know who is related to your career interests if they know of any internship opportunities. Family members, friends, past employers, family friends, and other sources may know of excellent sources of which the college is unaware.

- Internship and Career Fairs: Career fairs are commonly held during the academic year at most colleges; many of these fairs include internship opportunities as well. Some colleges also hold internship fairs. At any fair, it is acceptable to approach career tables and speak to prospective employers about internship opportunities.

- Alumni Office: Many colleges have alumni offices. Alumni can be great sources of internship information as well as networking sources. Try contacting some alums who shared your major or minor.

- Company Websites: If there is a specific company for which you would like to intern, try visiting that company’s website to inquire about an internship opportunity. Go to the ‘Career’ section on the website.

- Internship Websites: If you do an online search, you can find quite a few general internship websites. Some of these might be good sources of information; however, steer clear of any that ask for any money before showing the search results.

- Books and Periodicals: Local libraries will have directories of internships, as they are published annually. There are also many trade magazines available in various trades which could have internship opportunities listed. Libraries are likely to have subscriptions to these publications. Your college professors may also have subscriptions to some of these publications as well.

- Cold Contact: If you have a certain company in mind for which you would like to intern, rather than visiting their website you could try a cold contact. Simply get their contact information and write to the company, asking for an internship. Be sure to enclose information regarding your college studies and why you would like to intern for that company.

Kevin Mastill is an educator and career coach. He helps individuals determine their best plan for internships and what paths guarantee a dream graduate job, such as the best course of action for an investment banking graduate.