The start of a professional career truly begins on college campuses as students begin navigating relationships and assignments outside of a structured high school curriculum. It’s the first test for most young adults to learn how to balance massive freedom with high levels of learning with constant feedback on papers or exams. College connects the scholastic archway to full-time working life. Summer internships are the antidote for an easy transformation with increased confidence—and there are approximately four million internships a year waiting for your college student.
Critical thinking at the collegiate level prepares students for problem-solving in the workplace. The shift from campus to work-life stress can create high anxiety in young adults without an internship as a launching pad. These short-term roles at firms can change the trajectory of their careers, knowing what they like and dislike about industries, roles and their own strengths. This summer role helps students know where their interests truly lie and what their work style is. The additional time observing professional interactions in meetings or on conference calls imprints work styles for years to come.
Internships Help Students Interview for Full-Time Roles
With little experience under their belts, internships help students articulate examples of their work experience. They are a great opportunity to show how motivated a student is to learn and grow outside of the classroom. Interviewers for that first full-time role are looking to see if the personality and style work with the team culture. Real-life work projects give students something to reference as they look for their first full-time role.
If internships evade your student, look for externships. They can be a full day or as long as week-long shadowing programs. These windows into what lights up your student and what dislikes they might have about a specific industry can narrow down future job hunting.
Any short-term employment opportunity for college students will deepen their understanding of professionalism, how to communicate appropriately, operate in a team environment day in and day out and complete tasks when much of their responsibilities rely on others.
Getting a summer internship or a winter break externship can be easy with these tools.
Simple Resumes Are a Must-Have
Despite the digitization of much of the application process, resumes are a still necessary part of the job hunt. Luckily, employers recognize that young adults do not have decades of experience to complete a long resume. Employers note students’ involvement in school activities or work-study, showing their ability to manage their time effectively while balancing their schoolwork and deadlines. Google, Canva and Etsy have resume templates that help one stand out. Consider including a photo in the profile section!
Apply & Reach Out
Applying online for internships puts your student’s name in a pipeline that recruiters are combing through to fill summer spots. AI is the first filter for many of the larger companies to shift through piles of applications. After hitting submit on an online application, use your personal network of friends and family to familiarize yourself with who might know someone at that firm. Encourage your student to politely and professionally message a personal contact to connect to the hiring manager or human resources executive to give their resume a boost.
Over 75 percent of full-time jobs are found through a personal connection. If you don’t know anyone at the firm your student is applying to, look on LinkedIn to find a hiring manager who can help. A well-worded request of someone at the company shows effort and interest. Make sure your student includes the name or link of the internship they applied to, doing the work for the connection in advance.
Clean Up Your Digital Presence
Future employers are diving into your student’s personality during interviews. Additionally, they are examining how they show up online. Human resources and hiring managers Google everyone in their hiring pipeline. Get a professional headshot for your student’s LinkedIn and other social media outlets. Ask your student how their online image would be relevant or detrimental to their internship application process. This deep dive into collegiate social accounts includes sprucing up and taking down images that would indicate anything other than professionalism.
Find Magic on LinkedIn
Despite its stagnant user interface, LinkedIn is where work interactions are held. It’s the longest-standing career-based platform. Create a profile with experiences, interests, clubs and a professional picture. College students applying for short-term internships should take the time to start interacting with others on LinkedIn now. Your student should show interest in articles in their industry of choice (e.g., finance or engineering) or department (e.g., sales) in comments or by reposting articles of relevant companies or leaders. Encourage them to follow companies, authors and topics of interest to them in their future career path. This is all available for employers to see how active and thoughtful applicants are behaving.
Research the Interviewers
Have a quick cheat sheet of answers to questions that start with “Tell me a time when” or, simply, “Tell me about yourself.” To amplify their interview skills, students should research information about the company and role, and practice sharing their personal story succinctly, without stumbling or adding fillers (ummm, ahhh).
Applicants set themselves apart by researching the names of those on the interview list. If they do not know the names, encourage your student to ask the recruiter for the names and titles of those they might meet. During the interview, they should reference a fun fact that they noticed from their research about the individuals they’re interviewing with—something they have in common (e.g., a hobby) or a question about their experience (e.g., former employer of interest) when appropriate. If there isn’t time for the personal touch in the interview, it’s easy to add this into a thank you email or note.
It’s never too late to plan for next summer. Intern experience is table stakes for jobs post-graduation. Your student should track companies they are interested in, the roles they have, and leadership and development programs that pique their interest as soon as possible. Students can be hired at any time for internships. Some companies finalize their hiring by Thanksgiving for summer roles. Research timelines for the ideal internship that your student is interested in. Encourage your student to make a document of all of the companies they’ve applied to, tracking deadlines and application needs. Often, references are requested for young professionals. Make sure your student has prepared a list and keeps it on hand to professionally request a reference.
None of us can recall learning how to walk or crawl in infancy, but we recall our first job. Growth happens at a fast pace in our youngest years, continuing on at this pace when we are thrown into our first full-time role. Easing into a new phase of life with an internship under our belts can help post-graduation feel less daunting.
