How to find an internship
About the Author
Tabea Marie Nordhausen is a second-year IBCoM student. In her free time, Tabea likes to write, listen to music, and painting. This is her second year of participating in the Embrace committee as a writer, but this year she is also the Chairman of the committee.
How to find an internship
For many second years, it is soon time to start their internship and gain work experience for the first time. But how do you find an internship?
LinkedIn is one of the most useful platforms to find an internship. Most companies post their vacancies on LinkedIn. These are easily accessible under the Job option on the network. There you can look for specific vacancies, for instance, PR or digital marketing internships. Most companies give a lot of information about the job itself and their values. Paying attention to these descriptions can be really helpful for two reasons: Firstly, you can see if the job fits your expectations. Secondly, you can learn something about the company and apply that knowledge to a potential job interview. Once you have found an internship you like, you can simply click on the button "Apply now", and then you get redirected to the application process. Simple, isn't it?
Graduateland
Graduateland is also a great way of finding a suitable internship. The platform shows you several job vacancies in the area of your choice. It is similar to the job option on LinkedIn. You can read through the information the company gives about the vacancy and what they are looking for. Through Graduateland, it is possible to apply or send a message to a company right away without being redirected another page. As a result, the application process is even easier than LinkedIn. Another nice feature the website has is that it lets you see the days left for a vacancy to be taken down. Therefore, you will always know how much time you have left to apply for an internship!
Other ways
Another great way of finding an internship is to broaden your opportunities by simply contacting companies. Sometimes companies do not have a vacancy online but are still open to people asking if they need an intern. Some companies will ask to get to know you better and see if you fit into the company's picture. Both the email and a potential interview allow you to showcase your skills and convince the company that even if they did not look for an intern, it would be bad to miss out on your skills. The worst thing that can happen is that they decline, but maybe you can find an internship at your dream company if you dare to ask.
Final Tips
Once you have found a company you want to apply for, make sure you do not ruin your chance by overlooking something or mistakes in your CV. Ask someone to review your CV with you, another pair of eyes can be beneficial and spot mistakes you did not notice. Also, do not just write a cover letter and send it right away. Try to proofread it a few times to make sure there are no mistakes, and then you can confidentially send it to the company of your choice.
The moment you get an interview, it is essential to prepare yourself for it. You should research the company beforehand, their values, their history and projects. Most of the time, you will be asked something about these points during the interview. The interviewer often wants to see that you are actually interested in the company itself and not just getting a random internship. It is always advisable to apply for several companies at first, so you have enough time to have interviews and have a few options if you do not get a position.
Good luck!