We all want an internship, but we fear it’s impossible to obtain one. You may think that you can’t get one because “you are a first-year undergraduate student” or “you don’t have any prior work experience”, but that is not the case. In this blog, I will highlight ways to start looking for an internship that you can truly secure.
Have a Good Resumé
Recruiters and hiring managers want to see a one-page, concise resumé, not a resumé that stretches three pages long. According to The Muse, recruiters spend 6 seconds on average reading a resumé. If you are struggling to cut yours down, ask yourself if you have any of the following non-pertinent information included:
- An objective/mission statement
- Non-relevant work experience from over 5 years ago
- Photos of any kind
- A biography
- Non-relevant certifications to the position you’re applying for (e.g., CPR training)
If you have any of these on your resumé, you should consider cutting these down as recruiters are not looking for this information when they read your resumé. Your resumé should only list your current education, work experience, and extra-curricular/volunteer experience, and briefly mention your technical skills and interests, which should be one sentence each.
If you are still struggling to shorten your resumé, I would recommend having a “master resumé” that lists all your experiences and qualifications to date. Then, when you are applying to an internship, compose your one-page resumé drawing from only those experiences and qualifications relevant to that specific position to make you stand out against other applicants.
Attached is a resumé template used by HBA Ivey students to guide you in creating your resumé.
Leverage LinkedIn
I landed both of my internships last summer through LinkedIn. LinkedIn not only helped me find job opportunities but also allowed me to find opportunities I was interested in. I knew I was interested in finance, real estate, and consulting; however, I couldn’t narrow it down between a handful of internships I was planning on applying to. To combat this, I used LinkedIn and messaged students who worked in the aforementioned fields. In my message, I asked them if they would be open to a coffee chat. A coffee chat is an informal conversation that is excluded from the actual recruiting process but is used to discuss someone’s past job/internship to better understand their experience in that field. In said coffee chat, I would ask them what their internship/work experience was like in terms of their day-to-day schedule and what the employee culture was like. This allowed me to gauge whether I could see myself in their shoes.
Once I narrowed my interests, I started looking at companies hiring for the positions I was keen on through LinkedIn and Google. Your coffee chats should have given you an idea of companies recruiting for your relevant field(s), so a search such as “CIBC Real Estate internship opportunities” or “Real Estate internship opportunities summer 2023” on Google/LinkedIn would be a great way to start. From there, I used LinkedIn again to connect with recruiters/campus ambassadors from these companies, students that interned for my attracted position at that company, and full-time employees who work in the department related to the position of interest. Sometimes, you can find group coffee chats that campus recruiters are hosting to make yourself known. These group coffee chats or information sessions can be found as job postings on the company career sites and invite links may be posted to a recruiter’s LinkedIn. Further, reaching out to students that have interned in your desired position already and relevant full-time employees for a coffee chat are other ways to make yourself known. It is important to note that networking/coffee chatting with as many people as possible will allow you to acquire an extensive range of perspectives on your desired field or internship.
It doesn’t end here. The end goal is a referral and/or recommendation, so you can score a better chance at securing an interview. You will not get this by simply talking to them once; it’s essential to maintain that connection by liking and commenting on their posts. Once you have built a rapport, you can ask a recruiter, past intern, full-time employee, or whoever you were coffee-chatting with for a referral/recommendation.
The Interview
Upon getting to this stage, it’s paramount to have a good idea of the role you are applying to and the values and culture of the company. These will come in handy during your interview and will allow you to prove to the interviewer you are passionate about the company and the position.
During the interview, avoid speaking negatively about your past experiences as it reflects far more poorly on you than on your past employer. The person interviewing you is more interested in knowing how you overcame challenges constructively; therefore, keep your answers positive in nature. Secondly, as self-implied as this sounds, answer the question at hand. Often, telling the interviewer too much leaves a poor impression and loses their interest. Take the time to think before you answer questions and avoid bumbling to an uncomfortable halt. Further, ensure you maintain professionalism. While some interviews may seem easygoing and relaxed, you mustn’t capitalize on this. Keep a good balance of expressing your personality and character while exhibiting overall professionalism. Finally, ask questions at the end of your interview to further illustrate your enthusiasm to prove that you are working towards understanding the full scope of the position/company. For example, consider asking “What was a passion project of yours at this company and why?”
After the interview, it is necessary to email the person that interviewed you and thank them for their time. This is not only a courteous gesture but also one that keeps you relevant when the recruiting team decides who progresses.
If the interview yields a negative result, this is not a loss. Why? Because you have just gained another connection with that company. For future reference, you can reach out to the person who interviewed you for feedback and a potential referral if you apply to the company again.
Takeaway
The biggest takeaway is to start this process early. You want to maintain your connections for months before asking for a recommendation. Even if they cannot give you a recommendation, you have built a successful association with them that can be useful in the future. Above all, it’s impossible to set high expectations by cold applying to jobs and expecting a response. It's all about networking.