4 Tips To Land Your Dream Summer Internship

By Jody Bell

Did you know that undergraduate students who have internship experience are 15% less likely to be unemployed and earn 6% more than students who graduate without an internship? This data is from 2015, and as the job force becomes even more competitive, internships have truly become crucial.

Not only do these experiences look great on your resume, but they allow you to explore how classroom concepts translate to the professional world. 

Whether you don’t have a major, or are nearly done with your studies and seeking full-time employment, internships are valuable.  While it’s only January and the summer is months away, it is prime time to start laying the foundation for your summer internship search.

Below are our top 4 tips on how to set yourself up for a successful and immersive summer internship experience. 

1. Define the objectives and parameters of your dream internship

Internships are valuable for anyone, however, depending on where you are in your professional career you will be looking for something drastically different than your peers. 

Are you unsure of your major but know what general field you want to be in? Or are you set on your major, but looking to explore what the industry is like outside of the classroom? Maybe you are positive that this is the professional direction you want to head in, but you are determining which organizational culture suits you best. 

Personally, I knew I was academically interested in investments, but passionate about sustainability. I knew that if I couldn’t integrate sustainability into my work I wouldn’t be fulfilled – but in my classes I never saw finance combined with sustainability. My school didn’t offer many courses on impactful investing, so I took an internship this past summer at an asset management firm that caters investment strategies to client’s moral beliefs (which largely encompassed sustainability.) This experience cemented that it is possible for me to combine my love for sustainability with my career.

Try to come up with a 1-2 sentence objective on what you want to learn from your internship on a personal level. Additionally, jot down the parameters of your internship –  does it have to be paid? Do you want it to be remote, or are you looking to relocate for the summer? 

2. Speak to your professors about specific options/roles

Once you have a general idea of what you would like to get out of the internship, it’s time to see what specific roles and niches within the industry would best fit your needs. 

For me, I had already declared my major in finance and knew I wanted to spend my internship working within the intersection between investments and sustainability. I began by searching “financial sustainability internships” and “impact investing” over and over and didn’t find many firms to apply to. I then had a meeting with my professor and he was able to map out many different directions I could go in – from corporate development, to market research, to a general analyst position at an investment banking firm. I made a huge list of keywords and roles, and turned on notifications on LinkedIn so whenever a role was posted within my selected keywords, I got an email. 
Funny enough, I ended up interning with my professor later in my academic career – something that would not have happened if I didn’t reach out and show my interest in learning outside of the classroom. 

So, schedule a time to speak with one of your professors and make sure to take some good notes. Once you're done with that conversation, turn on notifications on LinkedIn/Handshake/Indeed so you can monitor and apply for relevant positions. 

3. Polish your LinkedIn and start expanding your circle 

LinkedIn is the absolute go-to for connecting with professionals in the industries you hope to enter. 

If you don’t have a LinkedIn, definitely get one started, and if you do have a LinkedIn, ensure it is completely up to date and you are staying active on it. Here’s a great resource on starting your LinkedIn and aligning it with your career goals.

Once your LinkedIn is set, connect with your professors, classmates, and everyone you directly know. You should send a note with each of these requests to connect, and try your best to personalize them. Once you have your immediate network reflected on your LinkedIn, you can begin to take a look at professionals in the industry that may be connected with your established network. As a student, many of these professionals are more than happy to take a few moments of their day to speak to you about their career if you approach them in a professional manner. Make sure you have something in common with them (shared close connection, faculty member at your institution, etc) and state this connection in your note to them. Provide your email, reason for reaching out, and your industry of interest – which is a lot to pack into a small message. You may want to make a few drafts and have a fairly set outline that you customize based on the individual – just try to make it concise and professional. 

4. Every time you finish speaking to someone – ask who they could connect you with

While this is a good rule of thumb for any professional conversation, it is especially important for college students looking to rapidly build out their network. 

Once you are speaking with someone on the phone or zoom, you are in a great position to further expand your network – this is exactly why making those few first connections are really crucial. 

This can be a very simple request at the very end of the meeting. I would recommend something along the lines of “thank you so much for your time, as I continue to learn more about this field I want to speak to as many individuals as possible. Do you happen to know of anyone who may be interested in speaking with me, and would you be willing to connect us?”

Assuming they say yes, ask if you could get their email address and once the call is over send a thank you email referencing your request to speak to someone from their network. 

While it may seem like a waste of time to do all of this prior to applying, the internship process is incredibly competitive. Being able to articulate what you want out of your internship is crucial during your interviews, and if you put the effort in to research the industry your interviewers will notice a huge difference. Additionally, having a strong, visible, and supportive network is crucial to landing an internship once you apply. Once you have done the steps on this list, the actual applications are truly the easy part. 

Jody Bell, 20 is Girls With Impact’s Editor in Chief and a program graduate from Greenwich High School. Girls With Impact is the nation’s only online, business and leadership program for girls 14-24, turning them into tomorrow’s leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators.