The MacBlog

Advice for Potential Freshmen From a Freshie Herself: Internship and Resume Edition

Internship? What internship? I'm just a freshman!

If you're thinking to yourself, "how am I supposed to think about internships when I haven't even started my freshman year?/am in the midst of my second semester of college?" here's your reason: The earlier you start, the better off you'll be. In fact, I didn't write my blog post last night because I was touching up my resume for about the tenth time... And I still don't know how to get the accent mark over the e.

For potential freshies, if this is the first post you're reading about college life, stop. Just stop right now, because you're going to give yourself a panic attack. There are three posts prior to this, each beginning with 'Advice for Potential Freshmen From a Freshie Herself', and I highly suggest you read those first. Ease into knowing about college life with a synopsis of the first two semesters and of midterms before you jump right into applying for internships.

For everyone else, let's get started.

The reason you should start applying for internships is so that you can officially begin your professional life after high school. This post will mainly cover summer internships but is also applicable to internships during the academic year in case you're planning to go away for the majority of break, get a job, or simply do nothing.All of which are cool, so long as you at least attempt to get an internship or even a job in your potential career field by this time next year.

The first step in applying for internships is to actually think about what you would like to do. Before you begin searching, take your time thinking about what you're going to dedicate a chunk of your life to. If you have an idea of what career you'd like to pursue, your priority internships of consideration should be those in this field. When it comes time to actually apply for jobs in this field, you want some experience. Then, I'd suggest applying for internships in something you may consider a minor in or in something you know you're good at. Personally, I plan on becoming a social worker, so I'm applying to internships in social services and human development. But, I also enjoy and have experience in writing, so I also applied to be an Editorial Assitant. The more you apply to and actually are interested in, the better.

When you have an idea of what you'd like to applytpr, begin searching through a few mediums.
1. Speak to your advisor, who should definitely have an idea of what you're interested in doing in life, because he/she will not only help you write your resume and cover letter, but also possibly know about a couple of internships relevant to you.
2. I'd also recommend speaking to upperclassmen because they've gone through it and are going through it, so they could give you advice on where to find internships and how to write your resume.
3. If you're going online to find internships, which is the easiest and fastest option, definitely go to idealist.org and internships.com. You write a keyword for the kind of internship you're looking for and hundred of option pop up. Not all are exactly what you had intended on finding, but the majority are. Also try to find out where else you can look from your peers.

And now, the horrific task that never ends until you're retired: Writing your resume.

Your resume will change constantly. It will be modified (and drastically improved) by your advisor, it will be tailored three different ways to fit three specific jobs you're applying to at the same time, it will either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Or both. Definitely both.
The most valuable tip I can give in regards to resume writing is to meet with your advisor. Advisors will provide you with resume templates that are more modern and appealing to employers than the ones you'll find by yourself online, if you even find a free resume template online. Then after you give your first try at writing your resume, which will be terrible, meet with your advisor so they can save-- I mean help, you. The first time I wrote my resume, I thought that it was solid. I even had three of my friends who had had jobs look over it and they thought it was good too. Then I met with my advisor and about a third of it was left unaltered. Trust me from experience, your first draft of your resume needs a pair of experienced eyes to read through it and hands to tear it apart.

Some specific tips for resume writing:
-List your accomplishments, not just your duties. Yeah, you tutored an eighth grader in English twice a week for three months. That's great, but did his grades improve? How high did he score on the New York State English Exam? Did his average bump up? These details are critical.
-Use atrong action verbs. Your advisor should give you a list. No employer wants to read how you "did" something or "helped" out with something else. You achieved and assisted-- among other things.
-Keep it to one page. Be concise. You can't be too wordy in listing your accomplishments and skills because you don't know how many resumes someone has to read. What you can be a little wordy with is your cover letter, which is the next part of the application process.

Now you have a better verison of your resume, but that isn't enough for some internships. Many also require a cover letter. A cover letter is basically a chance to give employers an impression of the kind of person you are. Explain how you think that you would be an asset to this company/organization. What makes you stand out and what can only you bring to the table? Why should you have this position? Why are you interested in the position at all? Again, meet with your advisor to re-write your cover letters. And, as you may assume, each cover letter should be unique to each position you're applying to, so prep yourself for possible carpal tunnel.

I hope you all find this useful in your quest for internships. I wish you all the best of luck!