Five tips on getting an internship

-- Derek Rushlow

Four manila envelopes with my cover letter, résumé and a sample of my writing lay on the seat beside me as I drive to Woodbury, North St. Paul and Stillwater. I planned to drive to previously-selected newspaper offices and hand each manila envelope personally to the managing editor.

Everything was going well, dropping off my envelopes and briefly talking with the managing editors about working for them. After dropping off the final envelope at the Stillwater Gazette newspaper office, I drove home.

A couple of months later, I called the Stillwater Gazette to check on the status of my résumé. The managing editor said he wasn’t looking for an employee but could use an extra pair of hands around the office. That was when and how I got my internship at the Stillwater Gazette newspaper office.

Not everyone who attends Metropolitan State University is a Writing major, but everyone could benefit from an internship in their chosen field. If you want an internship but don’t know how to get one, my five tips below might help.

Why should an employer want you?
You may not be looking for a job, but résumés provide supervisors with information regarding your skills, education in a field and the kind of position you’re interested in. It isn’t enough to be interested in having an internship—you want to show the supervisor you are willing to work and aren’t just there to observe.

"Internships are great for translating material learned in class to actual job situations," said Suzanne Walfoort,a faculty liaison who works with Metropolitan State University students on their internships.

"Internships are also a wonderful mechanism for a student who has been mostly in classes to transition to a professional context."

Got connections within your career interest?
Do you know someone who is in the field you want to pursue? If you do, this person may be able to pull some strings and help get you an internship. It might be at the place s/he works or it might be elsewhere. If you’re lucky enough to have such connections, then keep in mind that the supervisor may still need to see a résumé and might want to meet before hiring you as an intern.

Overall, take advantage of your connections. They may help you land an internship that may eventually land you a job in your career of interest.

Be persistent, not annoying
A few weeks have gone by and you haven’t heard anything from them. That is, you have sent this person your résumé and s/he hasn’t gotten back to you. Is it a subtle way of them saying, "Sorry, but we’re not interested in taking you in?" Not necessarily.

Call and ask about the status of your résumé. Remind the person that you are interested in an internship, even though you may have stated that in your cover letter. Keep in mind that these people are busy with their jobs and that hiring an intern isn’t always on their agenda.

However, don’t confuse "persistent" with "annoying." If the person who you addressed your résumé to doesn’t return your call after a few weeks, don’t keep calling. Being annoying will lessen your chances of getting your foot in the door anywhere. Show an interest in learning about the inner-workings of a certain organization, but be careful not to get overzealous.

Use the information highway
Metropolitan State University offers a list of Web sites for students seeking internships for different majors. Many of these Web sites offer search engines that will locate a potential internship with typed keywords. For example, if you type "accounting" in the keyword box, then a list of accounting internships will appear.

Patience is a virtue
Remember that getting an internship will not happen overnight. Call the office supervisor or whoever you handed your résumé to after a few weeks if you haven’t heard back from them. Don’t call within hours of hand-delivering your résumé. Give them time to read over your cover letter and résumé and to consider taking you on as an intern.

Three Web sites useful in a search for an internship:

http://protect.metrostate.edu/internship/search.htm
This is the database of ongoing internships posted at Metropolitan State University. Just click on "Metropolitan Internship Opportunities." This database is frequently updated, so keep checking back.

http://www.stpaulintern.net
A Web site that lists internships in the St. Paul area.

http://www.internshipprograms.com
Students can search the internship database as well as post résumés and even read internship reviews—which may be extra helpful in finding an ideal internship.

For more information about how to obtain an internship, call the Internship Office at (651) 793-1285.