The Internship Search Process

The internship process can be broken down into the steps listed below. Click on any of the steps for a broader explanation.

1. Explore your options
2. Prepare and search
3. Should you do it for credit?
4. Research additional funding
5. Preparing your resume, cover letters, and applications</a>
6. Interviews
7. Making the most of an internship
8. Evaluation
9. Follow-up with the BCSV

Explore your options

Consider where you have housing available, additional ways you have to make money, and connections you have. Think about areas of interest to you, skills you want to develop, or causes about which you are passionate. You probably won't be able to work in all these areas at once, so make some initial decisions. Choose a direction that is the best match between what you skills have to offer and what organizations need.


Prepare and search

Learn how to search by attending a workshop, picking up an internship workbook "Internships: The steps from searching to Reflection" in the BCSV, or making an appointment with the Internship Coordinator. Check out the our ideas of other opportunities, programs, and places where you can gain experience through an internship. Need more help? Come into the Bonner Center for Service and Vocation and look at the resources we have available.


Should you do it for credit?

Make your time and work at your internship stand out on your transcript by completing the Petition for Internship Form at the Registrar's office. Even if you complete your internship for 0 credits, take the time to complete this form and it will be noted on your transcript.


Research additional funding

Depending what you want to do as an internship there may be grant monies available through foundations or other sources. There are also scholarships, fellowships, and programs available if you qualify.

Start searching early for these opportunities because they are often highly selective and have strict deadlines. Moreover, money is usually distributed by March. There are resources in the BCSV and here on the Earlham internship web pages to learn more about these opportunities.


Preparing your resume, cover letters, and applications

Resumes should strongly reflect what about you is most important to the position for which you are applying. If your extracurricular activities, unpaid internship, or volunteer work better reflect the skills needed in the position to which you are applying, then highlight that more prominently than your paid work experience.

Cover letters need to strongly state your motivation for wanting this particular internship. Point out how specific skills or experiences you have match with the skills necessary for a position with that organization. Before you write, research the organization: check out their web site and news articles about their work, and talk with Earlham students or others you know who have interned or worked there. Once you have this information, use your cover letter to say why you're a great match for their company.

Personal statements, like cover letters, should show a connection between the skills you possess and the opportunity available. Tell why the organization should be interested in you, and why you're interested in the organization.

Need more help? Attend a resume and cover letter writing workshop. Pick up a free resume writing workbook in the BCSV. Meet with the Internship Coordinator or Career Advisor to go over your work - we can help your work stand out.

Interviews

Practice, practice, practice! Make an appointment for a mock interview with the Internship Coordinator or Career Advisor. Research the organization and think about the questions they will want to know about you. For additional help, check out the BCSV's book "Staying Cool in the Hot Seat."

Being prepared will give you an edge over other qualified applicants. Take the time to know what it takes to be a good interviewee for each interview.


Making the most of an internship

Make a portfolio of all your work during your internship. Take pictures of the work you do. Document your experience while it is fresh in your mind. These may make great examples one day, but if you don't record them you will forget the details.

If you have done good work, ask for a general letter of recommendation as you are concluding your internship. Your supervisors may change positions, leave the organization, or simply forget what you did when you later need their recommendation.

Write thank you notes to those who helped you learn and with whom you worked closely. Showing your genuine appreciation for their work makes you be a stand out if they ever have position openings.


Evaluation

Earlham students want and need to know where other Earlham students have interned or done research, field studies, or apprenticeships. Help other Earlham students know about your internship, the work site, and your experience there by completing the Internship Evaluation Form. We will make sure your information is made available online for others.


Follow-up with the BCSV

Let us know if your internship search was successful or not. We can help you and other students better from this information. If you better find out what a particular organization is looking for in an intern, share your insights with us and we will pass on your experience to other Earlham students. The Internship Coordinator, Sonia Smith is eager to talk with you.