The internship search

Find your focus

Be clear about your goals and what you would like to get out of an internship. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What type of experience are you hoping to have?
• Do you want to receive academic credit or funding?
  • Many CEHD majors require an internship or field experience as part of your degree requirements for graduation. Connect with your major advisor to determine their specific requirements.
• What skills would you like to develop?
• What career fields or industries interest you?
• What type of organization is a good fit? (government, for-profit, non-profit, education, large, small)
• How do people in your field connect with each other?
• Learn how to research careers.

Create an effective resume, cover letter, and portfolio

Having good marketing materials (resume, cover letter, and portfolio) is essential to a successful internship search. Begin creating your materials early!

• Write a draft of your resume and cover letter.
  • Resume resources
  • Cover letter resources
• Create a professional portfolio
• Have your materials reviewed by a career counselor.

Find internship opportunities

• Search Handshake for internship postings.
• Apply to on-campus interviews through Handshake
• Attend CEHD career events and campus job fairs.
• Create a list of organizations you would like to intern with and contact them directly. Many internship positions are not advertised.
• Share your career interests with who you know and see who they can also connect you with. This is the best way to learn about unadvertised opportunities.
• Create your own internship with an organization that does not have a current internship program.

Prepare for the interview

• Learn the basics of interviewing.
• Schedule an interview preparation appointment with a career counselor.
• Do an online mock interview with InterviewStream.