If you’re anything like other college students, landing a summer internship can be a lengthy, arduous process. What’s more, the numerous options for these summer jobs can make it rather confusing, leaving you wondering where to begin your search. This article provides tips on the initial steps of finding a good summer internship program.

1. Identifying opportunities

One of the first places to start when looking for opportunities to intern is your college’s career office to find out what assistance they have to offer, both online and in person. Most colleges keep databases that students can use to search for organizations that might need interns.

In addition to that, these databases in many cases will have information on former students who have previously been employed in specific organizations. If this is the case for your college, use this information to network with alumni and set up appointments in which you can learn about their experiences at the organizations you are considering.

Industry websites and blogs are a valuable resource, especially if they contain listings for intern positions. Your college’s career office may also be in a position to provide you with these links. Alternatively, if you happen to know someone in the industry you are interested in interning in, you can ask for their advice.

Make use of internship search engines, which are websites dedicated to providing you with listings for internships in virtually any industry you can think of. They are linked to listings on various industry-specific sites and have proven far more effective than simply relying on advertisements. It is also a good idea to check out career pages of companies you are interested in.

2. Use a spreadsheet to manage your search

With all the internship opportunities in the market, it’s impossible to keep track of all of them in your head. It is therefore useful to create an excel sheet for this purpose. The following are some of the items you need to include about the potential opportunities for interning:

• The industry
• Name of the company
• Contact information
• Location
• Paid or unpaid
• Qualifications
• Application materials
• Application deadline

By keeping track of these details, you can sort them out in terms of priority. Most importantly, you’ll be able to keep track of application deadlines and not miss out on opportunities.

3. Gathering materials for application

As you continue to come up with a list of companies in which you’re interested in working as a summer intern, you also need to start gathering all the materials required, including your cover letter, resume, and academic documents such as transcripts to support your resume.

When it comes to writing a resume and cover letter, you need not reinvent the wheel. There are numerous resources online that you can use to come up with a template for each that you can tailor for every application you make. At this stage, consult your college’s career counselors to help you come up with a rock-solid template for your cover letter and resume.

Bio:

Toni M. Kersey is a Seattle-based blogger, author and editor. In recent years, his work has been featured in various career and human resources websites where he writes on career-related topics including finding internships, switching jobs, etc.