bluebubbles

Hey everyone,

I'll be entering my first year of college this fall but I'm already worried about not being able to find decent internships for next summer. I was very active in HS but more along the linesof community service and heavy involvement/leadership in clubs. Never worked an actual job or internship.

Does anyone have any tips for me? What assets should I focus on when marketing myself? I'm an IR major but am also interested in consultancy, politics, economics, and social policy.

Thanks for your help! Really appreciate it.

Altema

Well, you can definitely market any leadership you've had in your community service and clubs. That's always a positive thing. Showcase how you can work effectively with people.

Other than that, good GPA, maybe put your SAT score if it was really high, and you should be as set as you can be given your situation.

Just don't be picky with applying. You should accept most things that come your way even if its a little inconvenient. Once you complete at least one internship, you can afford to be a little more picky.

Christian2

Make sure you visit your school's Career Center as soon as possible to familiarize yourselve with what they offer. Go to career/job fair and sign up to interview for any summer jobs/internships. Also be proactive with internet search. Many big companies accept summer intern applications on-line so look for those. Work hard, not picky and you will be OK.

apolitico

If you are interested in politics work on a campaign next summer. Most campaigns will be more then willing to bring on a freshman as an intern. If you are hard working and diligent you will most likely pick up a lot of experience and responsibility quickly. The internship will teach you a lot and serve as a stepping stone to better internships and jobs with the network you will have access to.

AwesomeOpossum

another option (if you have it) is connections that you/your family has. I'm a freshman right now (though I'm ou tof here in a week, oh god), and my resume was sent out to a lot of connections my family has (like patients of my dad and stuff) that could use an intern for a summer. Since someone at all of those places knows me (semi)personally I have a lot better chance of landing the internship.

bluebubbles

These tips are great, thanks a lot! Gotta get cracking...

kitty56

Definitely keep the gpa up. Many internships my S saw and/or applied for required a minimum gpa of 3.0.

mochamaven

Get a real job this summer, even if it's as a waiter or cashier at the mall. You'll
1. get work experience that will help when you apply for internships
2. earn spending money for college

BCEagle91

Get a part-time job during the spring semester - even if it's only five to ten hours.