Find an Engineering Internship
In today's fast pace professional environment, it is all but required that students pursuing careers in the engineering field have experience in the form of an internship. While almost all students want to find an internship, the process can be much more difficult than first perceived. Below are some basic steps and advice that will be beneficial in how to go about landing your first internship.
Steps
- Update or create a resume. Having a well formatted and relevant resume is an essential first step when it comes to applying for any internship. If this is a new idea to you there are many free online resources that provide tips in resume writing. If you are a student attending a university, there are most likely free resume writing workshops where professionals can help you with the resume writing process. As an engineering student you may also want to think about tailoring your resume to your specific major. Some ways of doing this may include:
- Creating an Objective Statement related to your short term goals in the field of engineering.
- Listing courses you have taken related to math, science, and engineering.
- Listing engineering related software you are familiar with.
- Optional: List your engineering specific GPA.
- Determine which field of engineering is right for you. With many different fields of engineering, it can be overwhelming when its time to make the decision on which one to pursue. In order to avoid the regret of making the wrong choice, it may be useful to do the following when deciding which path is for you.
- Reach out to professionals in different fields. They will be able to provide you valuable information on what career options are available for certain fields, and how they went about pursuing them.
- Ask to shadow a professional in a field you are interested in.
- Take time to find out what interests you the most.
- Start networking early. It can be very valuable to have connections in the field you are interested in. Talk with family and friends to see if anyone that you know has a career you have interest in. If you discover someone you know is an engineer, express your interest in the field to them. Chances are they have connections in the field and can help you get in contact with future employers.
- Attend a job fair. Almost all Universities will have multiple job fairs throughout the year. This is an event where representatives from a large number of organizations come to meet with students, and prospective employees. This is a great opportunity to network and get your name out there. Recruiters find these fairs a perfect way to assess your talent, so give it your best shot. If you attend, be sure to have several hard copies of your resume on hand, and be dressed in business casual to formal attire. Even if this experience does not lead to an internship, it will provide great experience when it finally comes to interviewing for a job, allowing you to feel comfortable around other professionals.
- Keep your grades up. While an engineering degree is one of the more difficult degrees to pursue, it is very important to maintain relatively good grades. While this may seem obvious, it is very attractive to future employers if they see a high GPA for a student pursuing an engineering degree.
- Almost all universities have programs dedicated to making sure their students excel. If you find your grades slipping, it may be helpful to take advantage of some the resources your school provides to you.
- Build up experience. Experience can be viewed as much more than just previous jobs. While it is important to demonstrate previous work experience on your resume, experience can also come in many different forms. If you find that you don't have much engineering related experience or work experience in general early in your career, it may be useful to pursue the following.
- Join a engineering related club at your school.
- Find a part time job on campus.
- Volunteer with local organizations.
- Start or get involved with a project.
- Use "Job Finding" websites. There are many websites out there were employers can post job openings available at their company. Most of these websites allow you to narrow down your search to specifically what you're looking for, and apply to a certain job directly. You will most likely need to enter some basic information about yourself, and attach a digital version of your resume when applying to a job online. Why this process can be tedious, it is a great tool to helping you find an internship.
- Create a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is one of the largest professional networking sites. It is very simple to create your own profile on the site. Once you have done this you will have access to network with professionals in your field of interest, and also browse through job openings they may have not been available to you otherwise.
- Work on a cover letter. A cover letter is a document that goes hand in hand with your resume. When applying for an internship online they will most likely give you the option to attach a cover letter. A cover letter allows you to further expand or highlight certain areas of your resume. It is also a good idea to tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for. For example, if the job description lists certain requirements it expects from their future employees, focus on how you meet those requirements.
- Learn professional Email etiquette. If an employer is interested in hiring you, there is a good chance you will be in contact with them via email. Proper email etiquette is a great skill to develop. It is not only important in order to demonstrate professionalism in the hiring process, but is also important in everyday communication once you secure the internship.
- Practice interview skills. Now that you have gotten noticed, you should have been asked to come in for an interview by now. If you are unfamiliar with this idea, your university again will most likely have many resources you can take advantage of to learn about the art of interviewing, as well as practice your craft.
- A lot of the time the employer may choose to conduct a phone interview rather than an in person interview at first. This will take some of the pressure away from the interviewee. The interview is the final step to landing the internship. Make sure you show up early and look presentable. It is also a good idea to have a copy of your resume on hand!
- Don't give up! It is very common to become discouraged in the process of finding an internship or a job. A lot of the time after applying for a job you won't hear back from them. Do not take this as a personal insult, it is simply impossible for them to get back to everyone with increasing amount of applicants. Stay persistent in your search and you will find the internship your looking for!
Warnings
- It can be easy to get discouraged during this process. Know that it is normal to not hear back from the majority of companies that you apply to online.
Things You'll Need
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Internet access
