Top 10 Ways to Land the Internship You Want

Spring will come and go before you know it, and that means a narrow window of time for high school graduates and college students to consider and seek out summer internship opportunities. And, although the beach may be calling, a summer internship holds advantages over one during an academic semester. Most importantly, a summer internship allows you to focus on a new experience, without competing with coursework. For college students who study away from home, it’s the perfect way to spend time with family and friends, earn an income, and explore a career you have interest in. New high school graduates also have an opportunity to further explore where their career interests may lie.

The difference between a summer internship and a summer job

A summer job is fairly cut and dry. It generally involves work in exchange for an hourly rate at a job you may or may not be interested in, usually performing unskilled labor. Teaching and learning opportunities are typically slim to none. You are there to mow the grass, get paid, and go home.

On the other hand, an internship is a commitment by an employer to invest in future members of the workforce. Employers that provide internship opportunities do so because they believe in being good corporate citizens, and hope to share their expertise with new up and coming talent. They want to meet students with whom to build long-term relationships that will hopefully lead to regular employment down the road when you complete your education.

There is no better way to get an insider’s view of a prospective employer, it’s corporate culture, and learn how to ace a future employment interview at a specific company, than from the inside – as an intern.

Top 10 ways to land the internship you want

1. Set up search alerts on job boards in the early spring.
2. Create a resume and cover letter to help differentiate yourself from other applicants. If this is your first internship or employment experience, use experience gained from school and extracurricular activities like service organizations, sports, clubs, scouting, etc.
3. Contact your guidance counselor or career services advisor to ask for leads based on your interests.
4. Call the HR department of companies that do what you are interested in learning more about and ask if summer internships or tours will be available and how to apply.
5. Ask family friends who work in companies you might be interested in to help get your resume and cover letter into the right hands.
6. Ask for a letter of recommendation from teachers, principals, and organizations you have volunteered at.
7. Create a LinkedIn profile and complete it with the same experiences from your resume, and add what your educational and professional goals are. Follow companies you might be interested in and connect with people who work at them.
8. Be enthusiastic and inquisitive, and communicate in in complete answers, rather than yes and no, when you speak to company representatives.
9. If you are invited to an interview, ask what the dress code is and dress that way when you go.
10. Ask for the company representative’s business card and send a thank you email or note by snail mail after tours or interviews.

We are excited and ready to meet and invest in the work learning experiences of high school graduates and college students interested in summer internships with us in Landscape Management, Horticulture, Business Operations, Retail Sales & Merchandising, and Marketing.

Evercor offers great opportunities to earn while you learn, for high school graduates and college students, through a State/Local Internship Program (SLIP) grant to the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board (LSWIB), from the PA Department of Labor and Industry.