Wednesday 24 June 2015

Summer Internship Opportunities

Why summer internships are more important than ever
While internships certainly existed a generation ago they were no where near as prevalent as they are today. Despite momentary blips of economic decline the economy as whole is tremendously larger than it was even just one or two generations ago. The proliferation of high school graduates attending college has raised the stakes with regards to the necessity for students to begin building productive resumes as soon as the summer following their freshmen year of college. In the early days of higher education such a small percentage of the general population went to college that simply garnering a degree from a four year institution was enough to separate a qualified job candidate from the array of degree-less applicants.

There are countless societal advantages to living in a nation where a college education is more readily available than ever before. One of the small downsides for college students that fail to plan appropriately is that a college diploma alone does not entitle its holder to a successful career or even a living wage. While opportunities abound it is the students with the most foreword thinking minds that will land the most coveted college internships and summer jobs . In doing so, these most ambitious students will set themselves up for the greatest chance of career success.

Where to find summer internship opportunities online
The internet has completely transformed the way that college students look for internships and summer jobs. Interestingly, almost all current college students can barely remember the world before the internet was invented. The internet is a tremendous tool that speeds up communication and allows individuals that would likely never have the opportunity to interact to find each other.
Among the most popular websites for searching for college internships are some staples like Monster.com which has a brand extension specifically dedicated to internships called Monster Trak. Hot Jobs and Career Builder also offer tools for finding summer jobs but these websites predominately specialize in full time jobs. QuintCareers.com and InternSearch.com offer resources specifically focused on matching college students with the best internships available. 

Where to really find the best summer internship opportunities
Many students are surprised to hear that the best summer internship opportunities are not advertised or marketed to the public. The best summer internships are not the result of on campus recruiting or a 4.0 grade point average. The secret to finding the best internships is to find the ones that have no competition.
Prized internships with highly respected companies for positions that allow a unique set of interaction with executives are hard to come by if a student does not have connections. The truth of matter is that nearly every student has more connections than they realize. It is common advice for on campus career centers and guidance counselors to recommend that internship seekers speak to family friends and relatives about their job search. The problem is that only a very tiny percentage of families have the sort of prestigious connections necessary to ensure a spot in a highly desired internship program.
In order to broaden the working world connections that a student has it is advised that they contact alumni of their university to inquire about opportunities. In the twenty-first century almost all universities have electronic databases that store contact information for alums. The universities use these databases to elicit donations and alumni have the ability to network through the database - something done by a surprisingly small amount of them.
To find the best summer internships 2015 students are encouraged to contact their career center requesting the catalog of alumni and then sort the relevant fields to find the most appropriate (location, industry, etc.) for contacting. Rather than directly asking for a job students should ask only for advice and direction for focusing their career path. Alumni will overwhelmingly be flattered to be contacted with requests for their expertise and be more than happy to help in any way possible, which often includes offering up a job with them if the idea is even remotely possible.

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