Author: Nathan Parcells

Unwind With Urban Design Influence

“Summer, summer, summer time… Time to sit back and unwind”
–DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

For most college students, summer break is the most anticipated time of the year! Goodbye tests and quizzes. Hello sunshine and music festivals. It’s also the time of year that most students begin their summer internships. This is why we’re dedicating our weekly spotlight to summer internships. In addition to all of the “unwinding”, we want to make sure that you’re also interning! After all, the majority of full-time job offers for college students come from summer internships.

We’re kicking off the season with Seattle-based design firm, Urban Design Influence. They are looking for students with superb design and typography skills. This paid summer internship will offer students the opportunity to take on projects as their own – and the chance to be mentored by Urban Design Influence’s award-winning staff.

Worried about leaving your dog at home? Don’t worry! Bring him/her along. That’s just one of the perks of a summer internship there.

Interested applicants should apply with a cover letter, resume, portfolio link and reasons why a summer internship at Urban Design Influence is right for them.

Apply.

Save This Search: Get Internships in Your Inbox

One of our Twitter followers (shout out to @Rafriqi) tweeted us to find out if we had a newsletter to keep her posted on new internship positions.

After seeing her tweet, we realized that this was the perfect time to debut WayUp’s newest feature – which we have been testing and keeping secret until now!

Allow me to introduce: Save This Search (STS)

We built STS for busy college students like Rafriqi- who wanted to receive easy email alerts about specific types of internship positions. Unlike other companies with similar features, STS allows you to customize your internship search. Choose how often – every day, every week or every month – and what types of internship positions you want to receive alerts about. Long gone are the days of receiving email spam about accounting internships in boise, when you’re a marketing major in tampa. With STS, you choose! Search for and save as many different internship positions as you like!

Below is a step-by-step guide to get you started!

1) Log in to your InternMatch account (new users can create one here).

Im Li

2) Type in the internship position (ie: marketing, engineering, business) and location that you want into the search bar. 

Find An Internship

3) Click “Save this Search” (located over the search bar) to receive updates about similar internship positions as those listed. 

Stsss

4) When the window prompt appears, choose how often you want to receive email alerts from the drop-down menu. Click save.

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It’s that simple. Have fun!

Casting Call: Land Your Dream Role at the Career Fair

There’s nothing worse than leaving a long day of classes, ditching your friends and tag football, so that you can put on a suit and schmooze with a bunch of strangers. Sound like your dad’s company dinner? Not quite, but close, it’s your on-campus career fair! Whether you view them as a friend or foe, career fairs are a vital resource for a successful internship search and you stand to gain many benefits – like networking with employers and learning about awesome internship programs – from attending.

But let’s face it, this isn’t the Real World (well, kinda) and standing in a room full of strangers can be both overwhelming and intimidating. What do I say? What do I bring? What do I wear? Who do I speak to first? Don’t worry, InternMatch has you covered! We’ve pooled all of our resources – even unleashing a few secrets from employers – and created a list of 5 tips to help you score big at your on-campus career fair!

Get Prepared

So you’ve heard that there’s a career fair coming up soon on campus, now what? Find out from your career counselor if there are any requisites for attending (such as pre-registration), which companies are attending and if they are accepting resumes or scheduling interviews in advance. Some employers like to pre-screen applicants, prior to visiting with them at the career fair. It’s a great way to scope out top-notch talent and often the first step in their internship recruitment process. Once you’re familiar with the career fair schedule, begin to think about your interests, as well as your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant. Make a list of your top preferences so that you will know which companies are a priority for you to visit on game day.

Now do your research. Check out each companies’ website, where you might find information about their on-campus recruitment schedule and internship program. Maybe you can find the name of the recruiter and shoot him or her a quick introductory-email – expressing excitement about their visit to your school and that you look forward to meeting with them. This can serve as a great icebreaker, as many recruiters will see hundreds of students in a day, but they are sure to remember the student who emailed them in advance. Does the company have a Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter account? Everyone loves a little love and this is another great method to express your enthusiasm about a companies’ visit to campus well in advance.

Bring Your Arsenal

Take multiple copies of your resume (think of them as your kryptonite). This point may sound like a no-brainer, but you don’t want to come up empty handed if someone requests a copy of your resume. It’s also a good idea to create 1-2 versions of your resume to reflect your diverse interests. For instance, perhaps you have an interest in both marketing internships and computer science internships – with a background in both – having different versions will give you the flexibility to scope out different types of internship positions. While employers appreciate candidates with diverse skills and interests, some internship programs are major-specific.

Don’t forget your business cards! Employers will meet with hundreds of impressive students at career fairs, but having a business card to hand out after you have chatted with a recruiter is a sure way to demonstrate professionalism and stand out amongst your peers. If you haven’t already, check out our ongoing free business card campaign!

Develop Your Sales Pitch

Once you have the opportunity to get in front of a recruiter, you will have only 5-10 minutes to sell yourself. Hopefully, you have done all of the research from tip # 1 and you’re familiar with the company and their available internship positions. Arrive prepared with 5 key talking points about your strengths and your accomplishments (quantify where possible). Think about the reasons that you would be a great fit for the company, as well as what excites you most about the opportunity to intern with them. Do you know an upperclassman who had an amazing internship experience with them last summer? If you still need ideas check out this one-sheet, created by Jenny Blake at Life After College. This is truly an opportunity for you to shine and express your excitement about the company and their internship program. All of your talking points do not have to be academic or job-related. Just make sure that they are appropriate, memorable, unique and engaging.

Dress for Success

Many students miss out on landing an awesome internship position because of inappropriate clothing, hairstyles or jewelry. If you plan ahead, this does not have to be you! It’s also very important to know your audience. More traditional positions in finance, business and accounting often require business professional attire, while startup/tech companies are more laid-back and often frown upon business attire. It’s always a great idea to err on the side of caution. Keep clothing, hair and jewelry conservative, unless informed otherwise. Use your talking points and resume to emphasize your unique personality. Check out these tips from Virgina Tech’s Career Services Center on how to dress for the career fair.

Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up

So you’ve gone to the career fair and met with some pretty amazing companies. You were well-researched, your stories were funny and engaging, you impressed employers when you handed out your business cards and you even collected a few of your own. The rule of thumb is that you should follow-up with a recruiter at least 24-48 hours after your meeting. Why? Because you want to make sure that they remember you! Shoot the recruiter an email thanking them for speaking with you, reiterating something interesting from your conversation, emphasizing your interest in their company and inquiring about next-steps in the internship recruitment process. Your follow-up is equally as important as your first encounter and a succinct, error-free email is a great way to re-emphasize your interest in a company.

All You Need Is One-Sheet

We’re always keeping our eyes out for useful resources to help make your internship process as rewarding as possible. Today we stumbled upon this awesome one-sheet from Lifehacker – a really cool site that helps you manage and organize just about every aspect of your life!

One-sheets are traditionally used in the entertainment industry to summarize the most important details about a particular project, idea or event – and they’re literally one sheet. In this case you’re going to use this one-sheet, created by Jenny Blake (Life After College), to organize your most important details into talking points before heading into a job interview. With so many awesome things to share, how do you decide which are the most important? Check it out!

As suggested on Lifehacker, take your one-sheet with you before the interview and brush up on your talking points. It’s also a great way to help ease your nerves. Just make sure to put it away before your interview begins.

Fun fact: One-sheets were so helpful during pitch meetings that studios began using them as posters to advertise new film releases.

How to Avoid Getting Lost in “The Black Hole”

“A black hole is a region of space-time from which it is impossible to escape.”

-Stephen Hawkins

Black holes in space consist of collapsed stars where neither sound nor light can escape. In the job world, the term black hole is used for when applicants send countless resumes to employers and hear nothing in response.

Few things are more frustrating than spending hours crafting and customizing an internship application, only to submit it, and hear nothing back. This problem exists for a number of reasons but the fact is that fewer than 5% of employers follow-up with every applicant they receive and even fewer communicate the real reasons about why they made the choice they did.

While it might seem easy to blame companies for not doing a better job of responding, the reality is that most HR managers receive hundreds of applications every week and are over worked reviewing them — so it’s up to you to stand out. By understanding a bit more about how the online application process works, you can figure out how to navigate this abyss and make sure you emerge on the other side with your ideal internship.

Where do all the resumes go?

As you can probably guess, applications for internships rarely follow the same path. Some employers ask you to apply directly to their email inbox. Others ask for you to apply using a job website like Taleo or WayUp so that they can save the applications in a database online and share them with other employees in the office.

Depending on the size of the employer and how they are accepting applications you need to think up the best strategy to make sure you don’t get overlooked when it comes to decision time. For example, if you’re given a contact name or email address, do some research on the individual and customize your application materials to them personally.

Building a better rocket ship.

The other important skill to develop when applying for internships online is to learn how to make your application stand out among the competition. Here are 5 tips to help:

1.) Follow-Up!

The biggest piece of advice we can recommend to avoid getting ignored is to follow-up consistently with an employer after you submit an application. This is an art not a science, but most students are way too hesitant to follow-up with employers even if just to ask what the time frame is on responding or to remind them that you have applied. For best practices see our guide on how to follow-up with employers.

2.) Remove all typos from your resume.

Another reason you may not hear back from employers is because they tossed out your resume at first sight. Even if you have one typo on your resume, it shows an employer a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. In fact almost 50% of employers stop reading a resume if they see just one typo! So double check your resume and check out our resume template and guide for extra help.

3.) Be unique.

As an employer who has hired many students I can safely say, my job is a lot easier when a particular student breaks the mold by standing out. Don’t just spam employers with a standard cover letter, take the extra hour to write something and make a unique cover letter. If the employer has a twitter account tweet at them about how excited you are. If they are coming to your school for a career fair, go and introduce yourself to the recruiting staff and start building a relationship. Your hard work will pay off when it comes to decision time.

4.) Don’t use scammy websites to apply for positions!

Top job boards like your Career Center website, Indeed, or InternMatch work hard to make sure every position that is online is up to date and is a high quality position. If you are finding positions by doing a Google search or on Craigslist, you may find some great opportunities but as a rule of thumb the further you go from trusted sites the more likely you are to be applying to a position that has either already closed or doesn’t exist altogether.

5.) Don’t get discouraged.

Last but not least don’t get discouraged. A lot of employers are getting overwhelmed with applications in the current down economy, so even if you are over qualified for a position you simply might not hear back. If you keep at it and keep improving your application skills such as following-up, being unique, and using top job boards, you are going to start getting interviews and eventually find a position you’re excited about.

Good Things Come in Threes: Prepare to Launch Your Internship Search

This is the beginning of our favorite semester – summer internship recruitment season – and we want to make sure that you are ready to land your dream internship, with your dream company!

Below are just a few quick readiness-tips that will prepare you to launch your internship search.

Consult Your Career Counselor

If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to schedule an appointment with your school’s career counseling center/internship coordinator. This is an important step to ensure that you have a rewarding and effective internship search. Your coordinator/counselor will know all of the details about on-campus recruitment and career fairs.

In addition, many counseling centers offer students resume and cover letter writing workshops – as well as opportunities to participate in mock interviews. Don’t pass up these opportunities! The professionals in your career center are a great resource to help you evaluate your strengths, weaknesses – and offer advice as you develop your internship search strategy.

Make the most of your appointment by arriving on time, with a copy of your resume and questions.

Clean Up Your Resume

Give your resume the once-over. After a full-academic semester, you are bound to have additional experiences to include and others that are no longer relevant.

Start by making a list of any new projects, activities, jobs and clubs that you were involved in last semester. Did you start a company or complete a bunch of volunteer hours? Did you learn a new language or pick up a minor? Maybe you learned Java or maybe you spent winter break climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? If relevant, these new experiences should be included on your resume.

A lot can change, also, during the course of a semester. Is your academic major/concentration still the same? Did you decide that you prefer finance instead of biology? Did you move off campus? No longer treasure of the Young Democrats? Make sure that your resume reflects the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Create a Calendar With Your Internship Deadlines and Priorities

We know that college students are really busy – homework, group projects, a new episode of GLEE – there’s a lot to keep up with! Below are a few tips to help you manage your internship process — so that you don’t miss out on important dates!

• Create a spreadsheet that includes all of your important internship deadlines, as well as the dates that you made contact with, or interviewed, with each company

• Color code dates to distinguish between deadlines (ie: homework vs. interview)

• Create reminders for important application dates and interviews

Check out our Internship Guides
 page for additional information. As the semester progresses and internship recruitment season goes into full swing, we will keep you posted with useful tips and effective strategies to manage your internship search.

Intern With EBONY Magazine

Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey and Nia Long are familiar household names. You’re a strong writer, who’s fluent in social media — with the experience to prove it. Life is like a box of deadlines. People thought Erykah Badu and Cee Lo were creative until they met you. Multi-tasking is your middle name. You’re a New York-based college student, available 2-3 days per week, who can regularly commute to Manhattan. Sound like you?

Then check out this awesome internship with EBONY.com.

Founded in 1945, EBONY magazine is the long-standing curator of entertainment, news, political, media and celebrity coverage about African-Americans. In preparation for the highly anticipated re-launch of their digital component, EBONY.com, the Digital Content Editor is seeking a few exceptional interns to assist with the News/Opinion and Relationship verticals.

This credit-only internship is available immediately through the end of the academic school year – with the possibility of an extension for a standout candidate.

Internship Perks: 

• Pitch, research new story ideas
• Develop online content
• Mentorship
• Access to company culture and events
• Free magazines and lots of other free goodies

How to Apply:

Interested students should email a cover letter, resume and relevant samples/links/clips of their work to jlemieux@ebony.com. No phone calls please.

12th Day of Internships: 12 NBA Internships

On the first day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 
A Chanel Internship in New York City

Apply

On the second day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 
2 paid positions
 (Burbank and Glendale) with Walt Disney

Apply

On the third day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 3 paid positions with CNN in NYC, ATL and DC

Apply New York

Apply Atlanta

Apply Washington, DC

On the fourth day of internships
WayUp sent to me: Film internships in Operations, Development and Programming

Operations/Administration Intern Apply

Development Intern Apply

Film Festival Programming Intern Apply

On the fifth day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 5 internship interview questions to master

On the sixth day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 6 ways to use an exit interview to setup a future job

On the seventh day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 7+ items that should be on your resume

On the eighth day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 8 Internship Spotlights

On the ninth day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 9+ action verbs: Marketed, Implemented, Developed, Budgeted, Analyzed, Programmed, Organized, Presented and Launched

On the 10th day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 10+ paid positions with Do Something.org

On the 11th day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 11 ways to get a great letter of recommendation

On the 12th Day of Internships
WayUp sent to me: 12+ internships with four awesome NBA teams

Last month, we brought you a list of internships to celebrate the end of the NBA lockout.
 Today, we’re wrapping up our 12 Days of Internships and kicking off the start of the new NBA season by highlighting a few of their awesome internships.

Check out the internship list below, because there’s something on there for every NBA fan: From the budding Marketing Manager to the future Human Resources Director.

For those of you who missed a day or two of the countdown, winter break is the perfect time to catch up on our entire 12 Days of Internships! The countdown is packed with lots of goodies, such as: How-to resource guides for those beginning their internship search to helpful exit interview advice for those currently finishing up an internship. Of course, it’s also full of cool internship positions with companies like Chanel and Walt Disney – and internships in cool cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

We promise – you’re bound to find something you like!

NBA Internships…

Detroit Pistons
 – Community Relations, Broadcasting/Multimedia, Human Resources, Marketing

Apply

Houston Rockets
– Human Resources, Corporate Development, Ticket Sales, Video Production, Marketing & Promotion, Strategy Research

Apply

Miami Heat
– Community Affairs, Ticket Operations, Media Production, Marketing & Game Operation, Internet Services

Apply

Washington Wizards
– TV Production

Apply

This list of internships is not exhaustive and we encourage you to check out the NBA’s website for additional information.

Second Day of Internships: Two Paid Positions With Walt Disney

On the first day of internships
WayUp sent to me: A Chanel Internship in New York City

Apply.

On the second day of internships
WayUp sent to me: 2 paid positions (Burbank and Glendale) with Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Studios are responsible for the creation, promotion, sales, acquisition, production and distribution of live-action and animated motion pictures – and they’re looking for a couple of exceptional interns! This paid 12-week entertainment internship program will expose interns to to the Disney brand through different departments (Sales, Production, Marketing, etc..), provide them with mentoring opportunities with Disney execs – and the chance to participate in networking workshops and events.

Apply.

Choosing DonorsChoose: Joseph’s Internship Journey

This is a guest post by Joseph – a current Logistics & Business Relations Intern at DonorsChoose. 

Over the past few months, I have served as the Logistics & Business Relations Intern at DonorsChoose.org, an internship I found here on WayUp. DonorsChoose.org is a non-profit that allows both people and businesses to donate money to important education projects submitted by public school teachers across the nation. So far it has been a fantastic internship experience.

Challenging Work:

During my time here at DonorsChoose.org, I have focused on analyzing current and potential vendors for education supplies, based on inventory size, pricing, shipping costs, and a variety of other important factors. While I am an intern and not a full-time staff member, I have been given real projects and been able to play a significant role in DonorsChoose.org’s mission to best serve teachers and their needs. Analyzing this data helps the organization make more informed decisions about how to get the right resources at the lowest possible cost.

As a graduate student studying Economics, much of my life in the classroom and working as an intern is spent crunching data and working with numbers. This internship has provided ample opportunities to compile and analyze data and make recommendations based off my research, all of which offers new perspectives on how my data skills can be put to use.

A deeper education:

I’ve also been able to sit in on a wide variety of meetings and get insight into what goes on at DonorsChoose.org on a daily basis. There have also been a couple of guest speakers such as Desiree Rogers, a new Board of Directors member, and Lauren Bush, CEO and Co-Founder of FEED Projects, who have come here over the past few months, providing an interesting and insightful diversion from everyone’s routine.

DonorsChoose.org has a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, and interns are certainly made to feel a part of that culture. In spite of not being a full-time employee and not being here every day of the week, everyone here has always made me feel part of the team. I’ve also gotten to enjoy quite a few office parties with great free food!
Moving Forward:

Since my work here directly ties into what I’ve studied in the classroom, this internship has been an extremely valuable experience that complements my studies well. After many years of education, I’m glad to have gotten such a great chance to apply what I’ve learned in a meaningful fashion.