Careers advisors like to emphasise the importance of internships. They’re not wrong. Internships provide you with valuable insight, experience, and skills development that you can’t always access at university. This can boost your employability and LinkedIn profile. But it can be difficult to know how to get one. But fear not, when you know where to look, you’ll see all the amazing opportunities available to you. I’ll break down the best places to find your next internship.
Handshake
This careers platform is aimed at students and recent graduates, making it the best place to start. There’s a high likelihood that your university has partnered with Handshake, so you can use your university email to login. Here, you can search for industry placements, internships, and graduate jobs. You can also reach out directly to recruiters and employers to see if they have any opportunities available. By building your profile and setting your preferences, Handshake will filter roles that match your expertise and preferences.
Bright Network
This site is also aimed at students and recent graduates. They host both virtual and in-person events, showcasing all the opportunities available. If you’re finding it difficult to stay on top of all your potential applications, there’s a deadline tracking tool. Here, you’ll be able to find online internships that you can complete alongside your studies or in the summer breaks.
Your university’s career service
It took me until my final year to realise how useful my university’s career service was. Here, they can put you in contact with alumni who work in your desired field or put you in contact with specific companies you might be interested in. They can also help you to tailor your CV and resume for your internship applications. At my university, you could book mock interviews to help you practise. Check out your uni’s career service site to see what they can help you with.
This website needs zero introduction. I recommend creating your LinkedIn profile whilst in university, rather than when you’re actively searching for a graduate job, because you can find so many good online and remote internships. It’s also a good starting point for finding industrial placements. You can follow creators on LinkedIn who post weekly roundups of all the internships and placements available in a specific industry, which is incredibly useful.
Career fairs
I recommend checking out the career fairs your university puts on. Even if they aren’t specifically for finding online and remote internships, you can meet some really interesting people and make some new LinkedIn connections. Networking is always a good way of increasing your chances of getting an internship.
Speculative messaging on LinkedIn
It can feel somewhat anxiety-inducing to randomly reach out to someone on LinkedIn. However, so much of internship / job searching comes down to who you know, less so what you know. So building up your contacts is essential. You can reach out to companies’ HR managers to see whether they have any positions available. You’re able to speak to recent graduate hires to see how they tailored their applications to get the roles they did. You can reach out to higher-ups to ask whether they have any advice. This can really help you to find any potential internship opportunities.
Now you know where to start. Whether you work as an intern during term time or outside it, having more professional experience will give you more to talk about during graduate job interviews. Hopefully, through these platforms, you’ll find your next opportunity.