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Finding an Internship

Checklist: Six Steps to Get You Started

  1. Start the process early

    Good internships are competitive and typically it can take a semester of searching to land an internship. Many national programs have a lengthy application process and early deadlines.

    Attend a Career Center Internship Workshop to get started in the right direction.

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  2. Determine what you want to gain from the experience.

    Define your learning objectives: The most critical element of your internship is the learning agenda which you should set up with a supervisor at the beginning of your assignment. This agenda should target specific skills and competencies that you wish to acquire and demonstrate. The learning agenda is what distinguishes a short-term job from an internship. Your objectives can be as general as observing a particular work function or industry to confirm your career interest, or they may be more specific like developing a defined skill set and acquiring hands-on experience. It is important to think about the type of experience you want and then choose the internship program that will best meet your objectives.

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  3. Prepare application materials.

    Prepare a Resume by attending a Resume Workshop or by viewing the Career Center’s Online Resume Tool Kit. In addition, you can:

    • Develop a portfolio if your field of interest requires it.
    • Identify and contact faculty who will be willing to write letters of reference.
    • Request official transcripts in preparation for programs that require them.
    • Prepare to write essays/cover letters as part of the application process.
    • Have your resume critiqued during the Career Center’s resume critique drop-in hours.

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  4. Prepare for the interview.

    Be prepared to talk about your career objectives, strengths, weaknesses, school projects and developed skills for an internship interview.

    The Career Center can help you with this process at one of our Interview Workshops , by providing an online mock interview resource using Perfect Interview, or through videos in our Career Resource Library.

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  5. Conduct informational interviews.
    An informational interview is a lot like it sounds.Informational interviews are not an actual interview for a job, but rather, a way of getting valuable information about your field(s) of interest.

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  6. Begin the search for a quality internship.
    • The Career Center can support your search for an internship through a collection of virtual and face-to-face resources. To get you started on your search you can:
    • Review the Career Center's tips on “Selection Criteria for finding a good quality internship”.
    • Post your resume on SpartaJobs with the Career Center.
    • Visit the Career Center’s collection of the Web's top internship sites to search databases of local, regional, national and international internship opportunities.
    • See our list of internship directories and books available in the Career Resource Library.
    • View the Internship Video Series to learn internship strategies from SJSU students, faculty, and employers.
    • Check with your academic department for leads to other possible internship opportunities; many departments keep binders of internship positions.
    • Talk to professionals in the field, join student professional organizations, and tell your own personal network of family and friends about your desire for an internship opportunity.

Look around and find a good fit for you—one that provides an environment and experience consistent with your learning goals.

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