Getting an internship cand be daunting. Your college is going to have some form of an internship fair- do not panic. A lot of people say that freshmen and sophomores do not need to worry about going to this fair because, I mean, who wants to hire a freshman or sophomore when there are awesome juniors and seniors who are better than me—definitely not true!
Now, you might not be able to get an internship for your freshman or sophomore year, but do not let that stop you from attending the fair. Corporations, not for profits, and any other organizations will be happy to talk to you (regardless of your year in school.) Trust me, they love talking about their organizations just as much as you want to know about them.
When you do decide to go to this fair—dress up. Now, you don’t have to wear your dad’s old prom tux, but don’t wear your “Beer disposal” shirt either. Present yourself with confidence. There is a good chance the person you are speaking to with will remember you when it comes to applying. Make sure to express your interest in a professional yet personal way. For example: “Jimmy, why do you want to intern at this particularly cool establishment?” Your response shouldn’t be “Because I want it. Also, when I’m a senior I want a job.” I think it’s okay to feel that way, but stating it in exactly that matter will make you sound not-so-genuine.
Lastly, have patience. As a student who is interning at her place of choice which is La Casa Norte, I know what it’s like to be on edge wondering if you got the internship. La Casa Norte is a very busy organization and it took them awhile to interview and ultimately hire me; almost a month. And through that time I told anyone who would listen, “They don’t want me–” Which turned out to be untrue. But what I learned during that time is that I need to develop more patience.
And now that it’s my 2nd day of interning I know it’s going to be a great journey.
And trust me, when the time comes for you to have internship, it’s probably going to be awesome.