Lately, it seems a large portion of my conversations with my peers revolves around summer plans — What internships are you applying to? How are interviews going? Which company do you like best?
Why all the hype? Summer internships are one of the best ways to build your resume and define your future career path while at HC. According to Pam Ahearn, Director of the Summer Internship Program (SIP), “Internships give students an opportunity to ‘try out’ an industry to see if it’s a fit for a future career path and allow students to gain many skills which are transferable to future employers.” Also, companies prioritize students with internship experience for full-time employment. Some companies, says Ahearn, even use summer internship programs as recruiting tools for full-time employees.
Speaking from recent experience, I know how intimidating the application process can be and I am very thankful for the Career Planning staff’s resume and cover letter-editing prowesses!
But how do you choose an internship to apply to? Or, if you’re so lucky to receive multiple offers, how do you choose which one to take?
While it’s exciting to have a variety of interesting possibilities, it can be equally overwhelming. And while Career Planning will discuss the options with you, it’s ultimately your decision. After all, it’s you who will be at the office analyzing stocks/crafting press releases/designing fliers/or doing whatever it is that you want to do every day.
One valuable resource for sorting through options is the expertise of other students. I’ve found it helpful to peruse former summer interns’ blogs to get a feel for what the experience may be like. While companies often have their own blogs–which are worth reading as well–there is something particularly salient about an HC intern writing about his or her experience. Their stories allow me to get a real feel for the overall experience both within and outside the internship.
Trying to sort out your options? Check out the following Summer Internship Blogs:
Erin Carpenter ’11 at Starkman @ Associates
Elisa Di Ruggiero ’11 at the Avon Foundation
Christine Giamatti ’10 at Brooklyn Industries
Alice Simcoe-Matthews ’10 at Autism Speaks
Ryan Wiik ’09 at ScaleDB
Related Resoures:
Summer Internship Program
