How To Find Local Internships In Your City

 

 

My website and other internship resources can be very helpful when it comes to internships in big cities. It is usually more difficult  to find internships in your local city (especially if it’s a smaller town). I went to school in Tallahassee, Florida for two years. I found two great companies to intern at in Tally. If I could find those places to intern as a Freshman and Sophomore in college, you all can find and grab internship in your city.

 

How to Find An Internship In Your City

 

·         IDENTIFY COMPANIES THAT EXCITE YOU. This means it’s time to create your “Intern Queen Dream List”. Part One of this list consists of ten companies (large well-known companies in any part of the world) where you see yourself working after you graduate college. This will help you identify what field you should intern within.  Just thinking about some of these companies should make you feel excited and motivatd. When I was a freshman in college, I wanted to be a magazine writer for an entertainment publication, my list read as follow:

 

INTERN QUEEN’S DREAM LIST

 

Part 1. Dream Companies.

 

US WEEKLY

IN TOUCH

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE

GLAMOUR MAGAZINE

TEEN PEOPLE  MAGAZINE

TEEN MAGAZINE

COSMOGIRL

COSMO

BOP MAGAZINE

 

·         MAKE YOUR SEARCH KNOWN. This means that you (the potential intern) must make the fact that you are in search of an internships in whichever specific field clear to your professors, family, and friends. It’s a small world and you will be surprised to find how many people know people that might work in some capacity in the field of your interest. Also try to connect with your school’s alumni network. They usually have a whole database of professionals in the area. If a parent, friend, or teacher tells you about a specific company, write it down. If they know a particular person at that company, ask them if they mind sending an introductory email or asking them about the company internship application process.

 

 

·         IT’S RESEARCH TIME, BABY ! So now, it’s time to do your homework and find companies that serve the same purpose as your dream company, but exist locally. You may already have a head start by speaking to friends and family (as mentioned above). I’m a big advocate of the “Google.com” and of “Yp.Yahoo.com”. Type your specific field into those websites and see what comes up in your area. In my case, I would Google “Tallahassee Magazines”. I would make a list of all of the companies that came up. Alongside their company name, I would look up their phone number and any email addresses I could find on their website. If the company has an internship application off the website, I would suggest filling that out. Don’t stop your research process until you have at least 15 companies on your list.

 

·         MAKE THE COMPANY A CLOSE  FIT. If you can’t find something in your exact field – don’t sweat it. Try to find something in a related field. For example, I had no luck finding a magazine in Tallahassee, Florida that wanted to work with me so I ended up interning at two publicity firms where I was able to work with magazine writers and build contacts and relationships that way.

 

 

·         IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET LIST. This is part two of the “Intern Queen’s Dream List”. Write down 10-15 companies where you will try to get a local internship. Include the company phone number and any relevant information.

 

 

·         CALL ‘EM UP. Ready to make some strange phone calls ? Make sure you have your confidence and a clear throat and start dialing. You are going to call every company on your list and say, “Hi, I’d like to speak with the Internship Coordinator Please ?” When you are transferred over to that person you can say, “Hi, Its (your name) from (your school) I wanted to know how I could apply for your internship program  for this coming (which semester) semester.” Make sure you have a pen in hand so you can write down whatever email address they give you.  Also, try to get their first and last name so you can personalize each letter.

 

·         SEND IN YOUR MATERIALS. Set aside some time to send all of your emails. You want to email each internship coordinator INDIVIDUALLY. NO GROUP EMAILS. The body of the email should have a small note referencing your conversation and stating your interest in the internship program and that your materials (Resume and Cover Letter) are attached.

 

·         FOLLOW UPS. When applying for local internships that aren’t formal with deadlines and a heavy number of applicants, I suggest an email follow up two weeks after you send in your materials. So mark the date on your calendar when you send the emails and then mark the date of follow-up for two weeks after. Follow-up emails should be short, sweet, and to the point. An example would be, “Hi  _____ (their name), I wanted to follow up about the internship opportunity. Hope you are having a great week. Look forward to speaking soon. Best, (your name).

 

 

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY INTERNING ! FOR INTERNSHIP LISTINGS PLEASE VISIT MY WEBSITE, HTTP://WWW.QUARTERLIFE.COM/INTERN !

 

Here’s What My Friends On Twitter Had to Say:

AdrienneBailey@InternQueen Find out what recent graduates in the area are doing– they usually have some good connections!

smaloy@InternQueen The most important thing is probably to be willing to do an unpaid internship. And then just call every place you can think of!

 

Other Helpful Links:

Employment Spot:

http://www.employmentspot.com/employment-articles/internships-get-your-foot-in-the-door/