Summer internships season is in full swing as companies start to kick off recruitment. Summer internship is a great way for companies to network with potential candidates and bring a spark to their teams. Last year, I had the privilege of recruiting and bringing on an intern and it was well worth the investment. Here are a few tips for employers and those seeking Summer internships from my latest experience.

Have your resume ready

Companies kick off Summer internship activities in early Spring. At our company, emails have already been going around and information sessions being scheduled for 2019 Summer internship program. I expect recruitment to happen around March time frame. What this means for students, is that you need to start crafting your resumes and watch out for internship events and openings. Do not be discouraged if you do not have a rich job history. Companies understand that you will not have extensive work experience.

Here are some things you can include as part of your resume:

• leadership experience (captain of a club or sports team)
• volunteering work
• awards and accomplishments
• athletic teams or music competitions
• summer or part time jobs
• other extra curricular work and activities
• school projects

Here are things NOT to include in your resume:

• list of classes you have taken
• list of text books you have read
• udemy or other online courses you took

Once you have your resume, start looking through job postings at aggregated sites like Google job search, linkedin, indeed.com, ziprecruiter and others. If you have specific companies in mind that interests you, go to their careers page and create a job alert for new positions.

Stand out by applying early

Once you see a position get posted, customize your resume as needed then apply. Internships are very competitive and a lot of postings can close once the right number of qualified candidates pass screening. So apply early.

Include a cover letter if needed

For the most part, you do not need to include a cover letter if it wasn’t specified as a requirement. However, if there is something that you need to convey that isn’t explicit on the resume, include one. I had a few applicants who were very intriguing but didn’t line up with the requirements. A few examples, out of town applicants, applying to a job with a different background or major.

Be clear in your end in mind

With the competitive job market, graduates understand that getting a Summer internship under the belt will give them an edge when seeking a full time job. Even in some instances, the Summer internship turns into a full time job. That is what happened with my intern. After completing her 2.5 months internship, I extended her through the end of the year and by the time the new year came around, she applied and successfully obtained a job offer at a peer group. This wasn’t an accident or coincidence. This was something we worked towards.

As you start to apply to internships, understand what is the end in mind. Do you want to get a taste of working in a corporate environment? Make connections that may lead to future employment? Have clear goals and it will translate to success when applying and interviewing.