Lindsay T. is a recent college graduate. She currently writes on behalf of Skyo, an online site that helps college students save money with cheap textbooks and flexible rental options.

By Lindsay Traiman

As most students know, completing an internship during college is a great way to develop skills, build your resume, and explore new industries. Internships, however, can also help you with the job search if you know how to leverage them properly. Whether you are interning right now, have plans to intern this spring, or are looking for a summer position, the following tips will help you use your internship in preparation for the job search.

1. Write down everything you do.

As an intern, make a point of logging all the projects you complete or assist with. After your internship is over, you will want to be able to discuss the specifics of your position in an interview or at a career fair. It is important to know exactly how you added value to the company. You may also learn terms or concepts that you can use later to demonstrate your industry-specific knowledge. Showing an understanding of the industry landscape will make a positive impression during interviews.

2. Update your resume during your internship.

Not only are your tasks fresh in your mind while you’re on the job, but you can ask your supervisor to review your resume for you. He or she will likely be able to improve the language you use in each bullet point and may even provide you with a list of intern duties that you can use. Have several people within the company look your resume over to receive as much feedback as possible.

3. Practice networking

For every interaction you have as an intern, treat it as an opportunity to make a connection. Whether that means attending an industry event hosted by your company or simply meeting a new employee, you have the chance to become a more confident networker with every conversation you have. Exchange information with people you would like to stay in touch with, and add them on LinkedIn. Continue to stay in touch, and you never know what career opportunities may arise for you.

4. Conduct informational interviews.

Arrange to interview people in divisions you would like to learn more about, and prepare a list of questions beforehand. Use these opportunities to find out about different career opportunities, and stay in touch with the people you interview. Not only does this make a good impression at your internship, but it will help you consider jobs you hadn’t thought of before. It can also be a way to learn more about that particular industry.

5. Strengthen your weaknesses.

You probably know some of your weaknesses, and you can also ask for feedback from your supervisor. Once aware of what you need to improve upon, make sure you do just that. Use your internship as a chance to strengthen skills that need work. Not only will you develop a more well-rounded skill set, but you can use this as an interview talking point to show that you are capable of self-assessment and improvement.

Your internship is not just a way to build your resume, but an opportunity for career growth. It is an experience that can make you a more confident interviewee, networker, and future employee. If you play your cards right, you can open doors for yourself that will last long after your internship is over.

Melissa Miller is a freelance writer and blogger who loves to give education advice. Her articles often aim to help you on your way to landing associate degree jobs. You can email her if you have any suggestions or comments.

By Melissa Miller

If you have an interview for an internship lined up, you may be wondering what exactly you should do before, during, and after the interview to improve your chances of success. College students and recent college grads who are interviewing for internships don’t have it easy these days. If you want to stand out from the crowd and ace your internship interview, here are a few tips you should consider:

1. Practice answering interview questions beforehand

Look up some common interview questions online and make a list of them. Call up one of your friends and ask them to conduct a mock interview with you, in which they ask you some of the most common interview questions. This may feel a little silly at first, but it can be enormously beneficial. You don’t want to step into an interview without an arsenal of answers to basic interview questions at your disposal.

2. Dress for success

Many internship interviewees don’t wear appropriate clothing to their interviews. A suit and tie are appropriate for guys, and a nice skirt and professional blouse are appropriate for gals. Don’t show up in a ball gown, tux, or jeans and a t-shirt. And make sure your clothing is clean and wrinkle-free. Even if you’re interviewing to intern at a tech startup where casual clothing is the norm for employees and interns, it’s best to dress up for the interview.

3. Focus on your academic and professional accomplishments

Did you design a website for one of your college courses or write some grant proposals for a previous internship? Make sure you talk about everything you’ve accomplished as a college student and everything you’ve accomplished at previous jobs and internships. Intern employers don’t necessarily want to hear about what you’ve learned. They want to hear about what you’ve done, especially what you’ve done well.

4. Be considerate

Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to your interview. You do NOT want to keep your interviewers waiting. Keep the perfume/cologne to a minimum. Your favorite fragrance might be off-putting to your interviewer. Shake your interviewer’s hand firmly, smile, and make eye contact. Come prepared with questions and some background knowledge of what the company you’re interviewing with does. Avoid bragging and exaggerating your accomplishments. And avoid asking about salary during the interview. You don’t want to seem too interested in pay. You want to seem interested in the position. If you’re perceived as a thoughtful, polite individual, you’ll be much more likely to get the gig.

5. Express your enthusiasm

When you’re nervous during an interview, you might be too focused on answering the questions your interviewer asks and not focused enough on just how excited you are about potentially working for the company. If you get halfway through the interview and realize you haven’t expressed how interested you are in the position, make sure you turn on the overt enthusiasm. Tell your interviewer what you like about the company and how interested you are in the position. Employers want to hire interns who are truly interested in what they do.

6. Thank your interviewers

As soon as you get home from the interview, send a thank you email or a handwritten thank you note to each and every person who interviewed you. Sending thank you notes will make you stand out in a good way and help your potential internship employers know that you’re considerate and enthusiastic about the position.

Try out the tips above, be yourself, and relax. Your dream internship is within reach. You just have to make it through the interview.

Jennifer E. is a professional freelance writer and a columnist for several magazines and news publications. She writes for Degree Jungle, a resource for college students.

Landing your dream internship position calls for applying creative ways to stand out from other internship applicants. Good internship positions attract a lot of interest from prospective applicants; consequently, increasing the competition for such juicy spots. In order to stand out from the crowd, you must apply some creativity to give yourself an edge over equally, or even more qualified applicants. If you do not make the extra effort to distinguish yourself from the rest in some manner, your application might be relegated to the background while more interesting ones will be considered for the position.

1. Outstanding Resume

Most students quake in trepidation at the thought of writing a resume. The reason for this apprehension is usually because they have very little work experience to put in such resumes. This should not be a barrier because prospective employers do not really expect students to have very much work experience. Most of them look for other qualities in their interns. Most employers list the qualities they want in their interns when they advertise such openings in their organizations. The best way to write a resume for an internship position is to make a copy of the internship description and lay it next to you while you fill out your resume. Aligning your resume to match the requirements for the internship position will allow a prospective employer to find out if you are a good fit for their organization, just from scanning the first half of your resume. Include all of your volunteer activities and other internship positions, where applicable.

2. Outstanding Cover Letter

Just like a remarkable resume, a well-written cover letter will increase your odds of landing that great internship position. Avoid generic cover letter templates that allow you to fill in information into pre-programmed cover letters. Do not just say that you are applying for the internship position because you are the best candidate. This is very common and doesn’t really say very much about you or your capabilities. Expand further on this claim by including the reason why you feel that you are the best applicant for the internship position. Make this a brief, but memorable statement that will get the attention of any recruiter.

3. Sharpen Your Interview Skills

Eloquence, good eye contact, confident body language and firm handshakes go a long way towards giving a good interview.

When your fabulous resume and cover letter result in a call from a recruiter to come for an interview, you must practice your interview skills so as to make a good impression at the interview. Eloquence, good eye contact, confident body language and firm handshakes go a long way towards giving a good interview. Tell the recruiter that you want the job and make sure you pay attention so that you can ask questions later. This shows that you are enthusiastic about the position, in addition to showing off your listening skills/intelligence. After the interview, make sure you follow up by sending a thank you letter to the interviewer, indicating that you really enjoyed the interview and talking with the interviewer. The thank you letter may mean the difference between getting the job when the choice comes down to two, or more, equally qualified internship applicants.

Have a tip you want to share? Leave it in the comments below!

This is a guest post from StudyAbroad.com – the Internet’s leading source of information for students seeking a study abroad program. Visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

By Alison Mohn

Study abroad offers great opportunities for you as you enter your career, but unless you can articulate the value of it in your job interviews; you won’t be using it to your full advantage.

While all interviews and study abroad experiences are different, here are some examples of how you can use your experience as anecdotal responses to typical interview questions.

Q:
Can you please provide an example of your ability to work independently?

A: I think the fact that I traveled across the world to live in a foreign country for a semester in and of itself exemplifies my ability to work independently. Studying abroad requires a huge deal of independence from planning for the trip to living the day to day life. I was challenged to prove my independence by making new friends, thriving in the classroom and in my schoolwork, planning weekend excursions to unfamiliar locations and organizing and managing my finances.

Q:
When was a time that you have had to use your problem solving skills?

A:Studying abroad allowed me to strengthen my problem solving skills. A challenging experience I faced was the experience of getting from one location to another. As I traveled across Italy, I was required to learn and understand the flight, bus and train transportation system, booking a safe hostel for resting and learning my way around a completely new location almost every weekend; and all while not speaking the native language. Not only did this prove my problem solving skills, but it also allowed me to become comfortable adapting to new, unfamiliar situations; something that I think will serve me well as I learn the system and culture here at your company.

Q:
What specific skills do you feel you bring to this position without having (much) full-time work experience?

A:Studying abroad allowed me to hone my leadership skills and forced me to develop the ability for quick thinking and problem solving; all of which are essential in this position. When you and your peers are in an unfamiliar setting, everyone sort of looks to someone else to help them navigate their way and lead by example. I took on that role with my new friends and classmates, and was able to really develop as a leader. I also think in order to be a strong leader, you need to have a keen understanding of yourself and your surroundings which I was able to do as I studied abroad. Plus, being in that unfamiliar setting forced me to be able to react quickly to a variety of situations which is how I developed the ability for quick thinking on my feet and problem solving. I’m excited to apply my ability to think quickly and problem solve here because I know this is a fast-paced and deadline-driven position.

Q:
What have you accomplished during your academic career that you are most proud of?

A:I’m most proud to say that I took a step out of my comfort zone by studying abroad. I immersed myself in a foreign culture which allowed me the opportunity to develop a global awareness that I didn’t have before I studied abroad. I think global awareness is a key attribute in an employee in today’s international market, and I’m proud to say that I have this new, diversified perspective that I can bring to your organization.

Learn more about using study abroad to your job-hunting advantage in this article, Navigating the Job Search After Studying Abroad.

The Career Services Team at Rasmussen College have put together this handy guide, just in time for your Fall internship interviews!

What do you think?

(click on image to view full size)

(click to view full size)

One of the simplest, most effective tips for acing an interview is to go in expecting to win. But there’s also a big risk in overdoing it.

You should be confident going into an interview, but no strutting.

By Alex Braun

So your resume is ironclad, you’ve done your homework on the employer, and your new dress shoes are exuding a dominant shine. You’re ready for the world like Melvin Riley. You’re about to lay waste to this interview, right?

As Han Solo once said, “Don’t get too cocky, kid.”

Remember, humility is much more important in an internship than it is at a full-time job because internships, by their very definition, are requests to learn. After all, if you already knew all there was to know, you should have applied for a real job.

In my work, I get to hear a lot of horror stories from employers about their interns. (They will remain nameless, of course.) Initially, I’d expected that the majority of complaints would be about interns that were lazy, irresponsible or poorly dressed. While those tales do get told, they seemed to inspire way less ill will than interns who came in thinking they ran the place.

On the flip side, I’ve had some input into a few hiring decisions, and I can tell you that likeability goes a long way. Hirers have to walk out of an interview feeling that their candidate will get along with others, and having superior experience or talent won’t always protect you.

So how to you put on an air of confidence without being arrogant? Here are a few tips:

1. Be enthusiastic about your past accomplishments, but always emphasize the collaborations that made them possible.

2. Use the word “we” whenever you have the opportunity.

3. If the interviewer is impressed with something on your resume, say it’s something you’d like to build upon.

4. Don’t dodge the “greatest weakness” question. If you frame a strength as a weakness, the interviewer might puke on the spot. A good answer is “inexperience,” because it can’t negate what’s already on your resume. Experience is a relative term.

If you feel confident but stay polite and considerate during your interview, you’re entitled to as many Tiger Woods fist-pumps as you want when you walk out of that lobby. You’ll have put your strongest case forward.

Angel Sanford (@TampereAngel on Twitter) graduated from University of Oregon with a B.S. in business administration and marketing. She recently returned from an internship in Scotland to live in her hometown of Portland, Ore. Besides visiting craft breweries and trying to get on the show ‘Portlandia’, she is also looking to start her advertising career in Portland.

By Angel Sanford

I recently left a job interview feeling deflated. I had spent hours preparing for behavioral questions, but they asked one question I was totally unprepared for: “Why should we hire you instead of an applicant with 10-15 years experience?”

I stumbled upon my answer, thinking maybe the quality of my experience could be more important than the quantity. That didn’t work. Like me, many entry-level, post-internship applicants are looking at jobs which require years of previous experience. We have to prove our 0-12 months of work has prepared us enough for the job, and interviewers can be harsh!

President Obama and former President George W. Bush campaigned against many opponents with more political experience, but they successfully emphasized other important qualities to get the job.

Therefore, I’ve taken some time to think through what else we have to offer. You know you can’t beat out the other candidates on the basis of experience. What you do have, though, is potential. I know it may sound cliché, but it’s all in how you package it.

I like to think of potential as a function of four parts. All of these are unique to the individual, and naturally portrayed in an interview. They outline what you specifically bring to the table: an adept base which can be molded through years with the company.

Potential = Skills, Character, Perspective, and Expertise

Skills

You have the basic skills required for the job. Whatever it might be — Microsoft Office suite, foreign languages, team communication, organization — you’re on par with the other applicants, and ready to learn more.

Character

You fit the mentality of the company.  Quick reacting or thoughtful and strategic, structured or loose, team or individually-oriented; every office is different.  Show you posses many of the same character traits as the company. If you don’t, you’re still maturing professionally and will adapt quickly to the company culture.

Perspective

You have a viewpoint that none of the other applicants have. You may be young, but your unique background or lifestyle will bring a fresh perspective to the company. It inspires creativity. You’re not ‘jaded’ by past professional faux-pas. Start-up companies especially prefer someone who is not stuck in a bureaucratic mindset.

Expertise

You have a capability or interest that is unique to you. For example: an interior designer with only 1 year work experience, but a degree in color therapy, has unique expertise in color. It may seem difficult to decipher, but expertise is not the same as experience. Everyone can have a niche that they know well. You can single-handedly broaden the company’s competencies.

For a great example of rivaling experience with potential, I think back to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.  Yes, Obama campaigned on policies and positions, but he also campaigned on change, and hope. With only two years in the United States Senate, his advantage over the more established candidates was a fresh new way of doing politics. Gregory Craig, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. saw Obama speak as a senator and said of him,

“In my judgment, he showed more insight and maturity than Bill Clinton at the age of 60 in terms of understanding himself.”

I believe we all want to hear that about ourselves. Obama’s potential shined through because he knew his strengths in skills, character, perspective and expertise. I wish I had known mine before the interview.

Now don’t be afraid to go up against experienced candidates! Chances are, the “ideal candidate description” is less about years experience and more about potential.

By Alex Braun

Oh, of course not, Timmy! You’re the best, and everyone who doesn’t see that is just silly!

OK, I’m not here to give you a cheesy pep talk. But when it comes to missing out on an internship you thought you were qualified for, you really shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.

“But,” you may say, “I like to beat myself up when I fail. It’s the only thing that makes me get better.”

Well, here’s the thing: You don’t even know that you failed. There’s a decent chance your application was passed over for reasons entirely outside your control.

What are some of those reasons? Here’s a short list:

1. The employer decided not to hire an intern after all.

Plenty of employers advertise internship openings before realizing that they’ve overestimated their needs — or, in some cases, underestimated, meaning they’ll have to hire a full-time employee instead.

2. The employer forgot it had a listing up on the job board you visited.

To publicize an internship opening, employers who post on job boards may submit their listing to a number of different outlets — and they don’t always remember to check them all.

3. The employer got a personal referral.

Sometimes, a friend of friend might be hired before the company even takes a glance at its online applicants. There’s nothing you can really do to combat this, other than getting referred yourself — which some statistics suggest makes you upwards of 15 times more likely to get hired. To maximize the number of people you can reach out to, check out CareerAmp, our new Facebook app.

4. The employer decided to go with someone more local.

This happens pretty frequently, even if you’ve specified on your application that you’re willing and able to move. Some employers just don’t want to take the risk that the intern doesn’t show up on the first day.

There are many other reasons you can get skipped over that have nothing to do with your aptitude for the job or internship you applied to, but it would be pointless to ramble on about them. Suffice it to say, the best move is to forget about it and move on. If a better internship pops up later on in your search, you might be glad things worked out the way they did.

Megan is working this summer at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Megan Walsh (@MeganKathleen82 on Twitter) is an English/political science double major with a minor in marketing at the University of Delaware, where she plans to graduate in 2012.

By Megan Walsh

Ever since I was in high school, I wanted to work for Voice of America (VOA), an international broadcasting company that is located not far from my home in Washington, DC. I felt that it combined everything I was interested in: communications, international relations and politics. When I found out they offered summer internships, I was ecstatic.

So, last January, while studying abroad in London, I sent my application back across the pond to DC. Confident in my resume as I was, I only applied to VOA.

I waited. And waited, and waited. No response. Panicking, I applied to other internships in DC, all relating to politics and communications. Then I did the unthinkable: I used people.

I got my cousin, who works with John McCain, to help me find politicians who needed summer interns. No luck. I got my father to ask his engineering company if they needed editors. Again, nothing. I would stay in on weekends frantically writing cover letters. “Ah,” my friends would say, “long report due?” “No,” I would respond, “I’m applying to internships.”

I applied to about 40 internships through my school career site, through Internships.com, through company websites and through friends. Then my advisor suggested that I follow up on my applications.

Follow up? Why in the world would I need to follow up? I already sent them extensive amounts of information about myself. By writing those cover letters, I discovered qualities I never thought I had and experiences that I never thought would be relevant to my career.

Well, it turns out that internship coordinators get hundreds of applicants, and they know that we send so many applications that we essentially mail the same one over and over. By writing or calling to follow up, it shows that we’re actually interested in their organization!

Washington National Cathedral is the world's sixth-largest cathedral. (Photo by Mina Elias)

The responses started coming in. I got three phone interviews, which went well. When I called VOA, they told me to immediately drive down for an in-office interview. I was slightly irritated that a phone call was all it took to get an interview, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

The experience was nerve-wracking and terrifying. The VOA offices are located directly diagonal to the Capitol, a gorgeous, awe-inspiring building, but I marched in and gave the interview everything I had. I left feeling confident, and actually bragged to my friends that my office would have a view of the capital.

Again, I was way too sure of myself. The internship process sure is humbling. I never got the VOA internship. But, after diligently making a few more calls, I got some offers and eventually accepted a marketing internship at the Washington National Cathedral.

To those who are looking for an internship soon, make sure to keep an open mind and never hesitate to show your enthusiasm in the form of a follow-up call or email. They’ll appreciate the effort and you can appease your worried parents by telling them you really did do everything you could.

Macey Schiff (@Ohthatmacey on Twitter) is a mass communications major at the University of Delaware who will be interning this summer for PBS Kids in downtown Arlington, Va.

By Macey Schiff

I’m not sure where the line between student and young professional is, but I believe I may have just crossed it.

Sometimes, one applies to all sorts of “dream” internships almost on a whim. The positions all sound magnificent; far out of your league. The companies would certainly prefer someone with more experience or better grades; maybe someone of royalty or related to the president. Of course, the positions are far too prestigious for you, but you apply anyway!

After combing over your cover letter and sending it with your resume to your parents, your academic advisor and your career counselor for review, you finally submit your application, fingers crossed, face squinched with anticipation. Then two weeks goes by, then three, then four. You start to think, “Ooooooh, well at least I tried!” You move past it and start to make other plans for your summer.

Then, you receive an email. Let’s say, for example, it’s an email from PBS Kids saying they really liked your application and want to know if you’d be interested in interviewing for a position for this summer. After collecting yourself from falling on the ground and closing your jaw, you cautiously respond.

Days later, you have a phone interview. You believe the interview went well, and really enjoyed speaking to the man who could potentially be your new boss. Shortly after, you receive another friendly email stating they would like to speak to you one more time, just for a few minutes. You try to remain neutral and to not let any sort of possibilities or ideas creep their way into your brain.

The moment of the second phone call arrives, and before you know it, you’ve been offered the position. Instantly, you turn into a babbling idiot who can’t get a word out except for “ughhhexcited”, “ooomaayes”, “bubbathankyouwumba”, but your new boss just laughs at your excitement.

As a soon-to-be senior mass communications major at the University of Delaware, this is quite literally my dream internship. I used to watch PBS Kids all the time as a kid. I was Wishbone for Halloween, and I had a very tricked out Thomas the Tank Engine play table. By now, I’m sure you’ve figured that the individual I was referring to previously is me. (Erm … I did not quite fall off my chair … but I came close!)

This summer is sure to be a whirlwind adventure. Why don’t you join me for it?

Want to hear more from Macey? Leave a comment below, and stay tuned for more of her internship updates this summer.