When you are searching for an internship, my advice is to put your resume on a job search website like careerbuilder.com or monster.com. I received an overwhelming amount of calls from businesses that pulled my resume. I sifted through them and called back the ones that interested me the most. No matter the skepticism you feel, give them a chance. I didn't know what the company I currently intern for was when I first called them back, but they were ready to give me all the information I wanted and I asked enough questions that it eased the uncertainty.
When the company initially called they were looking for a full time employee, but I was already employed and not even looking for other work. I gave it a chance anyways and got to talking with the admin about where I'm at in school and work and what I'm looking for after school. After talking a little she informed me of an opportunity for an internship. I had always heard that I needed an internship sometime in college and I always told myself I would figure all that out my senior year. Now that this opportunity came knocking on my door, I was excited to explore it more and scheduled some meetings to learn more about the company. I'm not one to turn down opportunities so when I was offered the position, I accepted even though I didn't have a very clear idea of what I was getting into.
I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to intern and further my education outside of the classroom and I don't regret taking the chance on an experience that I was unsure about at first. Interning has been a very rich experience. I have learned so much about business, sales, networking, having goals and motivation, teamwork, and so much more. I am lucky enough to receive university credit for my internship, but even if I didn't I would still do it. I have figured out that there are some areas of business that I may not pursue as a career and I've also learned about many aspects that I am interested in.
My advice for anyone looking for an internship is to keep an open mind about the business and position. I think most internships have great knowledge to offer even if it's not exactly the career you want after college. It doesn't have to be a career, that's why it's an internship. Sometimes, you are lucky enough to develop your internship into a career after it's over though so make sure to work hard and make a lasting impression!
