Finding a Summer Internship

A break from classes this summer leaves ample time to dedicate yourself to an internship. Internships give you real world experience in the career field of your choice, allowing you a better idea of what to expect when you graduate and join the ranks of the employed. Internships are also a great way to network with people in the career field you are interested in. Additionally, having previous work experience in the field you are interested in looks impressive on resumes, and will give you a leg-up in getting hired in the future.

So how do you go about finding an internship? Most colleges offer career exploration counseling for help locating and interviewing for jobs - so ask around your campus. Ask your professors for leads, or visit Yahoo's Yellow Pages and directly call companies you are interested in working for.

Online job finding resources for college students like MonsterTrak.com and Internweb.com allow you to submit resumes online and provide databases of available internships across the United States. It is also a good idea to get your friends, parents, and parents co-workers involved in your internship hunt to generate more job leads.

Finally, to ensure your internship experience is a positive one, make sure you know what you are getting into when you commit yourself to the job. Figure out beforehand if you will receive compensation, academic credit, or neither. If you want to receive academic credit, you may need to apply through your college to do so.