What is An Internship And How To Secure One

Are you at the stage of your life where you are asked to get an internship to develop skills but don’t know what it is or how to get it? So, what is an internship? Internships are essential for getting market experience, developing commercial skills, and dealing with different aspects of professional life.

Table of Contents

How Common Are Internships?

According to the Gallup research, 4 out of every 10 students have internships, which makes up 41% of the total student population. Internships are most common in college students during and after their graduation. The most demanding population for internships are fresh graduates who are looking for an edge and an opportunity to start their careers.

What Is An Internship? An Introduction

Internships are professional learning practices that help students experience meaningful skills, professional life aspects, and practical work opportunities. These work prospects will provide students with a foundation to start their careers and build their skills in their field of study.

Students are recommended to understand what is an internship and look for internships during their studies or at the end of their educational careers in order to gain professional experience.

We have gathered the procedure, internship essay sample, internship essay examples, an application, a cover letter, and the best internship opportunities that you can avail of.

5 Step On How To Apply For An Internship?

Now that you have an idea of what is an internship, it’s time to explore how to apply for one. Following are the easy steps you must follow when applying for an internship in any field of study.

Know how to find internship. Search for a relevant internship and check the requirements.
Write an internship application.
Tailor your resume and cover letter according to the requirements of the platform.
Submit the Application with a resume and cover letter through the recommended medium.
Keep seeking feedback from the employers, companies, or platforms you applied at. In case of rejection, find out what is an internship needs.

How To Find Internship? An Advice From Experienced College Graduate

Now that you have an idea of what is an internship, let’s talk about how to find it. I was you once, panicking as the college final year approached me and we began to look for internships and facing rejections everywhere. Trust me, it’s a real challenge, and every student community suffers from it.

The issue with internships is that when we are asked to look for them, we don’t know how to find internship, where to, or whom to ask about them. We aren’t taught that in class. But today, I am sharing a comprehensive answer for this question from a college student who figured out what is an internship exactly.

The OP shared the most functional tips and tricks to find internship. Let’s have a look at it.

“Please please please read this point carefully, because I never see this strategy recommended! There are organizations that are dedicated to creating internship opportunities for *specific* communities.

There are organizations dedicated to placing people based on their identity (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first generation, low-income, etc.), it can be location specific (ex: students from Oregon or who go to school in Oregon), it can be for people underrepresented in a specific field or industry (this depends entirely on the field), or a combination.

In Portland, OR, Emerging Leaders PDX is a program that works hard to place students of color living in/attending school in Oregon with companies in the Portland/Portland metro/Vancouver area. Try and look for internships specific to your identity/community!”

“Make a list of all the relevant organizations and companies in your college/university/home’s town/city/area. This is *super* helpful for finding places you can intern or work at during the school year, which is when the internship application process tends to be wayyyyyy less competitive.

I did this, and I was able to go back and forth between my internship and classes fairly easily (the workload with an internship + school + anything else you have going on can be rough though, so keep that in mind).”

“If you’re an upperclassmen I recommend repeating this process for all the places you’re interested in living after you graduate/wherever your graduate school is.”
“LinkedIn is great for finding out where your peers work or where employees at your dream company have worked. I highly recommend combing through your LinkedIn network (or searching up your classmates if you don’t have a very large one) and going to their “Experience” section.

After this, start cataloging the companies/organizations they’ve been involved in that interest you and follow those companies on LinkedIn. You can set up an alert for the company if they post a new job/internship opportunity on their LinkedIn page, though not all organizations use LinkedIn as their primary job posting site so make sure to check their actual website frequently.”

“This also works in reverse! Find all the companies you’re interested in interning/working at and find current employers and current interns under the organization page’s “Employees” tab. Make sure to look at what organizations they’ve worked/interned at before where they’re at now.

I’m not saying to totally imitate someone’s career but A) it helps you understand what kind of experience your preferred company is looking for, and B) it will help you learn about other companies in your industry you may not have heard of before.”

“You should also try finding previous interns. This is a little harder since they aren’t featured under an organization’s LinkedIn page, but try searching up “company name + intern.” You can get more creative with the keywords if you’re looking at specific departments within the company.

Some companies also publish the names of their previous interns on their website, so check there too. You may be wondering, “Why should I care about former interns at x company?” It’s not definitive, but looking at their career path after the internship indicates how much this internship opportunity helped them land their next job AND how many networking, mentorship, and professional opportunities the internship provides.

If you don’t ultimately end up working for a company full time after interning there, you’d still want to know how an internship at x company would benefit your career in the short and long term. And again, this will probably expose you to more companies in the field you haven’t heard of.”

“Don’t forget to send LinkedIn invitations (I’ve never personalized them and it’s never been an issue but if you want to personalize it go ahead) to all the students/interns you’ve basically just stalked on LinkedIn.

This is so when you apply to these companies you can reach out and ask for application/interview process advice and chat with them about their internship experience.”

“You may feel embarrassed to admit you’re having a hard time finding an internship but don’t be afraid to make a LinkedIn post that says you’re looking for an internship in “x field” for “x term.”

People can be very kind and give you advice or help get your foot in the door. I did this once and someone responded, leading me to my current internship!”

“Take advantage of the resources your university has to offer – after all you ARE paying for it whether or not you actually utilize their services. Don’t just talk to career services (but yes, please check them out), colleges and universities offer so much more than that!

Be sure to check if your school has some sort of major or college specific placement pipeline (like MECOP for engineering students); check calendars to see when they host career fairs, student-faculty mixers (this may not be a direct path to an internship, but it can help you find mentorship or get into a research position), and similar events; speak to professors and see if they have any connections or recommendations; speak to your major/college advisor and they may be able to provide you a list of organizations other students have interned at or have their own set of connections; connect with other people in your major/college and ask them about their internship experiences.”

“Leadership and Mentorship programs – through your university or external organizations – are not only great for professional development, but they also connect you with other people in your field who are older and have more experience and/or allow you to meet other students with similar aspirations.

Some programs may also have a direct pipeline to companies (ex: after you complete this program we will try to match you with an internship at x companies) or you can utilize connections you made to get referrals and other things that help with the internship application process.”

“Use industry specific platforms. When internship and job hunting I’ve noticed people tend to recommend LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. which are useful platforms. HOWEVER, these are huuuuge sites that are inclusive of many industries and niches which makes sifting through job postings very time consuming.

Ask coworkers, classmates, advisors, mentors, peers, and career center employees about the best job site platform for your industry – I especially recommend this for more niche majors/interests that have fewer job opportunities (like if you’re looking to go into museum curation).”

“If you’re interested in micro-internships, which focus on short term projects go ahead and check out Parker Dewey. Personally, I haven’t tried this but my university has a partnership with them and there were some interesting projects available when I perused their site.”

Let’s take a look at the responses OP got from Reddit after detailing what is an internship.

Some Users who struggled with understanding what is an internship replied:

Another User stated:

Another commenter expressed gratitude and regret:

As you can see many students were clueless about what is an internship and how you can find it. It shows that there is a need to train students to be prepared for this stage in their lives.

When To Start Looking For Internships?

Now that you have an idea of what is an internship and how to find it, let’s find out when you actually start looking for them. Well, it’s mainly industry-specific, for example:

Technology: Spring Interns in April. Recruitment will mostly be from the end of September to October.

Stem Majors: Late Winter to Mid-Spring. (Feb To April)

Humanities: Late Winter To Mid-Spring. (Feb To April)

Political Sciences: January to April

Biochemistry: March to April

Best Internship Programs For Major Subjects

Now that you understand what is an Internship, you can now move onto most popular internship programs for popular subjects.

Nursing

Midwestern Medicine Student Nurse Internship

It’s a four-week, paid internship program that helps students get real experience with senior nurses and interact with patients.

Requirements

A final-year student enrolled in a full-time accredited nursing program.
Documentation of completed nursing program.
Must have valid American Heart Association basic life support for certification.

Application Timeline: Late winter (Jan)

Expected starting of the program: May

AACN Government Affairs And Policy Internship

This is a non-clinical internship program that aims to teach students about the nursing profession and how policies are created. Students in the middle of a degree and in their first years would benefit most from this internship.

This internship runs for different timelines of the year, so you can avail this opportunity whenever you want. The times of the year are:

Summer Session 1: Mid-May to June
Summer Session 2: July To August
Fall Session: September to November
Spring Session: January to May

Each session takes six weeks to complete with at least 20 hours per week. It helps students to understand what is an internship and its benefits in the health sector.

Student Nurse Internship Program, Norfolk Virginia

This internship is offered by Sentara healthcare center in North Carolina. The students will work in Sentara Norfolk general hospital. This is a paid internship that allows students to work under senior nurses.

Requirements

Must be enrolled in an accredited nursing program.
Must be about to enter the final two semesters of nursing school.

Finance and Accounting

Goldman Sachs Internship Program

Well, what is an internship without practical work? This is a summer internship program for finance students to develop great skills in practical fields and also learn from professionals.

Requirements

Currently Enrolled in bachelor’s Degree
Ability to work full-time, in-person, during the summer
Must have academic excellence.
Must be a finance major.

Mirador Summer College Internship 2024

This is another industry-based college internship that helps students develop leadership, interview, public speaking, and financial skills.

Requirements

Currently enrolled at an accredited university pursuing an associate bachelor or graduate degree.
Able to work full-time, in person, from June to August.
Comfortable with Technology, software tools, and applications.

John Deere Summer Finance/Accounting Internship Program

John Deere offers an internship program for students to apply the skills and knowledge of school on real-life projects. It helps students understand what is an internship when combined with field work.

Requirements

Must be pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting, finance, economics, business analytics, or a related major.
Minimum GPA of 3.0.
Must have completed at least 6 credit hours of accounting courses.
Must consider relocating within the United States.

Data Science

NASA Data Science Internship

What is an internship at such an incredible place? Working with NASA is a dream of almost every student who has an interest in Space exploration. Being a data science student, you will get a great opportunity to work with professionals and analyze important data.

Requirements

Only for US citizens
Must work at the headquarters in Columbia, Washington D.C.
Undergraduate, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Undergraduate.
Must have a major that is relevant to NASA-related research.

Data Science Internship At the University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is offering paid internships for graduates and undergraduate students. This internship is offered with the collaboration of the New York Center of Excellence (COE). This internship program supports all small businesses and helps students to seek internships at different company partners.

Requirements:

Must be a student at Rochester University.
Must be a data science major.
Must reach back to COE to share internship experience through surveys.

Marketing

Business Marketing Internship at Apple

What is an internship at Apple ? Imagine working at Apple and interacting with their innovative marketing team. This is a great opportunity to work with professionals and polish your marketing skills.

Requirements

Working towards the completion of a degree in Computer Science, applied math, engineering, and data science.
Must return to your school to continue your education or take this internship as the last requirement of the degree completion.

Arizona State University Internship Program

These are paid or unpaid internships that help students gain professional experience and earn extra credit toward completing their degrees.

Requirements

Must be a marketing major student
Must have a minimum GPA of 3
Need to complete a minimum of 120 hours at the internship
Must write a final paper after the internship to receive two upper-division credits.

Baylor University Marketing Internship

This is a mentored internship opportunity for all marketing students who want to have a true professional experience.

Requirements

Maximum GPA of 3.00 in the marketing major. Students with 2.7 GPAs can also apply, but they are expected to showcase exceptional interpersonal skills.
Students must be admitted to a business school.
Must complete 150 work hours.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning Internship At Apple

Get an opportunity to work at one of the world’s leading tech companies and share the room with some of the pioneers in IOS development.

Requirements

Working towards the completion of a degree in Computer Science, applied math, engineering, and data science.
Must return to your school to continue your education or take this internship as the last requirement of the degree completion.

Allen Institute of AI Internship

Allen Institute of AI has internship opportunities for different periods, throughout the year. It’s a paid internship, and the sponsorship is also available for Machine learning and Artificial intelligence students.

Internships available:

Winter (January through March)
Spring (April through June)
Summer (July through September)
Fall (October through December)

You can log into their website to apply for any of the internships mentioned above that suit your degree program. It runs for 10 weeks.

Internship Essay Sample

What is an internship essay? An internship essay can be very confusing because it doesn’t start or follow the common essay structure. Below we have shared one of the internship essay examples to help you follow the procedure correctly.

Dear Sir Thompson,

My name is Vivian Carter. I am a senior in the business administration department at Cambridge University, specializing in marketing. I have discovered my passion for digital marketing, and I am very excited about the new internship program that your company is offering. I am pleased to learn that such an incredible company with a friendly atmosphere provides a position of interest. Let me elaborate on why I am the best candidate for the opportunity.

I have always been enthusiastic about digital marketing, but my passion increased when I started university. Last year, I participated in a business plan creation project in collaboration with our university. I was the marketer on that project, and I single-handedly fulfilled that role by enhancing brand image, enhancing brand reach, and generating sales by 47%. That was an on-field experience that taught me the importance of on-hand skills and how they can be used to generate profit.

In this era of technology and the internet, digital marketing has the most potential. The generation of people we are catering to is now on phones and loves to interact with brands. That’s why there is a need to shift the traditional marketing tools to the digital ones. Having a solid digital presence has become the ultimate goal of every company and business.

Digital marketing allows interaction and building relationships with customers from all over the world and will enable brands to market in the most innovative way. This field fully aligns with my interests, personality, vision, and passion. I believe that by working as an intern at your company, I could showcase my creativity and skills effectively. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about the field and get professional experience.

I can assure you that I fulfill all the requirements for this internship, and I would be a strong addition to the team due to my interpersonal skills, eagerness to learn and excel, team-building skills, and emotional intelligence. Having a chance to work with professionals at your company, I will be polished and sharp in my skills.

Thank you for your time and consideration, Mr. Thompson.

Vivian Carter

This is one of the most working internship essay examples that you can follow for your application process.

Internship Application Essay Example

What is an internship application, you may ask? To answer this question, let’s look at the internship application essay example to help you follow the procedure.

David Parker

Street 22, Growville Apartments, Manhattan.

Phone: 555-6356-752

24/06/2024

Ms. Emily Oscar

Prent Research Center

2225 Kennedy Rd, Janesville, United States

Dear Ms. Emily,

I am writing to apply for this internship program. My dedication to my work is evident from my volunteering experiences locally and at college. Despite my studying schedule, I took my time to volunteer to teach children in starting grades at the local school. I also tutored plenty of students to explore my capabilities and knowledge. These experiences have taught me to deal with students, incorporate research into different situations, and handle situations independently. I believe that I am a great decision-maker and problem-solver now.

I also have a background in research. I worked with my professors to conduct scientific surveys. I have analyzed the stats and shown incredible performance in math studies. I have a real passion for research, learning, and teaching, and I am well-prepared for any future positions that may come to me.

I would like you to consider me for this entry-level position in your research center. I believe that this position would help me enhance my skills and provide me with a chance to collaborate with professionals in chemical and civil engineering. I am sure that the experience I would gain from working with you and your team would be the milestone I wanted to achieve in my career, and it will stay with me for years to come.

Thank You

Sincerely

David Parker.

That’s it for a great internship application essay example that you can follow for excellence.

Cover Letter For an Internship

Don’t be confused in understanding what is an internship cover letter. Writing a cover letter is a comprehensive process. Following is an example of a cover letter for an internship at Apple. You can review it to see how an effective cover letter is crafted.

Adeline Lau

Street no#56, Block B, NewYork

Dear James Smith,

I heard that your team is looking for interns for the new project. I have reviewed the requirements of the candidates you are looking for regarding this internship. I believe that my skills are an excellent fit for this role.

Please consider me for this internship at your company. I am including my resume, which showcases my qualifications and experience. Previously, I was responsible for pricing, special offers, and promotions.

My skills include:

Enthusiasm for platforms and developers.
Proven analytical and critical thinking skills.
Incredible problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
Advanced experience with MS Word, Excel, business objects, and SEO.
Excellent Data and statistical analysis Skills
Exceptional listening, speaking, written, presentation, and communication skills.
Intermediate knowledge of Networking and Server Tech.
Self-motivated with the ability to complete tasks with minimal supervision.
In-depth and Broad knowledge of the market trend
Active in Social Media Marketing

Thank you for your time. I am looking forward to an interview call and to working with you.

Regards

Adeline Lau

If you are still confused about the cover letter for an internship? please go through different cover letter examples to memorize the format and the structure of it, and also to master what is an internship core strength.

Internship Interview Tips

What is an internship interview? Are you nervous about your internship interview? It’s okay to feel a little jittery when your heart can’t stop racing. An internship interview shouldn’t be considered less than any job interview because it is the gateway to an entire career path.

To help you with your interview, we have shared some of the top experienced individuals who shared vital internship interview tips.

Keegan Moldenhauer, Founder of Internship on Demand At Jefferson Labs, stated that to prepare for an internship Interview, one has to:

Research the company: Visit its pages and website to learn about its core values, press releases, recent projects, environment, and more. This will help you get to know the company better and determine whether your interests align.

Prepare Your Answer: Keep practicing answering common interview questions such as ‘Introduce yourself’, ‘Why do you want to intern with us?’ What is an internship to you, and What are your weaknesses and strengths? ‘ Preparing answers will help the interview look natural, fluent, and confident.

Utilize the STAR Method: A great way to answer the interview questions is to follow the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, And Result. This approach will help you structure your answers effectively.

Display Your Emotional Intelligence: One of the best internship interview tips is to showcase your ability to manage your emotions and those of others. Most employers seek individuals with high emotional intelligence because it is a vital skill that represents your ability to collaborate with teams and navigate challenging situations.

Lavanyah Prabu, a cybersecurity consultant at Ernest & Young (EY), shared 10 vital tips to prepare for an internship interview. Let’s take a look at them:

Prepare your pitch: Always be ready to answer questions like ‘Tell me about yourself’ and ‘What is your best quality’. Remember some important keywords, and keep on practicing to improve your answers.

Research: Complete your research about the company and find out its size, what is an internship about at the company, owners, core values, mission, teams, uniqueness, and employees’ feedback.

Research about the person interviewing you: Find out the profile of the company’s HR who will be interviewing you. You will find interesting information that will help you ease your nervousness and develop a sense of familiarity.

Understand the Company’s Needs and Expectations of You: Understandingan internship requirement helps you showcase your abilities and skills, which reveal what they truly want. Show them your productivity and capabilities.

Make Positive Notes About Yourself: Make notes and memorize them. Employers want to know if you are honest about yourself and have self-awareness. That’s why you need to be prepared with a positive quality and to spin your weakness positively.

Be Punctual: Show up a little early for the interview to show your determination for the job.

Have Things You Need To Bring: Have your resume printed out. Have a pen and a notebook to note down talking points and note different information about what is an internship and what responsibilities it has.

Prepare Answers To Basic Questions: Always ready to answer common questions like ‘Why do you want to work with us?’, ‘What are your expectations from this internship?’, ‘When will you be available and for how long?’, What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life?’ and ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’

Prepare Questions For The End Of Interview: Employers are more likely to ask you if you have any questions. You need to be prepared to ask questions in order to show your interest in the company and the internship. You can ask questions like ‘What is an internship responsibilities?’, ‘what are you looking for in a candidate?’, ‘What is the biggest challenge of this job?’, ‘Can you deceive a typical day in this position?’, and ‘What are the working conditions in the company?

Follow up on the Interview with a Thank You Note: Remember to send a thank you note to the HR representativewho was in contact with you throughout the process. Reach out to them to ask about the internship results and feedback. Be humble and polite in your communication to make yourself a desired candidate.

Want Help?

If you are still not sure what is an internship and how to write a cover letter? Don’t worry; we are here to help you out. You can get in touch with our professional cover letter writing service to get the best crafted letter to secure an internship opportunity.

Final Thoughts

That’s it for the exclusive guide to what is an internship. We have shared the expert-proven procedure, the best internships, internship essay sample, cover letter, applications, and internship essays, and interview tips from the experts. Landing an internship is a process of consistency and commitment. Good Luck!