How to Find the Best Summer Internships
Whether you are looking to earn some summer cash, gain experience for your future career, or just spend your time productively while having some fun – you might look into getting an internship for this coming summer! Check out these 10 internship tips for finding positions to make money, do something fun, and form a network for your future career.
1. For the Business-Oriented: Vault’s Top Internship List
Every year, Vault surveys thousands of current and former interns to evaluate the best internships in the country based on the following criteria:
- Quality of life
- Compensation and benefits
- Interview process
- Career development
- Full time employment prospects.
On the current top ten list, corporations Bates White, Northwestern Mutual, and Elliot Davis ENVISION are among the most highly rated.
2. For Your Travel Bug: Location-Based Internships
Want to go to Hong Kong, Miami, Barcelona, or Paris? Dream Careers’ website lets you search for internships nationally or globally by city. The Hong Kong program, for example, provides housing, transportation, career planning, and academic credit.
3. For Outdoors Lovers: Humanitarian Environmental Internships
Coolworks.com has dozens of great listings for US and Global internships at outdoor centers, conservation centers, resorts, and parks. Alaska Wildlife Adventures has currently posted that it has summer jobs to work in Denali National Park, for example, for ecotourism.
4. For Fashionistas: Up to Date Fashion Internships
Do you dream of designer labels and heels in your sleep? Check out Fashionista’s career page for the latest intern opportunities across America. Right now Pink Cosmo in LA is looking for interns to help with development of its new fashion handbag, for example.
5. For Video Game Lovers: Programming Internships
If you love video games and have computer science skills, try working from your home for one of hundreds of small scale video game developers that need help. You might not make a lot of money, but you can gain valuable resume-building experience, especially if your creation takes off as the next coolest App! Indeed.com has hundreds of opportunities listed, just punch “game design intern” into their search engine.
6. For TV and Movie Junkies: Entertainment Industry Internships
A good way to find positions at your favorite movie and TV producers is to look directly on their websites. Marvel has more than 20 current intern positions posted on its website, for example!
7. For Artists: Top Creative Design Internships
Looksharp’s Intern Match site has more than a hundred different creative design internships, including summer pottery courses for adults with disabilities in California, graphic design in Maryland, and a jewelry assistantship in Texas.
8. For Local Jobs: Hook in with LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for connecting with local employers and finding posted internships. Right now there are nearly 5,000 opportunities listed for New York alone! Companies with positions include Intel, IBM, and Disney. Post a page and start searching now for the best opportunities.
9. For Do-Gooders: Volunteer Internships for Nonprofits
Both Volunteer Match and Idealist have thousands of summer internship opportunities posted for nonprofits across the country. The New England Aquarium is looking for help with sea turtles right now, or you could deliver warm dinners to the homeless with Hot Meals in Virginia.
10. For the Global Citizen: Intern Programs for Future International Careers
If you are interested in developing your resume with real international experience, check out the hundreds of opportunities around the globe with Go Abroad. In Argentina there are more than 2 dozen internships, including placement with the Foundation for Sustainable Development.
If you don’t know how to spend your summer, are bored with your usual routine, or need help building your resume or earning some cash for the fall semester, you can find great internship opportunities in your local area and beyond with these online resources!
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