For some students, finding an internship can be a stressful process. You need to research companies and, in a lot of cases, do a cold call or email and hope that someone in their HR department picks up. For seniors, the pressure of finding an internship to fulfill credit hours in order to graduate can add another dimension of stress.

The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone! Here are some tips to that could help smooth out your internship search, lessen your stress, and land a connection.

Tip #1 – Know Your Resources

• Professors and Academic Advisors — Professors and Academic Advisors are a great resource when searching for companies or organizations that are already connected and integrated into your school’s academic program.
• Triton Advising Center Internship Directory — We routinely update our Internship Directory to include and highlight UOG Employer Partners. Be sure to log in to Handshake when applying.
• COMPASS Program — For internships in agriculture, marine bio, health sciences & social work, education and community engagement, the COMPASS program is another resource that students can utilize.

Be Proactive and be Professional

Approach the internship search just like a job hunt. Don’t wait for opportunities to find you—proactively reach out to professionals in your desired field. In all communications with potential employers, be prompt, polite, and keep it professional. When working with career support services at UOG, be sure to respond back when they reach out to you.

What about Education and/or Nursing Majors?

UOG’s School of Education and School of Health have built in requirements and connections that directly place students into local agencies (Department of Education and Guam Memorial Hospital, respectively). Not only that, the nature of their these careers require specific classes, exams, and other necessary requirements that need to be followed.

If looking for experiences prior to your practicum / internship year, consult with your academic advisor first! For experiences outside of the nursing program program, consider checking out the HOME Program, Future Leaders of Public Health Program, or National Environmental Health Association.

For education majors, consider applying for Teaching Assistant or Tutoring positions for your intended subject. Students can sometimes find these positions posted up on UOG’s Human Resource page. Also consider applying for organizations that are involved in research, community outreach and presentation, like AmeriCorps.

Tip #2 – Start Your Planning Early

Plan ahead! If you’re aiming to land an internship in the Spring, give yourself a 2-3 month window where you’re working on your resume, researching companies, and submitting resumes / contacting companies.

1. Polish up that resume. Get some feedback from a professor or staff member, the DEAL Writing Center, or the Triton Advising Center.
   
2. Start narrowing down 2-3 companies that you’d like to reach out to. If you already have a connection with the professor in charge of the internship course, it doesn’t hurt to check and see what connections they have or reach out to Academic Advisors for information on what companies or organizations are already connected to your School’s academic program.

*IMPORTANT* Seniors: Remember to get approval from your internship professors. Also be mindful that professors may require students to complete their hours during a specified semester. In other words, if you decide to start an internship during December, this may cause some conflicts when you start your internship course in January. Always take the extra steps to clarify and confirm before you start your internship.

Tip #3 – Don’t Neglect the Upkeep

It’s important to keep two things up to date.

• Resume — November is a good time to start updating and finalizing what would be your active resume that you’ll be sharing with prospective employers. Find our Resume Guide here.
• Social Media — Double check your Handshake or LinkedIn Profile and make sure that it’s generally up to date. There’s always a chance that an employer will do their own preliminary Google search or view your Handshake profile so having a professional social media presence gives them a page to land on.

Keeping both of these up to date can relieve some stress down the road.

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