UAA career services center  beb 122  (907) 786-4513
Handout number 10
Internship and
summer job search
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Next semester and summer may seem like a long way off, but in reality, they are fast
approaching. If you are planning on doing an internship or want a good summer job, now
is the time to start planning.
The process for finding an internship or a summer job is much like that of looking for a
permanent job. What you learn during your search for the perfect summer job or
internship will be helpful to you later.
This handout will help you in finding an internship or summer job by reviewing the
following topics:

Description of types of experiential education opportunities

Reviewing a process for finding internships and summer jobs

Identifying resources on campus that are available to help you to obtain an
internship or summer job

Descriptions of Career Services Center’s resources and services that can help
you in the internship/summer job search process
Student Affairs
The information contained in this handout is the property of UAA Career Services Center. As such it is protected; no part of this
publication may be used or reproduced without written permission. Proper citation is required.
-1-
CAREER SERVICES CENTER
Handouts
1. Job Search Strategies
2. Resume Writing
3. Letters for the Job Search Process
4. Interview Skills
5. Planning Successful Interview Trips
6. Legal/Illegal Interview Questions
7. Occupational Information Interviewing
8. Seeing a Career Counselor – What to Expect
9. Using the Career Resource Lab
10. Internship and Summer Job Search
11. Applying to Graduate or Professional Schools
12. The Federal Government Hiring Process
13. Job Searching on the World Wide Web
14. Networking
15. AKCIS Computer Assisted Guidance
Other Services
1. Individual Career Counseling
2. Group Career Counseling
3. AKCIS Computer Assisted Guidance
4. Resume Preparation and Interview Skills Seminars
5. Internships
6. Outreach Programming
7. Credential File Program
8. On-Campus Recruiting and Interviews
9. A Day-in-the-Life Program
10. Off Campus Placement Assistance
FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE AND INFORMATION
PLEASE VISIT BEB 122
UAA is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and
employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance or qualifications as
determined by university policy or by state or federal authorities. UAA does not discriminate against any person
because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation,
or veteran status. Direct all affirmative action inquires to the Campus Diversity and Compliance Office, 3211
Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 786-4680
When necessary, this publication will be made available in alternative formats. Please contact the Career
Services Center Director to let us know how we can accommodate your needs.
-2-
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING?
Experiential learning simply means obtaining experience that is related to your major
and/or career plans. The types of experiences available to you are varied and can be
confusing. Some of the most common types of experiences are: internships, summer
jobs, externships, student involvement, and volunteerism.
Internships:
The most important point in understanding internships is that they are intended to provide
professional experience related to your major and/or career plans. Internships may be for
credit and/or pay. Therefore, some internships, such as student teaching, may provide
credit but not pay, while others, such as certain business management experiences, may
offer a salary but carry no credit. Still others may offer both credit and pay. The length
of internships also is varied. Many internships are offered in summers only, while others
may be for spring or fall semester. Some internships may provide more lengthy
experiences by spanning a summer and an additional semester. The UAA Career
Services Center offers many excellent internship programs throughout the academic year.
Contact the Internship Coordinator in BEB 122.
Summer Jobs:
Summer employment that provides pay as well as professionally relevant experience is
really the same as an internship under another label – “summer jobs”. Other summer or
part time jobs may not provide professional experience but may be beneficial in
providing “non-professional experience” in an organization related to the academic or
career plans. An example would be a finance major interested in a banking career
obtaining a summer job as a bank teller or a pre-law major working as a secretary or clerk
in a legal office.
Obviously, many summer jobs may not provide professional experience or be in an
organization related to career plans. These, too, may still be beneficial in providing
income and/or employment. Some students may need to work in jobs that provide
excellent wages such as construction, sales, or hospitality services. In these situations,
you can develop skills transferable to professional careers after college. For example, a
waitress could benefit from acquiring experience in training other employees. Other
students may simply accept a summer job that is fun such as working at an amusement
park in a resort area. The point is, you should weigh your criteria in pursuing summer
jobs associated with varied goals including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
relevant experience
organization related to career plans
for profit
for fun
-3-
Externships: (A “Day-in-the-Life” Program)
A day-in-the-life is a one-day observation-oriented experience in an employment setting
related to your career and educational goals. Typically, you would shadow a UAA
alumni sponsor engaged in a career related to your interest. The day-in-a-life is an eighthour experience scheduled over one of the semester breaks or spring break. There is no
academic credit or pay for the experience.
Student Involvement:
Involvement in campus activities and student organizations can be a good way to test out
your interests and develop skills and personal characteristics valued by employers. Some
of the activities to explore could be those that relate to your academic/professional
interests, while others might be associated with your personal/social interests. Either
way, this type of experience can be most rewarding and relevant.
Volunteerism:
Even though it is not paid, valuable professionally-relevant experience can be obtained in
a voluntary activity. Non-paid experience can be shown on a resume. For example, since
“experience” rather than “employment” or “work” is shown in the heading, a senior may
include a “professional experience” section in a resume which could include activities
such as internships, employment, and/or volunteerism. Therefore, in many ways, a
volunteer experience can be described in a resume in such fashion that it carries as much
credibility as an internship or summer job.
-4-
THE INTERNSHIP/SUMMER JOB SEARCH PROCESS
There are certain steps to consider in the internship or summer job search. They are:
1. Develop a goal for your search.
2. Develop the necessary tools, including the resume, cover letter, and
interviewing skills.
3. Identify and research potential employers.
4. Contact employers through letters and interviews.
5. Follow up.
These steps will be covered in the following pages with helpful ideas on making your
time efficient.
Develop a Goal for Your Search
In order for you to effectively search for a job, you must know what you are seeking.
Here are some things to consider:





What do you want or need from a summer job or internship?
What kind of work do you want to do?
For what kind of organization or in what sector of the work world would you
like to work?
What things must you consider in selecting a job or internship?
What might restrict you from jobs: lack of transportation? school or family
restrictions that may cut your hours? lack of housing outside your hometown
area?
Your answers to these questions will guide your initial job search efforts. You must
consider the costs of living away from home, such as rent, utilities, food, and
transportation, before you can determine your “profits” for the job. The types of jobs
available to you may depend, to an extent, on such restrictions as your access to
transportation and your financial needs.
There are other benefits besides salary from a summer job or an internship. You’ve
probably heard someone say, “I can’t get a job without experience, but how can I get
experience without a job?” Summer jobs or internships are one way. In the long run, it
may be more beneficial to take a lower salary just to get some career-related experience.
As you begin to determine your priorities, it is also important to think of what you can
offer an employer as well as what specific things you would like to get out of your
experience. What personal traits, skills, and knowledge would you like to develop
through the summer job or internship? What skills do you have to offer an employer?







I write well
I can program a computer
I can conduct thorough research for a paper or project
I always get to work or class on time
I can speak a foreign language
I was responsible for large sums of money at my last job
I can learn quickly
-5-
And so on…Remember not to sell yourself short when you are thinking of what you can
offer an employer. If you do not present yourself and your skills with confidence and
enthusiasm, most employers will not hire you. You must remember too, although you
want to get as much as you can from this experience, employers are looking for people
who can contribute to their organization and to the position.
Develop the Tools
A resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills are essential tools for any job search. For
information on how to write a resume or cover letter, or how to interview, the Career
Services Center offers workshops, handouts, and various written and video resources. If
you have questions, meet with the Counselor in BEB 122.
Identify and Research Potential Employers
You will need to identify and develop a list of potential employers to contact for your
summer job or internship. You can do this in several different ways; a review of many of
the campus resources available to you follows.
The Career Resource Lab in BEB 122 has several directories of internships and summer
jobs. Many books and articles can be found about internship programs.
Some useful books include:
Peterson’s 2000. Internships The Largest Source of Internships Available
Mark Oldman & Samer Hamadeh 2000. America’s Top Internships
Kalpana Srinivasan 1999. Yale Daily News Guide to Internships
The National Directory of Internships
Career Services also provides information regarding internships managed through the
center and summer jobs that can supplement opportunities provided through departments
and colleges. Essentially, Career Services can assist with the internship-summer job
search process in three ways: 1) summer job-internship information available in the
Career Resource Lab, BEB 122, 2) internship or summer job interviews through the oncampus recruiting system, 3) working with a Career Services counselor and Student
Internship Coordinator for assistance in conducting your own search for a summer job or
internship.
(1) The Career Resource Lab, BEB 122, offers the following resources:
Internship and Summer Job Directories
These books are located on the Internship and Summer Job Information shelves.
Some resources include:
Peterson’s 2000. Internships The Largest Source of Internships Available
Mark Oldman & Samer Hamadeh 2000. America’s Top Internships
Kalpana Srinivasan 1999. Yale Daily News Guide to Internships
The National Directory of Internships
-6-
Employer Vacancy Announcements
These announcements are filed in the white notebooks in the Career Resource Lab.
Summer job announcement are also located in the white notebooks.
The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook
This publication is one of the most useful, current, and comprehensive career references
available today. The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook is a powerful, easy-touse tool for job seekers, students, employers, and career professionals. The information
presented in this publication is based on the latest data from the U.S. Department of
Labor. The enhanced version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook can be found in the
Career Services Center’s Resource Lab in BEB 122.
(2)
The On-Campus Recruiting Program may also be used in searching for and
interviewing with employers offering Internships and Summer Jobs. Information
on using this service is available at the desk in BEB 122. Information on the
companies recruiting on campus is also available.
(3)
The Career Services Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m. –
5:00p.m. to answer any questions about the services we offer. We will discuss
career concerns, suggest internship/summer job search strategies, or review a draft
of your cover letter or resume. You may also want to get involved in individual
or group counseling sessions to work on your internship or summer job search.
(4)
Another useful method of locating an internship is searching the Internet.
“Surfing the Web” for internships is not as difficult as it may seem initially. You
will need (1) access through some browser, like Netscape, America On-Line, etc.
(As a UAA student you can be connected to Netscape through your Seawolf
account.), (2) familiarity with various search engines like Info-Seek, WWW
Worm, Lycos, etc., and (3) some creative ideas for searching. Many internship
listings can be located by simply entering the word “internship” in the search
engine’s page. Other listings can be found by going to college or university
career center home pages or company home pages. You may be able to email
your resume directly to the organization listing an internship. Listed below are
some examples of Web sites you might want to try.
Commercial Sites:
Tripod
http://www.tripod.com/work/internships
A joint effort with the National Society of Experiential Education.
Online Career Center
http://occ.com/occ/
The Monster Board
http://www.monster.com/
UR Study Abroad: Internships in Europe
http://www.rochester.edu/College/study-abroad-europe.html
-7-
Other:
These are two sources of current career development information of all types.
They both have links to various internship listings:
The Catapult
http://www/jobweb.org/catapult/catapult.htm
The Riley Guide
http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/IMS/Library/jobguide/coop.html
This is still a growing mechanism for listing internships. Keep trying often to
find out what is new.
NOTE: For more information on searching on the Web, you may want to first pick up the
Career Services Center handout on “Job Searching on the World Wide Web.”
Finally, you can target prospective employers who may want to offer an internship or
career-related summer job but have not announced a need through fliers or colleges. As
more and more companies are seeing the value of experiential learning programs as a
prerecruiting method and as a method to add to lean staffs, prospects are good for setting
up your own internship. To find potential employers:




look through local phone books or contact Chambers of Commerce to identify
local companies that may not have advertised or realized the benefits of an
intern or summer help.
look into temporary employment agencies and watch the want ads.
attend college career fairs held in fall and spring semesters.
make and utilize personal contacts. Remember that there is some truth in the
saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Often personal contacts
can suggest employment leads or introduce you to people who may have
positions available. As news of openings are more often spread through word
of mouth than through advertisements, your contacts can be a great advantage
to you.
-8-
Contact Employers/Follow Up
After you have narrowed your list to a manageable number and you have developed your
job search tools, you can start contacting employers. To do so in the most effective
manner, call the organization first to get a contact name. You will not be as successful if
you write to “Dear Sir or Madame:” The personalized approach pays off.
Utilize a variety of the approaches discussed above. Rarely will one method work in
contacting employers. Where one employer may recruit on campus at a career fair,
another may look for people through an announcement filed in the Career Resource Lab.
Develop a strategy or a variety of strategies that will reach the person responsible for
hiring you in the most effective way.
You should think in terms of a realistic timetable to send out cover letters, resumes, and
applications. Popular summer jobs are often very competitive and “the early bird gets the
worm.” Many internship applications are due three to six months before the starting date.
It may take longer if you intend to obtain academic credit for your internship. Pay
attention to deadlines on advertised job postings; if you are setting up your own
internship or summer jobs, start well before spring break so that you can utilize that break
to interview for potential jobs.
Also, set up an effective record-keeping system to keep track of deadlines, contact names,
when you spoke to someone in the company and to whom you spoke, and when and
where your interview is, what the process involves after you interview, etc. Applying to
many different positions and organizations can be confusing; it’s best to organize
yourself.
Assess your progress frequently to decide if you need to alter your strategies to obtain
more effective job search results. Try not to become too discouraged. Looking for any
job is a time-consuming and, often, difficult process. Be persistent; you will win out in
the end.
The information contained in this handout is reproduced with the permission of Penn State Career Services.
-9-