Ilyssa Davis

Stuck on how to begin the internship process? Here’s a short guide on how to get started and where to go from each step. 

When To Start

Starting the internship process early is always the best way to go, especially to gain experience to add to a resume for a future career. You don’t have to be in a specific year to obtain an internship, it depends more on what the company is looking for. From a semester point of view, to obtain an internship in the Fall, start looking in June/July. For Spring, start looking in October/November and for Summer start looking in February/March. 

Where To Search

Many students don’t know where to begin the search process of finding an internship. Penn State has many resources available for students to use including: Nittany Lion Careers, CareerShift, and the PSU Job Box. These offer the best opportunities as new jobs and internships are always posted for students to find. These resources and more can be found on the Career & Professional Development website. Find around 3-5 that pop out as the more internships students apply to, the better the chance of one working out. 

How To Prepare

For those who don’t have much experience and aren’t sure what to put on a resume or cover letter, go to a career counselor first. Even after creating the resume and cover letter, go to a career counselor to get it reviewed to submit the best version of it on applications. Career counselors will also likely direct students to the career guide which has examples of cover letters and resumes. This guide can be found on the Career & Professional Development website. To reach out to a career counselor, the best way is to use Nittany Lion Careers to schedule an appointment and tell which career counselor for each student based on your major. 

Submit Your Applications 

This is the nerve-racking part— waiting for a response. It’s exciting but scary. Remember to have positive thoughts. Even if they reject you, send a thank you email for the opportunity.

Get College Credit for Major

1. Email your internship supervisor to complete the Internship Letter – must be signed by the company’s letterhead. There are specific templates depending on your major.
2. Complete the Internship Application form. The form is different as well depending on what semester you will be doing the internship.
3. Get the completed letter from the company to upload to the Internship Application Form.

After these steps are completed, wait for approval and make sure that to enrolled in the internship class during the semester of your internship, depending on the major. (i.e. Corporate Communication internship class is CC 495). To find the forms and more information, go to this link on the Career & Professional Development website: https://www.abington.psu.edu/internship-application-process.