FIND YOUR NEXT INTERNSHIP ON WAYUP. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE.

Internships provide invaluable professional experience and allow you to test the theories and concepts you’ve been introduced to throughout your college career — not to mention they increase your chances of being offered a full-time job later on.

No matter what your major or preferred industry, employers look for a core set of skills and traits when considering applicants for both internships and entry-level jobs. Your prospective supervisor is interested in more than just your GPA, so whether you’re hoping to be a summer intern, planning on honing your time-management skills as an intern during the academic year, or applying for your first job out of college, it’s worth your while to draw attention to the transferable skills you’ve picked up during your courses, community service and extracurricular activities.

Below are the top 10 skills employers want in an intern:

1. Communication

Communication occurs in a variety of ways, but future employers are primarily interested in your ability to write and speak professionally. You have the opportunity to demonstrate your written skills in your resume and cover letter, and your verbal skills as you supply thoughtful answers to the common interview questions you’ll likely be asked. During your interview, you might mention your experience giving oral presentations (which perhaps was required in some of your classes). The ability to communicate effectively — to translate ideas and convey information — is key in any field, whether it’s with your supervisor, coworkers, or clients, and employers are well aware that it is a valuable skill.

2. Interpersonal

The ability to communicate effectively is often related to one’s ability to relate well to others, or “people skills.” Depending on the industry, you may be interacting with clients and vendors as well as your co-workers and managers. It’s important to be able to build and maintain relationships and be the kind of person team members want in the office with them every day. Interpersonal skills are also important because employers seek individuals who can identify the wants and needs of others and who can recognize and acknowledge the value of differing perspectives.

3. Collaboration

As an intern, you’ll likely collaborate with other interns and company employees. Your ability to communicate and relate well to others is certainly important for collaboration, as is the capacity to work with others toward a common goal. As part of a team, you have to understand your own strengths and weaknesses so you know how you can best contribute, as well as be aware of how you can bring out the best in others.

4. Time Management

If you’ve managed to successfully take a full course load every semester and meet assignment deadlines, to some extent, you’ve already demonstrated time management skills. But as an intern, you’re not going to have a syllabus to tell you when your deadlines are. It’s up to you to organize your time and produce results. Employers want to know that you can prioritize responsibilities and recognize when it’s appropriate to multitask or focus on one particular project at a time.

5. Adaptability

Today’s work culture — whether you’re hoping to intern for a startup or well-established organization — often requires even the most senior level executives to wear multiple hats. As an intern, one day you might find yourself supporting the sales team and the next day performing customer service. While you may have an interest in a particular aspect of an industry, a willingness to become familiar with the different parts of an organization is definitely viewed as an asset (and also increases your exposure within the company).

6. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking refers to your ability to analyze and evaluate a situation or issue and form a judgment. The tendency to think critically can be demonstrated by a willingness to ask questions in order to understand an issue from all possible angles, and to pose creative solutions to challenges. It’s something many of your professors have likely emphasized and is highly valued by employers.

7. Research and Analysis

If you’ve completed any research papers or projects for your coursework (and you likely have), you already have experience with research and analysis. Don’t be shy during your interview for an internship; make it a point to bring up the empirical research you performed for your psychology class and the conclusions you came to about how your fellow students make purchasing decisions in the campus bookstore. As a new member of the organization, you’ll be hit with a lot of new information, and your ability to process that information is a testament to your ability to fulfill whatever role you’re assigned.

8. Initiative

You’ve applied for an internship to gain knowledge of an industry and professional experience, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to offer. During your interview, highlight instances where you’ve taken it upon yourself to contribute or positively affect change. Your potential employer will appreciate the chance to bring someone on board who doesn’t have to wait to receive direction for every task, and who’s willing to assist others with their work.

9. Receptiveness

While taking initiative is important, so is the ability to receive feedback. For example, if you’re asked about a time you made a mistake, you can mention the feedback you received regarding the error and how you responded to it. Your interviewer will want to know that you’re willing and able to address any weaknesses.

10. Technical Proficiency

You certainly won’t be expected to be an expert in whatever platform the company you’re applying to uses, particularly if you’re hoping to intern for a company within a highly specialized industry. But you should know your way around a computer, and your ability to navigate basic productivity software will likely be presumed.

The above are commonly identified skills that employers seek in interns, as well as applicants for entry-level jobs. Be sure to research your particular industry and familiarize yourself with other skills or character traits that may be desirable in your field.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out and find answers to common interview questions such as How Do I Get an Internship?

FIND YOUR NEXT INTERNSHIP ON WAYUP. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE.

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Goals are critical to succeeding at your internship or entry-level job for several reasons.

1. They help you focus on what matters and avoid spending time on fruitless endeavors.
2. They enable you to track your progress and ensure you’re having the impact you want to have.
3. They help you align expectations with your manager and stay on the same page.
4. They allow you to document and demonstrate your effort and impact at the company, which can help you get a raise, promotion, or recommendation.

What Makes a Good Internship or Entry-Level Goal?

First, all goals should be several things:

1. In your direct control.
   There’s no point in holding yourself accountable for things you can’t control. For example, if you’re in a social media marketing role, you should create a goal around growing the number of engaged followers by 50% instead of a goal to increase the revenue you get from each social media follower.
2. Measurable.
   Avoid vague goals like “Grow our brand awareness.”. You’ll never know when you achieve vague goals. The easiest way to make goals measurable is to ensure there are numbers attached to them.
3. Ambitious.
   Your goals should push you. They shouldn’t be easily accomplished. Goals don’t exist to make you feel accomplished. They exist to help you accomplish great things.

In addition, internship goals should have a specific focus on learning. That learning focus can be on you learning whether you want to pursue a career similar to the internship, learning a specific skill, or learning to succeed in a particular professional environment.

Good entry-level job goals aren’t so different in that there should be an emphasis on learning. However, learning cannot be the only goal as your impact is critical to your ability to maintain your career.

How to Choose Your Goals

Setting the best, achievable goals for your internship or entry-level job largely depends on knowing what you want, what you’re capable of, what your role will enable you to reasonably do, and what the company is trying to do. When setting your goals, it’s important to ask yourself a few key questions.

First, ask yourself why you accepted this internship or job. This should help you figure out what you should try and learn from it. Understanding your own personal motivation for taking the job should help you set a good personal learning goal.

Second, consider what the company is trying to do. Your goals should benefit you and the company. If your goals don’t align with the company’s goals, then your efforts likely won’t have any impact on the company’s success and you won’t be able to demonstrate your value to the company.

Third, ask yourself what type of impact you’d like to have on the company. What would you be most proud of achieving?

Fourth, examine the responsibilities of the role you have at the company and determine what your role will enable you to achieve. If you’re a sales intern, you probably won’t be super successful at helping the company achieve their engineering-related goals.

Setting the Scope of Your Goals

If you’re a summer intern, you probably shouldn’t have a yearly goal. Instead, you should set a goal for your summer internship.

Entry-level employees should start by trying to set 5 year goals. If you have absolutely no idea where you’d like to be in 5 years and what you’d like to be doing, that’s totally fine; start with 1 year goals instead. From those 1 year goals work backwards into quarterly and monthly goals. Some companies set quarterly goals and some set monthly goals. The scope of your goals should match with your company’s scope.

Internship Goal Examples

1. Grow Twitter followers by 25% by the end of summer.

   Social Media Marketing Intern

2. Demo 5 new accounts each week.

   Sales Intern

3. Write 10 new articles each month.

   Content Marketing Intern

4. Learn Ruby on Rails and deploy 1 new feature by the end of summer.

   Software Engineering Intern

5. Have coffee with 1 full-time employee each week.

   Anyone

Entry-Level Job Goal Examples

1. Create 2 new icons and add them to the icon font each month.

   Visual Designer

2. Reduce expenses each quarter by 5%.

   Financial Analyst

3. Retain 80% of part-time volunteers each quarter.

   Non-Profit Volunteer Coordinator

4. Shadow a different person in their role at the company each month.

   Anyone

Tracking Your Progress

Once you have your goals set, you’ll need to be diligent about tracking your progress. A good rule of thumb is to check in on your status one time dimension below the scope of your goals. For example, you should check on your progress towards any yearly goals every quarter. You should check on any quarterly goals every month. You should check on any monthly goals every week.

Keep track of your progress somewhere digital (a spreadsheet or Google doc are good options). It’s not only important to know whether or not you’re making good progress, but at what rate you’re making progress. This can help you tie the progress to specific actions you took.

Assessing Your Impact

The final, and perhaps the most critical part, of effectively using goals in your internship or entry-level job is to ensure that you take time to reflect on the goals you set. You may have achieved them, or you may not have. Regardless, you should take time to think about:

1. Did this goal actually measure the impact that you had? Was it a good goal?
2. Why did you or did you not meet your goal?
3. Was this goal effective in motivating you?
4. Should you use this goal again?

Now that you know why goals are a critical part of any internship or entry-level job and how to set good ones, go use your new knowledge! Your manager will be impressed. We promise.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How to Set Great Internship or Job Goals appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

“A black hole is a region of space-time from which it is impossible to escape.”
Stephen Hawkins

One of the biggest questions we hear from students is what happens to my application after I hit submit?  Does it ever reach a college recruiter’s desk, does it ever get read or is it simply launched out into space?  In the HR world this is referred to as the applicant black hole, because once you send an application online into it’s very easy for it to disappear into space.

This problem exists for a number of reasons but the fact is that fewer than 5% of employers follow-up with every applicant they receive and even fewer communicate the real reasons about why they made the choice they did.

While it might seem easy to blame companies for not doing a better job of responding, the reality is that most HR managers receive hundreds of applications every week and are over worked reviewing them — so it’s up to you to stand out. By understanding a bit more about how the online application process works, you can figure out how to navigate this abyss and make sure you emerge on the other side with your ideal internship.
Where do all the resumes go?

As you can probably guess, applications for internships rarely follow the same path. Some employers ask you to apply directly to their email inbox. Others ask for you to apply using a job website like Taleo or WayUp so that they can save the applications in a database online and share them with other employees in the office.

Depending on the size of the employer and how they are accepting applications you need to think up the best strategy to make sure you don’t get overlooked when it comes to decision time. For example, if you’re given a contact name or email address, do some research on the individual and customize your application materials to them personally.

Building a better rocket ship!

The other important skill to develop when applying for internships online is to learn how to make your application stand out among the competition.

Here are 5 tips to help:

1.) Follow-Up!

The biggest piece of advice we can recommend to avoid getting ignored is to follow-up consistently with an employer after you submit an application. This is an art not a science, but most students are way too hesitant to follow-up with employers even if just to ask what the time frame is on responding or to remind them that you have applied. For best practices see our guide on how to follow-up with employers.

2.) Remove all typos from your resume.

Another reason you may not hear back from employers is because they tossed out your resume at first sight. Even if you have one typo on your resume, it shows an employer a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. In fact almost 50% of employers stop reading a resume if they see just one typo! So double check your resume and check out our resume guide for extra help.

3.) Be unique.

As an employer who has hired many students I can safely say, my job is a lot easier when a particular student breaks the mold by standing out. Don’t just spam employers with a standard cover letter, take the extra hour to write something and make a unique cover letter. If the employer has a twitter account tweet at them about how excited you are. If they are coming to your school for a career fair, go and introduce yourself to the recruiting staff and start building a relationship. Your hard work will pay off when it comes to decision time.

4.) Don’t use scammy websites to apply for positions!

Top job boards like your Career Center website or WayUp work hard to make sure every position that is online is up to date and is a high quality position. If you are finding positions by doing a Google search or on Craigslist, you may find some great opportunities but as a rule of thumb the further you go from trusted sites the more likely you are to be applying to a position that has either already closed or doesn’t exist altogether.

5.) Don’t get discouraged.

Last but not least don’t get discouraged. A lot of employers are getting overwhelmed with applications in the current down economy, so even if you are over qualified for a position you simply might not hear back. If you keep at it and keep improving your application skills such as following-up, being unique, and using top job boards, you are going to start getting interviews and eventually find a position you’re excited about.

If you have any questions about the black hole or how to avoid it, feel free to comment or send us emails to support@wayup.com and we are happy to help.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How to Apply to Internships Online and Not Get Lost in The Black Hole appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Confidence is a key part of being successful in almost any situation, and it’s especially important when it comes to your professional life. One of the areas where confidence really matters is public speaking. Unfortunately, a lot of people are afraid of public speaking (including seasoned professionals). If you’re among them, don’t worry. With a little bit of practice and preparation, you can conquer your fears and learn how to deliver a powerful and engaging speech.

Here are five tips for becoming a confident public speaker.

1. Have a positive attitude.

Being able to get your message across effectively starts with having a positive attitude. Although this may seem difficult if you’re feeling nervous, it’s actually not as hard as it sounds. The key is to know your goal and to tell yourself that you can do it. For example, if your goal is to present a new strategy to the entire company, reminding yourself that you have the knowledge and the skills to deliver a great speech is crucial to your success. This will help boost your confidence and ensure that you stay positive as you get closer to giving your presentation.

2. Picture a successful outcome.

If you’ve ever heard of athletes who prepare for big games by visualizing success, there’s a good reason for that: it works! The best way to apply this tactic to public speaking is by picturing yourself giving a speech. Picture yourself feeling confident and delivering a speech that you feel good about. Then focus on what part of your visualization makes you feel the most successful. Is it being prepared and knowledgeable about the material? Or maybe it’s the way the audience engages with your speech, smiling and nodding in all the right places. Whatever it is, focus on this feeling of success and keep repeating the visualization until you’re able to convince yourself that the real speech will go just as well.

Pro Tip: Although this exercise should be a positive one, don’t be afraid to do a similar visualization where you picture the worst case scenario. Why? Because this will help prepare you for any curve balls. Although you’re unlikely to encounter any real embarrassment or problems during the speech, seeing it play out in your imagination (and knowing that you can get past it) is a great way to remind yourself that you can handle whatever comes your way.

3. Know what you want to communicate.

Along with building confidence, knowing what you want to communicate is a key component of successful public speaking. The best way to do this is by coming up with a list of 2-3 bullet points that you consider to be the key takeaways of your speech. Then craft your speech with these in mind and practice it several times to ensure that you’re emphasizing these points as effectively as possible.

4. Clear your mind

Once you have you have your speech prepared and you’ve visualized a successful outcome, the next step is being able to clear your mind right before your speech. There are several ways to do this but the most effective is to practice some deep breathing. This works best if done right before the speech. Spend a few minutes breathing in and out slowly and focusing on your breath. This will help clear your mind of any remaining anxiety and will ensure that your mind and body are relaxed as you prepare to start your speech.

5. Connect with the audience.

Along with being calm and prepared, one of the keys to giving a successful speech is being able to connect with your audience. The best way to do this is by making regular eye contact during your speech and by asking questions designed to engage your listeners.

Pro Tip: A great way to practice connecting with your audience is by rehearsing your speech in front of friends. This will ensure that you’re comfortable with the delivery and able to focus on engaging with your audience.

Public speaking is a great skill to have in any professional context and it’s especially impressive for recent grads who are just establishing themselves in their careers. By following these tips and growing your self-confidence, you’ll be able to become a confident public speaker and to impress current and future employers along the way.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Write a Thank You Note After An Interview and find answers to common interview questions such as What Gets You Up in the Morning?

The post How To Become A Confident Public Speaker appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

If you’re thinking about getting your MBA, you might be wondering about the best way to set yourself up for success during the program. Is there something you can do to maximize your experience and ensure that you’re learning as much as possible while in business school? The answer is yes. In addition to traditional internships and externships, a great way to get some hands-on experience in a variety of different roles is through a rotational program. A type of internship designed to give you a feel for several areas of a business, including marketing, finance and sales, rotational programs can last anywhere from six months to two years, with rotations typically lasting between three to six months.

Interested in adding a rotational internship program to your MBA degree? Here’s how to combine an MBA program with a rotational one.

Research rotational programs related to your MBA program

With many large companies recruiting MBA candidates directly from business schools, the best way to find a rotational program is by researching the programs that are affiliated with your school. Set up some time to speak to a program adviser and ask them about the various aspects of each program including the duration, management structure and the exact roles to which you’ll be exposed. With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be able to narrow down your options to the ones that are most relevant to you.

Select a program that matches your desired industry and position

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to create a shortlist of the programs that closely match your career goals. This means selecting programs that are within your chosen industry — for example, technology or finance — and also programs that fit your desired duration. The best way to do this is by making a list of eight to 10 programs that interest you and ranking them in order of preference. While we recommend applying to as many of these as possible, you should aim to apply to at least five in order to give yourself the best chance of success.

Work with program administrators to create an optimal schedule

The final step in seamlessly combining your MBA program with a rotational program is to discuss your course load and responsibilities with program administrators on both sides of the equation. This is a great way to ensure that everyone is aware of your full workload and that they can accommodate any issues that may come up.

Combining an MBA program with a rotational program is a wonderful way to gain hands-on experience in a number of different roles. By following these tips, you’ll be able to expand your skill set and maximize your time in business school.

Next, learn more about grad school such as What Are the Different Types of Graduate Degrees? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 3 Common Internship Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

The post How to Combine an MBA Program With a Rotational Internship Program appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

For those majoring in journalism, there is no better way to explore potential career options than by taking on an internship. Internships for journalism majors are wide-ranging, giving you the hands-on experience you need and an in-depth look at the industry of your choice. Best of all, internships are a great way of getting one step closer to your dream job.

Here are some of the most common internships for journalism majors:

Journalism intern

As a journalism intern for a newspaper, magazine or a digital media property, you’ll learn how to produce engaging content that fits the style and tone of your publication. During your internship, you’ll take on projects such as conducting interviews, uploading website content and managing the company’s social media accounts. You may also be offered the opportunity to write articles which you can add to your portfolio. If you’re considering a career in journalism, this is the internship for you.

Editorial intern

An editorial internship is similar to a journalistic one except that it’s not always affiliated with a traditional publication. As an editorial intern, you might be hired by a PR company, a startup or a nonprofit to develop content for their website. During your internship, you’ll be responsible for writing content, sourcing photos and crafting posts that can be used across the company’s social channels. You’ll contribute to strategy designed to increase the organization’s internet presence. In addition to researching, writing, editing and creating outlines for new articles, you’ll also monitor feedback and statistics for blog posts and assist with SEO strategy. This is a great internship for anyone who wants to learn as much as possible about digital media and to develop solid editorial skills along the way.

Content marketing intern

A content marketing internship is perfect for journalism majors who are looking to work closely with marketing, advertising and PR teams. From writing content for the company’s website to organizing and researching information for the organization’s newsletter, you’ll be participating in most aspects of content marketing and sharpening your copywriting skills along the way. During your internship, you’ll also get a chance to research, outline and write blog posts relevant to your company’s target audience as well as writing press releases for new campaigns. This is a wonderful internship for anyone interesting in going into marketing after graduation.

Social media intern

As a social media intern, you’ll assist in crafting social media posts and monitor the impact of those posts across different social channels. You’ll also get hands-on experience with social media tools like Google Analytics and HootSuite, as well as learning how to use metrics to optimize campaigns. This is a great internship for journalism majors interested in developing creative social campaigns and engaging users in the process.

Copywriting intern

A copywriting internship is all about writing engaging material and maintaining good communication with your team. As a copywriting intern, you’ll gain hands-on experience writing brochures, reports and marketing materials. You’ll also assist with drafting and editing blog posts, news articles and website content. Last but not least, you’ll learn how to monitor marketing and media trends and modify your writing style to suit your audience. This a wonderful internship for anyone interested in advertising or marketing.

Broadcast intern

As a broadcast intern for a TV or radio station, you’ll get to observe the planning, operation and execution of a TV show, radio program or podcast. Your responsibilities could range from administrative duties like researching and fact-checking news stories to more advanced tasks like booking guests, developing scripts and putting together press releases. If you’re interested in learning about broadcasting, this could be the right internship for you.

Whether you’re interning at a famous digital media company or writing copy for a small tech startup, a journalism internship will give you the skills you need to succeed in your first job after graduation.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Journalism Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Entry-Level Job?

The post Types of Internships for Journalism Majors appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

With their ability to communicate effectively in almost any situation, communications majors are some of the most sought after candidates in all sorts of professional fields. With so many opportunities available, you might be wondering how to find a job that’s a good fit for you. The best way to do that is through an internship where you can get exposure to a specific field or position.

Here are some of the best internships for communications majors:

Marketing intern

As a marketing intern, you’ll assist the marketing team with projects and find out how marketers help brands connect with their audience. During your internship, you’ll be taking on a number of tasks such as collaborating on blog post ideas, developing social media strategy and writing email copy. As a result, you’ll be gaining lots of hands-on experience and also getting exposed to all of the different elements involved in crafting a successful marketing campaign.

Editorial intern

From sharpening your SEO skills to shadowing an editorial meeting, an editorial internship can be a great and enriching experience. Depending on the type of company you intern with, you could be writing blog or news articles, learning how to research and fact-check news stories, or learning the ins and outs of copy editing and AP style.

Public relations intern

As a public relations intern, you’ll assist the PR team with campaign strategy, pitches and handling client relationships. You’ll also likely get to attend publicity events including sporting events and product launches. Best of all, you’ll learn the basics of writing a press release and assisting in the development of a full-scale PR campaign.

Content marketing intern

Content marketing internships give you direct exposure to drafting content for the company website, as well as copy for ads and blog posts. In addition, you’re likely to also get hands-on experience with other things such as managing social media accounts. Best of all, you’ll get to sit in meetings where ideas for new content are developed.

Social media intern

As a social media intern, you’ll engage your company’s followers, commenters and readers, while also attempting to grow the community. From coming up with funny memes to post on Instagram to crafting a great Snapchat story, a social media internship is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about engagement and about how to use social media as a powerful tool for business.

Copywriting Intern

As a copywriting intern, you’ll be trained in researching, drafting and editing copy for all types of content including blog posts, news articles and email campaigns. You’ll also learn how to match your writing style to a specific brand and fine-tune your copywriting skills. This internship is a great opportunity to get a feel for what’s required to thrive as a full-time copywriter.

Broadcast intern

A broadcast internship is a wonderful opportunity to learn the ins and out of working for a TV or radio station. From shadowing staff to fact-checking, researching and assisting with different aspects of production, you’ll be getting exposure to the whole world of broadcasting. Best of all, internship experience in broadcasting is essential and valued when it comes to applying for full-time jobs in the field after graduation.

In addition to the critical skills communications majors develop during college, they also benefit from the more specialized hands-on experience that can only result from an internship. By taking on one or more internships during your time in college, you’ll be able to learn more about your options and find a career path that’s right for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Communications Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look for In an Internship.

The post Types of Internships for Communications Majors appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

With its perfect blend of tree-lined streets, colorful row homes and bustling city-life, Washington, DC is an amazing place to spend the summer. Whether you prefer 24-hour Internet cafes and dog parks or boutique stores and fresh farmers markets, DC has a lot to offer a newcomer.

Despite all of its glory, living in DC can be expensive. The recent influx of young professionals to the city has caused rents to escalate, which makes finding affordable housing difficult and competitive. With monthly rent averaging around $1000, we created this Summer Housing Guide so that you will have a leg up in your search.

While the list below contains descriptions of DC’s most popular neighborhoods, sites like Craigslist, PadMapper and Yelp are still the best ways to search for housing and read reviews about different neighborhoods.

LeDroit Park/Bloomingdale
Price: $$
Walking Score: 81
Weekend: Quiet

Duke Ellington and Jesse Jackson once called this neighborhood home. Young professionals, working class families and Howard University students and professors make up this neighborhood. LeDroit Park boasts a community-sponsored co-op garden and the kind of small cafes and convenient stores “where everybody knows your name.” Students choosing to live here will be no more than a 5 minute walk to the local buses and a 10-15 minute walk to the metro and U Street nightlife.

Columbia Heights
Price: $$$
Walking Score: 83
Weekend: Bring your headphones

This is probably the only neighborhood in DC where you can buy a bagel, a burrito and a bloody mary at 6am! CH has plenty of restaurants, internet cafes, dog parks,sports clubs, grocery stores, bodegas and it even has a Target. What doesn’t it have? Parking. The upside is that you can catch a cab from this area to any place in the city for under $12. We promise, you’ll want to go Vegan after a cupcake from Sticky Fingers. 

DuPont Circle
Price: $$$$
Walking Score: 98
Weekend: No inside voices needed here

Modern meets contemporary in this artsy hub of the city. With its French-inspired architecture, fountains and fresh bakeries, choosing to live here will almost feel like you’re in Paris — until you look up and see the National Monument. Even though there’s plenty of public transit in this area, you’ll never want to leave this neighborhood on the weekend because it has everything you need: froyo, yoga, a farmers market, bars and plenty of bookstores. Less than 10 blocks from the White House, those choosing to live in DP should be prepared to fork over a pretty penny for rent. Tip for grabbing brunch at Kramerworks? Ask them to seat you at the bar.

Adams Morgan
Price: $$$
Walking Score: 90
Weekend: Who needs sleep?

This is the kind of neighborhood where you can buy a piercing and a jumbo slice of pizza all in one sitting. There’s no shortage of dive bars, wi-fi or panhandling here. Searching for food around these parts is like a trip to the United Nations, everything is represented – from authentic empanadas and gyros to injera bread and baklava (and for reasonable prices). Bus lines are located on every other corner, but you’re in for a 15-minute walk to the nearest metro. If you like to party, then welcome home!

Georgetown
Price: $$$$
Walking Score: 89
Weekend: Did the Hoyas win or lose?

If you consider yourself a “bro”, prefer the collars on your shirts flipped up and take pride inyour 3-letter sorority/fraternity, then there’s no place like Georgetown. Full of high-end stores, restaurants, spas, small dogs and pedestrians, Georgetown is the neighborhood that people take visitors when they want to prove the city’s got class. With all of its bells and whistles, the public transportation in this area sucks: there’s no metro line and only a few bus routes to bustle people in and out. But don’t worry, Georgetown is the kind of neighborhood where friends are more than happy to visit you. After bruschetta and brunch, make sure you check out Blues Alley nightclub – where legendary performers like Sade and Bebe King have graced the stage.

Capitol Hill
Price: $$$
Walking Score:98
Weekend: Did you hear that pin drop?

Those serious about politics need only apply to live here. Affectionately known as “the Hill,” most of DC’s major politicos call this neighborhood home. During the day it’s bustling with lawmakers and Congressional aides and on the weekends you’ll find families with young kids hanging out in the park or folks running the steps of the Capitol Building. Eastern Market is a must-visit and the perfect way to blow a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Foggy Bottom
Price: $$$$
Walking Score: 91
Weekend: Is there a protest?

Foggy Bottom is home to the lawmakers and the lobbyist (and George Washington University). Living here will provide students with the most accessibility to some of DC’s most prized locales like the National Monument, the White House and cool neighborhoods like DuPont Circle and Georgetown. Apartments are expensive and they go fast, so if you want to take up residence here then you should start searching early. This neighborhood has all the trimmings of an upscale area: Whole Foods, Burberry and bistros. Since you’ll be sharing the block with the World Bank, be prepared for lots of protests. Otherwise, this is a great part of town with easy access to public transportation. Make sure to stop by Founding Farmers for brunch – you can thank us later.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Washington, DC Summer Housing Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Writing a blog post on why you would like to work at a company is a brilliant way to stand out. A blog post application serves two purposes:

1.) It demonstrates that you understand and know how to use important online marketing and communication tools.

2.) The medium itself allows you to express a voice and excitement for a company in a manner that is much stronger and more powerful than a traditional cover letter.

There are two easy to use services for writing a blog post on — Tumblr and WordPress!

Tumblr
takes only a few seconds to setup and is built to allow to get applying quickly.

WordPress
is more customizable, a little more complex to setup, but has a ton of additional tools and features to help you standout.  It is also more commonly used by companies so is more helpful in teaching you the right skills when applying for a marketing or communications role.

Inspiration:

This blog post by Lisa Petrilli explains 4 ways your blog can succeed in making you standout and offers additional insight on why this strategy can be effective.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How to Use a Blog to Apply for An Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Congratulations on landing a summer internship in Washington, DC! With its plethora of free museums, national landmarks, world-famous cupcakes (more on those later) and a thriving political scene, spending the summer in the nation’s capital is sure to be one that you won’t forget. DC has such a rich cultural history: from its French-inspired design by architect Charles L’Enfant to the historic March on Washington, it has always been a place that both artists and activists could comfortably call home. Most of the young professionals who currently live in the city are transplants from all over the world, making DC a cultural hybrid of some of our nation’s most well-known politicos and changemakers. So whether you want to discuss foreign policy while sipping fair trade coffee or attend a concert by your favorite band, you’ll definitely discover your perfect fit.

We want to make sure that you get the most out of your summer in DC so we created this Internship City Guide to give you an idea on how to maximize your summer in the city. This guide covers it all: from transportation and housing to avoiding common pitfalls (ever had a boot on your car?). More importantly, this guide was designed for a person like you in mind – someone who wants a more unique, off-the-beaten-path experience.

Exploring Washington DC as an Intern

While interning in DC for the summer, you’re bound to visit the usual suspects like the National Monument, WWII Memorial (make sure to go at night), Embassy Row, Ben’s Chili Bowl and the Smithsonian museums, but the city has so much more to offer! From hidden gardens and espionage exhibits to discussions with journalists and policymakers, you will definitely find your niche.

There’s tons of great food but if you really want to eat like a local then join the FoodTruckFight, discover your favorite Ethiopian restaurant on historic U St., dine at the best Indian restaurant (Bill Clinton’s words not ours) Bombay Club and elbow strangers for a soul food feast at Ohhs and Aaahs. More than anything, a true DC resident knows great cupcakes and for good reason: they’re home to the first ever cupcake shop – Sprinkles. So if you really want to earn your local stripes then head over to their famous shop in Georgetown and taste one of their award-winning cupcakes (red velvet is our favorite).

Hidden Gems

If you’re looking for a calorie-free way to spend the day, then check out some of DC’s most overlooked treasures. Conveniently located on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Botanic Garden is a living plant museum and home to some of the world’s most exotic collections of plants and flowers. Treat yourself (for free) to a day of beauty and discovery. Another place that you don’t want to miss is the Newseum. It’s not free like most of the museums in the area, but it’s the only place in the world where you can experience 5 centuries worth of interactive media exhibits. Like the Berlin Wall, Pulitzer Prize winning photography or the Watergate door. Those with a serious appetite for politics should visit the Brookings Institute and the Center for American Progress. These think tanks usually offer summer events that are open to the public. Past speakers include Arianna Huffington, Timothy Geithner and Condoleezza Rice.

More than Politics

Washington, DC is more than just politics and the city also boasts plenty of ways to stay entertained and take a break from long days on the Hill. Sports fans can take the metro over to Nationals Park and catch a baseball game or sign up to play flag football or soccer in one of the cities summer leagues. The newly renovated Howard Theater
is a great place to take in a concert and if you want to spend the evening outdoors, check out WolfTrap’s summer concert series. If you enjoy spoken word, then stop by Bus Boys ‘n Poets, grab a cup of java and catch one of their late night performances.

Need a lift? The Need-to-Know About DC Transportation

DC is commuter-friendly and accessible by most major forms of public transportation. While the getting around part is easy, parking can be a hassle. Most of the city’s available parking requires meter fees (credit cards accepted and you can pay from your mobile) Monday-Saturday. While there are plenty of parking garages, most cost an average of $15 to $25 per day. On-street parking is available in some residential neighborhoods, so if you plan to bring your car make sure to register for a parking permit or be prepared to move it during odd times for street sweeping and rush hour. Meter maids in DC are really aggressive, so don’t get caught parking in the wrong space or forget to feed the meter, because multiple tickets can result in a boot.

Public transportation is the best way to get around DC! WMATA offers multiple bus lines and trains that run throughout the city and surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Beware of morning and evening rush hour. Plan your route ahead of time with WMATA’s Trip Planner or Nextbus to make on-the-go travel plans. One of WMATA’s newest implementations is the DC Circulator – a specialty shuttle bus whose route includes only the hottest stops in the city ($1 and they arrive every 10 minutes).

Paying for public transportation is simple. Pick up a SmarTrip card, available at DC Metro stations and local convenience stores. You can add value and manage your card right from your mobile device. Make sure to register your card, because you can redeem its value in the event that it’s lost or stolen.

There are plenty of other alternatives to the metro. DC has multiple Zipcar lots or you can participate in the Capital Bikeshare and grab a lift from more than 160 bike racks around the city.

Working Out

Just incase flag football and outdoor yoga aren’t enough to keep those endorphins going, there are several gyms to choose from in the city. Local gyms like Results and Golds are great for those serious about a hardcore workout or weight lifting. For an all-in-one health and spa gym, Vida Fitness and Mint are the perfect places to go. Their facilities are high-end, including a full health bar, squash court and tons of cool classes.

If you’re on a budget, then check out the Washington Sports Clubs and the YMCA. They often offer a seasonal discount to students. Yogis will want to join Yoga District, a non-profit yoga studio where you have the option to pay or volunteer in exchange for your class.

Getting in and Out of Town

There are plenty of ways to get in and out of DC. The three major airports are DCA, IAD and BWI. All three are accessible by public transportation, Shuttle Bus or a $20-$60 cab ride depending on which airport you choose.

DC’s great location means that it’s only a few hours away from Philadelphia, New York and Boston, so if you’re looking to hop on the bus for a short weekend trip then try the BoltBus.. Warning: weekend tickets go fast and they’re known to overbook so always purchase a round trip ticket and arrive at the stop early.

If you don’t have room on your couch for friends and family, then direct them to cool sites like Airbnb, Hotel Tonight, or suggest they rent a bed in one of the cities numerous hostels.

What’s Up Doc?

Searching for a new doctor or health clinic in a major city can be frustrating. Use ZocDoc to book appointments and search for a physician based on your location and insurance provider. If you’re in a real emergency then you can visit one of the cities local hospitals –Howard University Hospital, George Washington University Hospital,
or Georgetown University Hospital.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Washington, DC Summer Internship Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Congratulations on making the big move to New York—one classic crooner tells us that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. You’ll be strutting on the same streets as some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs and entertainment icons. There’s a lot to get up to speed on if you want to succeed at your internship in the city that never sleeps. Thankfully, we’ve put together this city guide to help you cut through the red tape to becoming a New Yorker. Pretty soon, you’ll be crossing city blocks in a New York minute.

Students coming to NYC may think there is a perfect apartment waiting for them, but the reality is that the apartment hunt is incredibly competitive. Sadly, few of you are going to find that Sex in the City apartment within a student budget. So keep your options open!

Where to look for an apartment

Despite the ugly interface, Craigslist is still the best way to find housing in New York City. However, due to the fierce competition for apartments, we also recommend that you reach out to your network, as seemingly everybody has a friend of a friend who lives in NYC. If money is no issue at all, you can hire an apartment broker (buyers beware: typical fees include 15 percent of the annual rent or 1.8 times the monthly rent). Additionally, some brokers will offer discounts to students – it never hurts to ask.

Neighborhoods

Financial District (Manhattan)

• $2450 Non-Doorman Studio
• $2792 Doorman Studio

If you are interning on Wall Street, there is no place more convenient that the Financial District (FiDi). Relatively more affordable in comparison to some of the hipper places in Manhattan, the FiDi offers newer buildings and more modern amenities. The benefits of better living conditions are a tradeoff for the lack of nightlife: most restaurants in FiDi typically shut down around 5 or 7pm, though it’s a good neighborhood for interns who want a quiet place to live. Good for interns who want a quiet place to live and a short commute to downtown offices.

Greenwich Village + East Village (Manhattan)

• $2466 Non-Doorman
• $2953 Doorman

Originally a neighborhood for bohemian artists, Greenwich Village today has developed into a hip neighborhood that no starving artist can afford to live in. The neighborhood is a popular hangout for NYU students and features many budget friendly bars. Apartment rent is another matter, though the buildings are older than the ones in FiDi and often come with no doorman or air conditioning. The trendy, young atmosphere drives up prices for the neighborhood.

Upper East Side + Upper West Side (Manhattan)

• $1971 Non-Doorman
• $2495 Doorman

The Upper East and West sides are a lot more family oriented than the other Manhattan neighborhoods that were listed. As a result, these neighborhoods feature quieter streets and more green space. Although home to the extremely wealthy, the fringes of these two neighborhoods offer affordable rents albeit at the cost of easily accessible transportation.

University Housing (Various)

• $1100 for a shared room

University housing in the city often opens up to all students in the summer. This housing is relatively cheap and in centrally located in the city. However, spaces are extremely limited, so be sure to apply on the day applications open up. Schools with summer housing include New York University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Columbia and Polytechnic University. Also note that most university housing requires you to share a room, so it’s helpful to have a roommate in mind to sign up with, or prepare to make some new friends.

Transportation

In New York City, the subway is king and it will take you almost anywhere you want cheaply. It is highly suggested that you buy a Metro card as soon as you get to the city. If you take the subway more than 10 times a week you should buy an unlimited monthly rider plan (see www.mta.info for pricing details). In a rush, take a cab which starts at $2.50 plus $.50 for each additional mile or minute of idling. Beware, the cost of taking cabs adds up fast.

Places worth visiting such as Washington DC, Boston and upstate New York are only a short bus or train ride away. These destinations make for some affordable weekend trips. Alternatively, splitting a Zipcar with friends is also an affordable way to escape the city. For trip ideas check out offMetro.com’s Weekend Getaways.

Dining on an intern budget

Belgian fries from Pommes Frites and pizza from Artichoke are popular late night student snacks after a night out on the town. For unique and tasty lunch options, head down to Num Pang for some Cambodian sandwiches. If you think you have seen all there is to Chinese food, go to Xian Famous Foods in Chinatown for dishes not often seen outside of China. Hankering for a good ol’ American burger? Look no further than the nearest Shake Shack, NYC’s answer to In N Out. Brunch is all the rage for newly christened New Yorkers, and you cannot go wrong with Café Condesa. Feel like splurging? Drop by the famous Gramercy Tavern for an updated American tavern experience.

Entertainment

During the summer there are a number of free concerts and movie screenings that take place al around the city. To never miss an event, check Time Out New York’s constantly updated event calendar and a “Best things to do this week” list that will keep you in the loop.

To watch a Broadway show on the cheap, grab some student tickets. Student tickets sell out almost as soon as the theater box office opens, so make sure to arrive there an hour or two before the opening time. If you are feeling lucky, many theaters run a raffle for discounted tickets a couple of hours before the show. Your odds of winning are much better than the lotto, but still far from assured. Same day tickets are also sold at a discount at TKTS booths
(the one in the Financial District is typically less crowded than the one in Times Square). TKTS also sells off Broadway show tickets, which are slightly less expensive than Broadway shows but still of the same quality.

There are a number of comedy clubs in the city. Expect a two item minimum along with the price for admission for each of these shows. Avoid the “free” shows being offered at Times Square, as they are tourist traps. Frommers has a good guide of the top comedy clubs in NYC that you can check out for guaranteed laughs.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post New York City Summer Internship Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Located just 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia, Loudoun County is simultaneously a pastoral escape for history and wine enthusiasts and an economic hotbed for professionals working in the high tech, Internet, satellite and defense industries. Interns in Loudoun County live in the most highly educated region of the United States — 58% of Loudoun residents have a bachelor’s degree (while the national average sits at 28%), and the unemployment rate slashes the national rate in half at under 4%! Diversity abounds in this entrepreneurial county, too. Nearly one in four Loudoun residents were born outside the country, and the most common languages after English are Spanish, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic and Farsi.

Being so close to America’s capital city means that interns can visit national monuments, world-famous landmarks, museums, zoos and other attractions. There’s also plenty to explore in Loudoun County itself, home to the cities of Ashburn, Bluemont, Leesburg, Middleburg, Sterling, and Waterford, all within its picturesque landscape.

Exploring Loudoun County:

If you love the outdoors, there’s plenty of adventure in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Potomac River, two of Loudoun’s natural borders. Known as D.C.’s wine country, Loudoun also boasts 34 wineries and several breweries. Depending on your interests, you may either hike the Appalachian National Scenic Trail — a 2,174-mile footpath winding from Maine to Georgia — or follow your tastebuds on the Wine Trail.

Historic Leesburg is the county seat of Loudoun County and draws visitors with its charming, old town atmosphere. Visit Morven Park, a National Register Historic Property, where Virginia governor Westmoreland Davis resided for 40 years. Its 1,200 acres offer three museums, an equestrian center, gardens, sports fields and hiking trails — not to mention interactive programs like Civil War reenactments and festivals. Take another trip to the past with the Oatlands plantation, which features a stately Civil War-era mansion, farmland and gardens.

With its reputation as the capital of horse country, historic architecture, tree-lined streets, quaint boutiques, and eateries, Middleburg is understandably a popular getaway setting for celebrities (try to spot Robert Duvall and Willard Scott while you’re in town!). Be sure to visit the Red Fox Inn, established in 1728 and steeped in American history. The inn also offers hearty meals and a fine arts gallery of animal and sporting art.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the National Air and Space Museum in downtown D.C. Here, you’ll find the Boeing Aviation Hangar, the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, an observation tower, an IMAX theater, and more!

Getting Around:

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Leesburg Executive Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) are all nearby landing pads for your arrival.

Once you’re in Loudoun, you can take public transit, but having a car is ideal.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Loudoun County Summer Internship Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Summer internships are special. While interning during the school year can offer a phenomenal experience, a summer internship is typically full-time, allowing you to put your full focus on developing professional skills and impressing your boss and peers. It can also help you line up a full-time job after you graduate. Many summer internships are also part of an internship program that can involve a number of other students as well as unique mentorship events like brown-bag lunches, and fun activities like company baseball games.

To make the most of your summer internship you should come into it with goals and have a strategy to make sure you succeed. Goals can be anything from getting way better at a certain professional skill like sales, or front-end engineering; or, a goal can be to network and meet as many other people as you can. To help you get the most out of your summer position, we talked to hundreds of students to learn more about what they wished they knew before their first internship and made a summer internship blog series covering key topics and activities you should study and complete. Our list is below:

Week by week advice to make the most of your summer internship: 

Pre-Internship:
Setting Summer Internship Goals

Week 1:
10 Tips on Setting Goals with Your Manager

Week 2:
How to Accelerate Your Learning Curve

Week 3:
Get Productive and Learn to Manage Your Workload

Week 4:
Learn to Network With Peers and Co-Workers Early

Remember the 10 Must Dos of Networking

Explore these 7 Online Resources Perfect for Networking

Learn to spark more thrilling conversations

Week 5:
Build Your Personal Project

Week 6:
Check Yourself and Reorganize Your Space

Week 7:
Look Ahead to Maximize Your Impact

Week 8:
Learn How to Land Your First Job

Week 9:
3 Steps for Asking for a Letter of Recommendation

Week 10:
5 Things You MUST Do Before Leaving Your Summer Internship

Advanced Tips for Writing Memorable Thank You Letters

What’s Next?

Once you’ve knocked your summer internship out of the park, you’ll be on the hunt for another internship or an entry-level job. If you’re moving on to entry-level jobs, here are a few suggestions for starting your search.
If you’re think you’ll be looking at jobs outside of your major focus, we’ve got a few tips for you here.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Mastering Your Summer Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

There’s a good reason Montreal is bursting at the seams with artists, musicians and all manner of vagrants: cheap, cheap living. Even at the heart of the trendiest neighborhoods with the best restaurants and the loveliest cafés,
there are beautiful three-bedroom walk-ups available for less than a thousand per month. In other words, intern paradise.

Depending on where you live, how many people you’re willing to live with and how much compromise you’re willing to make on location, this rate could drop even lower. If you’re set on living alone, Montreal is the place for you. There’s a neighborhood for every budget, a café for every type of music, a fresh bagel or smoked meat sandwich to suit any palate.

A Few Must-Knows

You’ll be expected to sign a year-long lease. Damage deposits of any kind are not allowed in Quebec. For this reason apartments always come with a lease, no exceptions. They run almost uniformly from July 1st to June 30.

• How to get around it? If you’re on a short internship for several months, subletting is very common during the fall and winter semesters as well as the summer months. If you’re renting an apartment with several other people, the landlord will probably prefer only one person signs the lease for reasons of liability.
• Lease Transfer is always on the table. It’ll be your obligation to find a new tenant to take over your lease but your landlord has very little right of refusal. Find someone cleaned-up and articulate who can pass a credit check and you’re golden.

Look for ads in both languages. In general, “francophones” (French speakers) use Kijiji while “anglophones” (English speakers) tend to prefer Craigslist. Forget the newspaper: the cost far outweighs the benefit of advertising in print. Occasionally there are deals to be had; no one is looking there, after all, but for the most part the local paper is a barren land.

• Another tip: almost everyone is bilingual–as are their ads–so don’t be shy. Both Kijiji and Craigslist will have different listings so be sure to check both.

Neighborhoods To Look At

Trendier ‘Hoods on the Cheap:

Mile-End: This is the neighborhood where everything is happening. You’ll need to hunt a little for a good bargain but you will never lack for interesting adventures. The heart of the ‘hood is Café Olympico and Club Social, where you can find the best coffee in the city at the cheapest prices. A great place to people watch on a warm summer afternoon. The city’s most interesting music venues are almost all to be found in this area. It is also home to the world’s best bagels, which you can buy fresh from the oven twenty-four hours a day. A popular hang-out at 4 a.m.

Parc Ex: Many trend seekers and trend makers who’ve grown frustrated with the rising rents of Mile-End are seeking refuge in Parc Ex, which has better access to the Metro and an abundance of low-priced accommodation. The neighborhood has a bit of a colder feeling since streets are wider and the traffic is heavier. This is a popular area for new immigrants so the selection of cheap and exotic food is some of the best in the city. If you like, you can compromise on the in-between area people are starting to call “Mile-Ex.”

Budget ‘Hoods:

Verdun: Several decades ago Verdun was home to the Irish Mafia. In effort to staunch some of the criminal activity, the city revoked all alcohol permits and refused to issue any more until just recently. As such there is not a single bar in this neighborhood, which has stunted its growth considerably and made it a haven for all manner of vagrants. With three metro stations, Verdun has extremely easy access to any neighborhood in the city and some of the cheapest rents you can find. Also a popular neighborhood for new immigrants, it offers a large variety of interesting restaurants and independent grocers.

St. Henri: In the last decade this neighborhood has seen loads of growth and activity, while rents have been raised only a fraction. It’s full to the brim with enormous artist lofts at varying prices. The loft parties of St-Henri recall the speakeasies of the depression era. Expect live music, ultra cheap beer and well-dressed hipsters of all ages.

‘Hoods for the “Money-Is-No-Object” Intern:

Plateau Mont-Royal: Fifteen years ago the Plateau was no more than a ghetto. As artists began to flock here, so did the rents begin to rise. Today almost all accommodation has been rendered unaffordable for the very people who gave it its value. Despite the gentrification, the main drag is still one of the prettiest streets in the city. The neighborhood has quieted down considerably though as much of the action moved north. Beware, because property is so valuable, many stretch the Plateau’s boundaries in online advertisements, referring to cheaper, outlying areas also as “The Plateau.”

Old Port: Anyone interning in law, business or banking would do well to rent a place in the old part of the city, if you can afford it. It’s a hop, skip and a jump from the business district, it’s classically beautiful and also home to some of the best (and most expensive) restaurants in the city. If you can live with the tourists and you’ve got cash to burn, this is a great bet. You’ll find plenty of good company in this neighborhood, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one person of modest income.

Cheap rent isn’t the only attraction. If you love music and culture of all sorts, Montreal is definitely the place for you. Public transportation is excellent and also very inexpensive. If you’re still a student, a monthly pass is just $45 and includes all metro trains and buses. You’ll need at least a working knowledge of French to score an internship, though most businesses will expect you to be perfectly fluent, both written and spoken.

* This article was written in partnership with Amy Knapp at InsideTrak.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Montreal Summer Housing Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

In your summer housing search, we highly suggest you use PadMapper because it allows you to see all the listings on a map and avoid the ugly Craigslist site. Start looking for housing sooner rather than later and respond to as many listings as possible, as short term and sublet listings are snatched up quickly by summer school students.

Below is a list of San Diego’s most popular areas for sublets. Remember to do your own research and if possible, pay a visit to the area before firmly committing to a lease.

La Jolla
$450-500 Double
$650-$700 Single

Many UCSD students live in the UTC area due to the proximity to campus and relatively affordable rent. There are a number of bus routes that run near the major housing complexes including an express line that runs to downtown San Diego. La Jolla is a quiet suburban setting with a small mall and grocery stores within walking distance or a short bus trip. There are a lot of college students who stick around to take summer courses and chances are your roommates will be college students as well.

*Local Tip: The UCSD area has the highest concentration of Zipcars.

San Diego State University (SDSU) Area
$450-500 Double
$600-650 Single

A more rowdy and slightly cheaper college town compared to La Jolla. Friday nights at SDSU can be quite happening, but during the summer it calms down as students head home. Nonetheless, there is still a sizable student presence during the summer. Being close to SDSU, the area features a number of bus routes that will take you to wherever you need to go.

Pacific Beach (PB)
$750 – 850 Single

If you want to be close to the party and be able to walk to the beach, there is nothing better than Pacific Beach. PB is the largest nightlife hub in San Diego, home to many young professionals and even a few students. In addition, there are a bunch of amazing and affordable restaurants in the area. The downside is that it can get pretty noisy, particularly Thursday through Saturday night. Also, traffic on roads leading out of PB can get pretty bad during rush hour and public transit is limited.

*Local Tip: Living in PB will allow you to surf before heading off to work

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post San Diego Summer Housing Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Settled on San Diego as your summer internship destination? That’s great because you have chosen to be in one of the most beautiful cities in America. San Diego is the land of sun kissed beaches, surfer dudes and some of the most laid back people on earth. It’s the California that everybody dreams about.

Of course, just because the beach is always at most a 10 minute drive away doesn’t mean San Diegans are all slackers. Quite the contrary, as the top biotech and life science cluster in the country and home to the largest naval fleet in the world, San Diegans embody the ethos of “work hard, party hard.”

At WayUp, we want you to get the most out of your summer in San Diego so we took the time to create an Internship City Guide that gives you a crash course in navigating the city. The guide covers everything from transportation and networking opportunities to things that only seasoned locals would know.

See our housing guide for a full breakdown of neighborhoods and summer housing resources.

Exploring San Diego

The hardest part about going to the beach in San Diego is deciding which one to go to as there are just so many. Always wanted to learn how to surf? Head on to Pacific Beach to grab some waves and maybe a beer afterwards at one of the area’s many bars. If you prefer a quiet beach, check out Black’s beach where there are tide pools to explore and play in, however, beware of wandering too far north as it becomes a nude beach.

*Local Tip: High above Black’s Beach is a place UCSD students refer to as “the cliffs.” Boasting magnificent views of the coast below, this is one of San Diego’s best kept secrets. The hard to spot entrance is on Whitecliff Dr. and La Jolla Farms Rd.

In addition to the beach, San Diego’s outdoors also offers great hiking trails. The Mount Woodson Trail
or better known as the “Potato Chip Rock Hike” offers great views and a photo opportunity at the summit. For something less strenuous, take a walk along the Sunset Cliffs at Ocean Beach, rumored to be the best place to watch the sunset in San Diego.

If you are in the city, the world famous San Diego Zoo is not to be missed. After the zoo, check out the surrounding museums in Balboa Park. Head to sea and climb aboard a decommissioned aircraft carrier at the USS Midway museum. If you time it right, you can catch a Padres game after all that museum learning before ending your day at a classy restaurant in the historic Glasslamp Quarter.

*Local Tip: On your way out of the city, consider attending a late night improv show at the
National Comedy Theatre.

Getting Around San Diego: Transportation

San Diego, like all of Southern California is an automotive city; expect your mobility to be severely limited without a car. Parking in San Diego is a pretty easy affair, there is a lot of parking and the lot prices are affordable.

Public transit in the form of buses is slow and often not on time. The trolley system is better than the bus system but mainly serves downtown San Diego. For frequent users of public transit, a prepaid Compass Card is a must and can be easily bought in a variety of ways.

Local Food and Drink Spots

San Diegans take food very seriously and it shows by the large number of world class restaurants in the city.

A short list of must try places include Truluck’s, a seafood restaurant in La Jolla that was named the “Best of the best” by San Diego magazine. Normally, it’s a bit pricey for an intern’s salary, but if you go during happy hour it’s quite affordable. If you want a great view with your meal go to George’s at the Cove in downtown La Jolla, where you can look over the beach while enjoying a reasonably priced lunch that serves the best that California farms have to offer. A stay in San Diego is not complete without a visit to Phil’s BBQ, hands down the most famous restaurant in San Diego.

Taco Tuesday

Every Tuesday, Mexican restaurants in San Diego offer highly discounted tacos. $2 can get you a fish taco, the local favorite and if you feel like splurging a little, give the lobster taco a try. The most popular destinations for Taco Tuesday are World Famous and South Beach Bar and Grille. Arrive early at (around 5pm), if you do not want to wait 30 minutes or more to be seated.

*Local Tip: Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, a hole in the wall taco shack in Pacific Beach serves a better fish taco than any of the previously mentioned destinations. In addition, it’s located near Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, which serves the best coffee in San Diego.

Breweries

San Diego has perhaps the largest concentration of independent brewers in the country. The most well-known brewery in the area is Karl Strauss, which has multiple brewery restaurant locations. Every Thursday is cask night at Karl Strauss, where you can try an unique cask conditioned ale that is not available at any other time, in addition, the ale changes every week. Craft beer enthusiasts will need to head over Stone Brewing Company and
Green Flash Brewery, both well-known San Diegan brands. All the beers at these breweries are reasonably priced, and even more so during happy hour.

*Local Tip: Though you can usually get these brands on tap at a local San Diego bar, it is highly suggested that you go visit the brewery because they have a unique atmosphere, knowledgeable bartenders and a much wider selection on tap.

Asian cuisine

Hampering for some Asian cuisine? Head down to Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa where pretty much all of San Diego’s notable Asian restaurants reside. Grab a bowl of delicious ramen at Tajima (open
till 3am!), or hot pho at Phuong Trang. Avoid the Chinese restaurants as they tend to be expensive and quite bad. Wash that meal down with a cup of boba milk tea at Tea Station.

Staying Fit

Keeping in shape to look good on the beach is a must for many San Diegans. No surprise that there always seems to be some local gym or 24 Hour Fitness nearby. Yoga has taken San Diego by storm and there are probably just as many yoga studios as there are gyms.

For the more adventurous, San Diego hosts some of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) schools in the country. University of Jiu Jitsu and Andre Galvao San Diego Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
are just two of many schools in San Diego that are taught by BJJ world champions. If you want to train like and with professional MMA fighters, pay a visit to The Arena, Black House or Victory MMA.

Entrepreneurs Wanted!

San Diego has a fast growing startup scene and there is at least one networking event or workshop a week. Most of the events are free and provide a chance to learn valuable skills. In addition, it’s also a great way to meet interesting people over some great and oftentimes free beer.

*Local Tip: See all upcoming startup events at sdtechscene.org. Sign up for the San Diego Startup Digest
and Ansir Innovation Center newsletter for curated lists of events.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post San Diego Summer Internship Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Whether you’re an intern looking for a quiet place in the hills or a street bustling with coffee shops, boutiques, and pubs, you’re sure to find a place to call home for the summer. But figuring out where you want to live in San Francisco is a lot easier than actually finding a place to live, competition here is fierce and you have to be on top of your game when contacting landlords and tenants searching for a new roommate. Not to mention SF is one of the most expensive cities in the country with rent typically starting around $1,050 per month.

A great resource to use for finding summer housing in San Francisco is PadMapper. PadMapper eliminates the hassle of digging through rental listings on craigslist by providing a map that shows the location of each rental listing that’s on craigslist. Remember, competition is tuff in SF, so treat your house search just like searching for an internship, respond to as many ads as possible to make sure you have plenty of options when it comes time to choose.

Below is a list of San Francisco’s most popular neighborhoods to help you get a feel for each when deciding where to live. While we did our best to accurately reflect each area, we still encourage you to research each location thoroughly — considering things like cost, proximity to public transportation and safety.

South of Market (SoMa)
Price: $$$
Walking score: 94
Weekend: Quiet

During the week you can find this neighborhood bustling with employees from top tech companies like Zynga, Dropbox, Klout, Foursquare and Wikipedia, which makes this place a dream come true for someone interning at a startup. But more than just a tech hub, baseball fans will be excited to know that the San Francisco Giants are right in their backyard. SoMa also boasts tons of other perks like its central location to public transportation (Bart, Muni, Caltrain) — and major intersections like Van Ness, Mission and Powell Streets.

While there’s no shortage of bars and restaurants in SOMA, you can’t call yourself a local without visiting 21st Amendment — a popular brewery, famous for its local ale, energetic crowds, and SF Giants Preparties.

The Marina/Cow Hollow
Price: $$$$$
Walking score: 91
Weekend: Busy

If you have a soft spot for amazing views and architecture, then the Marina is the perfect neighborhood for you. With its panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, chic boutiques, expensive restaurants, countless spas and small dogs, people often refer to the Marina as the “Beverly Hills of San Francisco” — and the rents live up to the nickname! This neighborhood is all-access. Spend the morning jogging along the harbor followed by a fancy mimosa brunch or shopping on nearby Union Street.

Noe Valley
Price: $$$
Walking score: 86
Weekend: Quiet

Cancel your gym membership if you decide to live in Noe Valley, because you will get plenty of exercise from walking up and down the hills of this historic neighborhood. With its tree-lined streets, quaint cafes and Victorian homes, Noe Valley is a mixture of families and young professionals. This charming neighborhood is ideal for someone who wants peace and quiet after a long day.

Nob Hill
Price: $$$$
Walking Score: 96
Weekend: Busy

Nob Hill is one of San Francisco’s signature neighborhoods. Originally the home of wealthy tycoons like Leland Stanford (founder of Stanford University) and The Big Four (entrepreneurs of the Transcontinental railroad), Nob Hill is now the home to young, hip professionals. Very close to the Financial District and Union Square, its
location makes it a highly coveted place to live. The neighborhood boasts lots of fun cafes, vintage shops and most notably — the cable car!

The Castro
Price: $$$
Walking Score: 95
Weekend: Busy

One of San Francisco’s most popular neighborhoods, the Castro District is well known for its LGBT activism. Because of its rich history, busy nightlife and quirky stores, it’s a favorite stop for many. Notable landmarks include the Castro Theater and Harvey Milk’s campaign headquarters.

The Mission
Price: $$
Walking Score: 97
Weekend: Busy

The Mission is considered the melting pot of San Francisco. With young hipsters, activists, immigrants and working class families calling this area home, it truly lives up to its rep as one of San Francisco’s most diverse neighborhoods. Follow the savory smells and you won’t have to walk very far to find great food in The Mission. Tacos are rumored to be $1.50.

The Haight
Price: $$
Walking Score: 95
Weekend: Busy

This popular neighborhood should really be known as “The Hippie” because it was here that birthed the 1960s-70s Peace-Love movement, that’s most often associated with San Francisco’s culture. These days the area consists mostly of retail shops and restaurants. However, there are still plenty of mural-lined streets, quirky shops, and alternative clubs and bookstores, so that students choosing to live here can still enjoy remnants of the era.

All walking scores are based on ratings from Walkscore.com which is a great tool when searching for housing.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post San Francisco Summer Housing Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Congratulations on landing a summer internship in San Francisco! SF is one of the most eclectic and beautiful cities in the US; offering everything from national parks, to niche art communities, and a bustling downtown. Historically, San Francisco has been home to risk-takers and independent thinkers, from the frontiersman of the 1800’s to the counter culture movement of the 1960’s and the tech visionaries of today, who are re-imagining the way we interact with the world.

There’s never a shortage of fun things to do in San Francisco or the Bay area. From hunting down the best dumplings in Chinatown to heading over to UCSF for a tech talk, San Francisco has something to offer everyone.

For a truly unique experience make sure to enjoy the food trucks. Seriously, they’re everywhere, impossible to resist, and your rite of passage from summer transplant to local. Whether you like chicken masala, red velvet cupcakes, pulled pork sandwiches or bbq tofu burgers, you’re guaranteed to find your flavor.

If you’re looking for something a little lighter than bbq and cupcakes, then spend the afternoon at the Japanese Tea Garden. Tucked away in Golden Gate Park, it’s often overlooked by tourists, despite being the United
States’ oldest public tea garden. For $7 you can zen out amongst the lush gardens or enjoy traditional ramen, tea and pastries in their small cafe. Or for another version of a relaxing day, head over to Dolores Park for an outdoor treat. It’s a San Francisco jewel known for it’s unique mix of eccentric people and is also home to some of the
city’s best views.

Known for more than just great food, San Francisco’s location makes it the ideal place to spend the summer. Be sure to set aside some time to take a trip with friends, maybe drive an hour or two north for a day of wine tasting in
Napa Valley or Sonoma County. Or if you prefer fun in the sun, then drive an hour south (along Rt. 1) and enjoy the breathtaking views of California’s coastline.

A city with so many options can be overwhelming, so check out Meetup.com or Eventbrite and impress your friends by customizing your weekend plans. Featuring exclusive deals to restaurants, festivals, networking opportunities, concerts, and lectures, these sites provide some great ways to have an authentic San Francisco experience with opportunities to meet new people.

Need a lift? The Need-to-Knows About SF Transportation

One of the best parts of San Francisco is how easy it is to get around. If you’re tempted to bring your wheels, don’t. Parking in San Francisco is very limited, which makes it difficult to find and very expensive. Most of the city’s available parking requires meter fees Monday-Saturday, with lofty fines for expired meters. Daily parking in the city will cost around $20 a day; meanwhile, garage parking costs $150-$200 per month on average.

So how do you get around? Public transportation! Muni which includes busses, light rail, and trolleys has over 80 routes and will take you almost anywhere in the city (but beware bus stops are marked with a large yellow stripe on utility poles and can easily be missed). Also, Muni transit has some punctuality issues, so take advantage of NextBus for more accurate scheduling or use the city’s Trip Planner to figure out the best means of transit.

If you’re looking to branch out and explore the South Bay (including Palo Alto, Mountain View and the rest of Silicon Valley), Caltrain is convenient and runs regularly every day until midnight. Last but not least, for getting out to the East Bay, including Berkeley and Oakland you can hop on the Bay Area’s second major commuter rail system, BART.

When it comes down to paying for public transportation in San Francisco, it’s all about the Clipper Card.
Using their online payment system, you can load your Clipper Card with cash, individual rides, or monthly passes to save money on fares and add ease to your commute.

Think you might need a car for a special occasion or event? Then take advantage of several Zipcar lots located throughout the city where you can rent a car for a single ride.

Keeping in Shape and Looking Good in SF

Incase the hills, outdoor parks, rock climbing gyms, and numerous bike trails don’t fulfill your cardio fix, there are plenty of gyms to choose from throughout the city. Local SF gyms provide unique atmospheres such as Equinox, a higher-end workout facility, or Crunch Fitness, known to be a gym for the less serious fitness fiends.

In addition to these options most summer interns tend to be on the cost-conscious side and look to big chains like Gold’s Gym or 24 Hour Fitness that offer cheap monthly plans that can give you a place to stay fit during the summer without all the amenities.

Friends and family coming to visit?

If you have friends or family coming to visit, they’ll most likely either drive or fly into one of the three major airports in the Bay Area: SFO, SJC, or OAK. From there they can either foot a $50 bill for a cab ride into San Francisco or hop on Caltrain or BART. If there isn’t room at your place for them to shack-up, they can always find a great place to stay in the city using Airbnb.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Finding medical attention in a new city can be difficult, especially when you’re sick and need one most. ZocDoc
is a great tool to find a doctor based on your location and insurance provider and also to book an appointment online. If you’re in need of any serious help, you can always visit one of the main hospitals in SF such as St. Mary’s Medical Center or the UCSF Medical Center.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post San Francisco Summer Internship Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

As an underclassmen (first, second, or third year student) it’s important to get ahead of the competition when embarking on an internship search, and this video goes into great detail on how to do just that. Featuring College Recruiting Leaders from Google, Twitter, and Facebook, you will learn how to tell your story through your resume, the importance of networking, how to find an internship, and what you can do to develop professional skills as a student.

Underclassmen Video Transcription

You know, WayUp is a leading platform for college students and one of our main goals is to provide resources and unique events where you as students, can learn about different best practices for getting ahead and finding an internship and eventually a career after college that you’re passionate and excited about it and really love.

And so, you know, whether that’s working at a small start-up or a large corporation or anything in between, we want to help you navigate to that place. And one of the questions that we’ve been getting a lot recently have been from first and second year students. And underclassmen have started to become an increasing population on our platform, over 35% of our users are now 1st and 2nd year students and we’ve been getting thousands of questions about, is freshman year too early to start preparing for an internship?

How can I set myself apart if I have very minimal job experience? We thought these were fantastic questions, and we wanted to bring speakers to you who could best address those questions, and really help you figure out that process, and so I’m absolutely thrilled to have here with me, three panelists from, three of the leading technology companies in the world, and three companies that are, I know brands and places to go and work that are really at the top of students’ minds and very much coveted.

And beyond that, our speakers have really deep experience in helping students think about what’s the right career for them, and so are some of the best people to answer those questions, and really help you think more critically about what you should be doing internship and jobwise, as a freshman and as a sophomore. So, I don’t want to take up very much time, we only have an hour here so I really wanna send everything over to our panelists.

And you know, very quickly, we’ll be getting bigger introductions, but we have with us Adam Ward from Facebook who’s their head of college hiring, we have Ronnard Cook who is Twitter’s head of college hiring, and Carolyn Lee who is Google’s head of engineering hiring for first and second year students.

So, thanks for joining us in such a busy time.

Thank you to students for taking an interest and taking the initiative to think about your career as a first or second year student, and last but not least, for anyone who’s interested in asking questions, if we have time at the end of the event, we’ll address those. You can ask them on our Google+ stream or by asking them on our Facebook page.

So, now with all the fun logistical stuff taken care of, want to switch gears over and we’re going to run just quickly alphabetically through our different speakers. They’re going to share a bit about how they got started, an a bit about their company’s internship program so, Adam, thanks for joining us. Do you mind kicking us off here?

Sure, hey everyone thanks for joining us today. Facebook’s glad and excited to be here and work with WayUp on this. My name is Adam Ward and I manage our Global University Recruiting Program here at Facebook. And we hire hundreds of interns every year, across the year, year-round. And, we’re excited to answer your questions that you’ve about internships in general and internships at Facebook. Awesome and actually one just, quick additional piece I’m gonna ask each speaker in the into.

Do you hire both technical students and engineering students and do you hire international students because that’s questions that we got just multiple of, so we’d love to address that up front.

Yes, we’ll hire all of those engineering, non-engineering, and international students. Okay, fantastic . So, next up Caroline Lee thanks so much for joining us and thanks for sharing your insights with all the students listening in. Do you mind sharing briefly about Google’s internship program, and their first and second year programs specifically?

Definitely, so, I’m really happy to be here, and thank you students, for joining in. So, again my name is and Caroline. I manage one of our internship programs here at Google called the Engineering Practicum Internship Program. The Engineering Practicum Internship is targeted at current sophomores, especially those who come from traditionally under-represented backgrounds within computer science. And it’s 12-week internship as some of you might know, and it has a public component, interns work with other interns in pods, and they also take weekly CS courses.

Engineering practicum is just one of our few internship programs that we actually have at Google. We have, of course, our broader engineering intern program, where we hire international students. We also have, of course, an internship program for non-technical students as well. Fantastic, thank you so much, and last but certainly not least Ronner Cook who manages Twitter’s college recruiting program, and we’d love to learn a bit more.

Thanks for joining us Ronner. Hi everyone. Welcome, again my name is Ronner, and I’m really happy to partner with WayUp on this. This is actually our third season recruiting for interns, so we’re really excited to obviously have more of you here. To give you a little bit of a background, two years ago I started at Twitter.

And, I was brought in to basically start the university program’s team and starting to hire new grads and our first class of interns. So, since then we’ve had quite a bit of success, and we do also do year round internships. So, if you’re interested in doing Fall or Spring internships we’re very flexible on that as well.

Like, some of the programs for example, in Canada, Waterloo, Toronto, UPC, there’s quite a few co-op programs, and we’re also quite flexible with that. And we do hire international students as well. So, another thing that Nathan has asked me to address is whether or not we hire non-engineering students as well.

Our main focus right now is on computer science and engineering for our software engineering roles. We have a handful of non-engineering positions, but that’s not the bulk of our focus. We do have some one off positions, if you’re interested in that, I can definitely find out for you.

Fantastic. Thank you. So I think we’d like to start this panel just with a question that’s really is at the heart of the underclassman internship search, and is sort of basis for a lot this hangout but, do you think and do you speakers think that students who are freshmen and sophomores should even be looking for professional experience at this point in their career?

It’s, you know, very early on, they’re still getting into their academic studies and if so, what should they be expecting to get out of it, given that they probably won’t be graduating and really applying for jobs for another few years? And Carolyn, since you went second last time would you like to kick us off here?

Sure, definitely. So at Google we think that students should absolutely be looking for professional experience as a freshman or sophomore. It’s actually really helpful for students to get that type of internship experience, especially if they’re looking to get a job at one of the most, you know, competitive companies in the future. And, what students can expect to get out of it is, first of all, really learning what it’s like to code in an industry environment versus a school environment.

Also really learning the company as well as the engineering culture, and then also, of course, being part of a community of other young CS students.

We absolutely think that freshman and sophomore students should be involved. Fantastic Ronner, Adam, would you like to add to that or? Yeah, I mean, I think definitely in the same vein as what Caroline mentioned, we highly encourage freshman and sophomore students to get involved as early as possible. I think it’s, here, especially at Twitter, in our engineering teams, we definitely look for that practical experience, and especially if you’ve been coding for a while, and you know, way before you got to college.

And also, if you’ve contributed to any of the opensource projects or have played with Twitter API.

We definitely encourage you to let us know, whether it’s in your cover letter, whether it’s in your resume. We definitely look at that. So, you know, practical experience is great and we don’t have a degree requirement or an age requirement at all for our internships. Quite a few of our younger interns who interned with us just after freshman year or sophomore year, have actually come back with us multiple summers, so we highly encourage that.

Awesome. Fantastic. Actually, that’s a really interesting question. As part of, expecting to get out of it, what you first touched on was a fantastic professional understanding, which is valuable for any future internship, and then it sounds like beyond that, most of your companies offer the opportunity to either continue on maybe transition rolls into a slightly different but similar internship in the following year. Would you say that’s a fairly accurate sort of potential end goal for students coming through the program is to get that experience but also maybe to come and work again or to work somewhere else and kinda take that first learning experience with them to a new company?

Yeah, I’ll jump in. I think the advice I typically give interns who are thinking about returning back or doing a second internship the next term or semester is at the very least do something very different at that company. But, we’ll often give the advice to our interns to actually go and try another company, we’d love to have them back and we will give them offers to return. But we encourage them to try something different, and kind of vary their experience.

Internships are just an amazing opportunity in your life to try out something for three months, and there will be very few opportunities later in and your life to actually do that. So, it’s an amazing opportunity to take advantage of, to try something different, the following term and semester, if not another company, but then definitely a different type of team, or product, or technology or experience.

Perfect, okay well thanks so much and well, I think that segues really nicely into the next question that we see all the time, and maybe is the meat and potatoes of this conversation, but there’s often this Catch 22 that assumes experience and the fact that an internship is a tool to get experience, but first and second year students frequently do not have a ton of professional experience, and so can each of you just explain if you hire first and second years students, and why or why not, and what you typically look for in students who probably don’t have a ton of traditional, you know, on the job experience and, Ronner, if you would like to start us off that would be fantastic.

Sure, so yes, we do hire freshman and sophomore students for internships.

And what we look for, in lieu of some of the heavier industry experience, since these students tend not have as much of that, is extracurricular activities. We just really wanna see that outside of the class, outside of your academia responsibilities that you are really passionate about other things.

In technology, whether it’s starting you know, you’ve had some start up experiences, whether it’s an organization in schools, CS competitions, leadership roles. We definitely look for that. Those are really great things to really highlight on the resume, then what I touched on earlier was API’s, open source projects that you’ve done.

So, those are all really great and as always if you know someone at Twitter, or if you have a professor that’s been a visiting professor at Twitter or are working on a research project that’s some how related, we’d love to definitely see that too on your resume, and somehow let us know.

So, I think those are all really key things to highlight.

Yeah, that’s some fantastic feedback, the fact that side projects are fantastic, competitions are fantastic and then actually playing with your company’s API tends to be icing on the cake and shows that real high-level interest in Twitter. Adam, is that the same generally at Facebook or are there other things that you tend to look for in first and second year students?

Yeah, I think that’s generally about the same thing, I think there are a lot opportunities for students to do things outside of classroom work and projects. There’s a lot of student organizations. There’s a lot of opensource communities. There’s a lot of competitions. Generally we like to see students, regardless of year and degree, that have built stuff.

So, whether they’ve made commits to opensource communities or on Reddit or other things or portfolio of work. We like to see students who have built things, and some kind of demonstrated experience doing that. It doesn’t have to be classroom or project related.

Yeah, and I know everyone here is somewhat engineering focused to a degree, but how do you see that playing out, Adam for you mentioned also hiring marketing and business students. I mean, how does a marketing or business student generally show outside the classroom, or project experience?

Yeah, I mean they may do that a lot through student organizations or maybe a club or organization that they’ve started, or a really significant contribution that they’ve made.

Usually a question that I like to ask the students, what was your role? What did you do? And I think we all, as recruiters, often see students that are part of class projects. And it’s really hard to tease out what that particular student did, what their contribution impact was. I think the better that students are able to clearly and concisely identify what their role, and their impact was in that project, that organization, that idea, that grassroots club, helps set them apart and helps differentiate the great from the good.

So students who are listening in, obviously at top company’s what’s awesome to hear is that, one, all the work you do outside of your class is really meaningful. But two, just saying that you’re part of XYZ club is not going to get you across the line.

You actually have to really have done something that you engaged in at a high level and can speak to and share more in-depth detail on. So, that’s really exciting to hear that that kind of experience resonates and tends to turn over to the right kind of students that you want to work with at that your companies.

Caroline, as far as the Google practicum programs and your programs, what kind of experience do you tend to look for in interviews and on a resume for young students? Sure, so for young students, just like Ronner and Adam said, we really are looking for that extracurricular experience outside of their schoolwork.

In addition to the coding competitions and opensource and things like that, we’re also looking for personal projects. So, for example let’s say you’ve built, with a friend, an iPhone or Android app. That definitely counts as a lot. In terms of outside experience, we also look for, for example, T.A. or tutoring work.

We also look for if you’ve been a club master for example for one of your clubs. All of that outside extra curricular work really, really helps if you don’t have that internship experience. And also I believe that you asked about interviews as well? Sure, yeah, that would be great. So, for interviews for our freshman and sophomore programs, they give go through two forty-five minute technical phone interviews and for that, we do ask that students program in one of the object oriented programming languages so Java, C++ or Python.

And in order to prepare for that, students are always asked to review their CS basics, so crack open those textbooks and review those concepts and definitely practice coding with your friends. So practice over a Google Doc or a whiteboard. Perfect, yeah so, some live coding during the interview process, that helps kind of identify skill, even if it hasn’t been shown through prior job experience. That’s definitely helpful.

So we talked a lot about extracurriculars and it sounds like one of the huge takeaways I am getting is that those are extremely meaningful, you have to be doing work outside of class to really prove yourself, if you don’t have a lot of experience. And then, obviously that’s fodder for a resume that doesn’t include include lots of internship experience.

How about academically? Are there, you know, courses or, you know a lot of students who are listening in are thinking about ways to sync up what they do in the classroom with potentially finding a future internship or job. And so Adam, maybe kicking off with you here, are there specific courses that you recommend that, maybe fit with specific types of internships that you would love to see? Or do you really look for a broad swath of backgrounds, majors and it can be open to anything?

I think when you think about projects their extra-curriculars or classroom, I think what we like to see is a demonstrated passion for something. So, if you’re really passionate about academics, then we’d expect you to be really good at academics. If you’re really passionate about robotics, we’d expect you to be really involved with a robotic club, having built some, actually robotics in the past.

If you’re really passionate about the environment we want to see that you are really involved and passionate there, so, I think it’s unrealistic to think that they’re going to have this amazing portfolio of classroom, volunteer, and extracurricular activities. Something’s got to give there. We like to see more of a demonstrated passion. So, when we think about the degree classes, especially for freshmen and sophomores, we want to see that they got the fundamentals and did really well with the fundamentals.

Most programming languages, if we’re talking about engineering are built off really core fundamentals of data structures and algorithms and things like that, and we want to see that they’ve got a mastery of that, because that’s going to be real important for other things that they’ll learn throughout their college and professional career.

If we’re looking at non-technical positions we want to see that they took related classwork, but then when they often get the opportunity to choose a project, that they’re choosing a project and concept that’s really related to again, the thing that they’re most passionate about, because they often have a lot of free range on some of those projects that they choose.

I think I heard passion said numerous times in that response, so I think that’s awesome feedback for students, I mean, I think students sometimes fear that they have to make choices that employers are gonna be excited about and that they can’t always pursue what they’re passionate about because they need to get certain job skills, so it’s really cool to hear that that’s maybe not the case.

Would you say is there any one particular class or two classes that if you’re an engineer that’s really valuable to take in your first and second year?

I think, I mean, I think it is. It depends, every student is going to come in with a different amount of experience with computer science and programming, some high schools offer, have great programs, and students are going to be more advanced than others, so it’s hard to say, but I do think in the first year that they are taking as many of the prerequisite and entry level classes that they can. And if they are already taking those, having at least one or two CS classes in that first year of the next level, I think are important.

We, like Google and probably Twitter, we really prefer object oriented things, but other companies are going to want embedded C and more systems programming. So, I wouldn’t choose classes based on what you think the company wants, I would choose classes on what’s most exciting and interesting to you and stay on that path. And then you’ll find, eventually, the company and career that’s the right match for you.

If you’re always trying to please some set of companies, then you’re going to be kind of chasing that, fighting that battle for a long time, versus find out what you’re really excited and interested in, then takie those classes. And then that’ll eventually yield into internships and jobs.

Perfect, that’s great advice.

Caroline, I know that Google’s sort of renowned as being a very academically focused company and that I’ve heard, and maybe it’s totally not accurate, that GPA sometimes is viewed as very important or is well prized within the company. As far as academics that students might be interested in, as first and second years, are there any specific courses or specific recommendations you would have for students?

In terms of courses, I think Adam gave really good advice there, in terms of just taking the courses that you’re most passionate about. For Google internships specifically though, students who are interested in interning at Google should have a grasp of object oriented programming languages. So, I would highly recommend that they take courses like intro to Java or intro to Python pretty seriously because that is what we’re looking for here.

Fantastic, and so Ronner, do you have anything you’d like to add to that sort of academic conversation about what students should be thinking about and what they look for in classroom experience?

Yeah, sure, I think Adam and Caroline touched on the basics. Definitely having the fundamentals down, I would say in your first year, definitely make sure, especially if you haven’t been programming since you were fifteen or something, definitely make sure you’ve got data structures and the algorithms down.

Those are basic things that you need to expect that we’ll cover in our technical phone interviews, which constitute the first round of internship interviews. So those are all fair game questions. And then I would say that, you know, in terms of languages, pretty much the same thing as what they look for at Google, as well as Facebook.

For our back end we do a lot, we use a lot of Java, Scala, Ruby, NC++. I know a lot of students are pretty interested in back end work. So, what I usually do when I engage with a student is I talk to them about where their interests and their strength lays. And I know this is a little bit hard to gauge in terms of interest because at this juncture, you know, freshman or sophomore year you’re still testing it out.

You’re still not sure and that’s what the whole point of an internship, right, because you want to find out what you’re more interested in. But we do ask you that and we steer you towards a specific group based on your interest and your preference really early on, so that your internship experience is actually with a specific group that has that. If you’re interested in developing more on the mobile side, more working with say trends or social graphs, we’ll put you specifically with those teams.

So, I think that’s one of the good things about, in terms of doing an internship here and knowing exactly what team you’ll able to gain that experience in.

So, slightly just kind of a related question, I’m just hearing so much conversation about interests and passion and communicating what is exciting to you and so what comes to mind is that, while that is obviously something that is really a perfect application, what the application tends to often look like is, it’s applying through, a paper resume through either an online site or coming into a career fair and kind of meeting you or someone who works on your team and kind of expressing that. So, if someone’s applying online, how can they share that passion in a resume? Do you look for a traditional resume?

Could you, and maybe Caroline you could run us through this first, what would a good resume look like to you? Is there a typical format? Is there any sort of approach for first and second year students to be able to express that passion and interest, because obviously that’s not always an easy thing to do in a paper format.

Yeah, definitely, so within the resume, besides obviously listing your education and what relevant courses you’ve taken thus far, we’re also looking for relevant skills, so, for example, if you’re able to code in Java and Python or C++, if you have, you know, other experiences with operating systems for example, we do ask that you list that.

And then, I would also break it up into other sections, so besides the relevant coursework that you’ve taken, definitely list full projects that would be very helpful for us to know, and also your projects outside of your schoolwork. So again, those personal projects, whether that’s building an Android app or participating in opensource, or participating in coding competitions.

Fantastic, and just out of curiosity, a very specific question, does and should a resume from an underclassmen student, should it be one page, should it be multiple pages? Any thoughts on that? We definitely think it should be one page, just because again we don’t expect that younger students will have a whole lot of experience and so typically multi-page resumes are reserved for our PHD students where they have, for example, many publications to list.

Short and to the point. So Ronner, do you think there’s a way for students to express their interest and passion through a resume, and if so, what are some key things you like to see on a younger student’s resume? Sure, I think I’m seeing a lot of really, really high-caliber resumes and strong resumes that obviously have some students as young as sophomores, freshman might already have internship experiences.

So, I would love to see in addition to, listing out where you intern. I like to see, specifically, this goes back to Adam’s point about what your part, your role of the project was and what you specifically worked on and accomplished. I like to see that and then that gives me a really good sense for how that’s relevant to Twitter projects and Twitter engineering.

So, from that, I can kind extrapolate, oh well this person might be really good for this particular team and then I’ll reach out accordingly. So, I think that’s really important just to be as specific as you can. There are certain things that might not go well on the resume format. I’m definitely open to seeing that maybe a few bullets of it in a cover letter. I think sometimes that could be a really well, a really good tool to use as a supplement to your resume if there’s anything else that you want to highlight.

So, for younger students a cover letter can be a really critical piece to help expand upon their interest and what they’re doing, and I take it that, do you read a resume first or a cover letter first, and sort of, do cover letters, are they usually seen as something that’s an additional info about that student, or are they kind of on equal standing as a resume?

For me personally, I definitely put more weight in the resume. I think that, I mean I read the cover letter usually first and then, if the resume looks pretty interesting or if I’m sort of on the fence with it, I’ll read more into cover letter and see if there’s any strengths in there that, you know, that weren’t quite highlighted on the resume.

Fantastic. Adam I know that we’ve gotten a lot of great advise already on this topic, but anything that you’d like to add in terms of resumes and cover letters and how students should spend their time when applying? Generally, just one piece of advice I think, is the last step that you want to take is applying online. The steps that you want to take leading up to actually applying online is trying to meet that company on campus if they’re on your campus. Try to identify another student that has interned there, or a professor that’s partnered with. Try to make a more personal connection with someone at that company, and don’t rely on our company’s careers website to help you stand out.

Because, in fact, it will do the exact opposite. We, as recruiters, look at a lot of resumes and we aren’t often looking at that resume on paper we’re looking at it on our screen and we’re just scrolling through lots of resumes. So it’s-

Sort of a great segue so I can let you take a quick shot at this first, since you already touched on it, Adam, but, how can students engage you or someone on your team and you mentioned career fairs, can they reach out to you on Facebook, by email? What are the other ways that they can let you know that they’re the right fit for your team and they’re excited and passionate about what you’re working on. Yeah, I mean, I think what we really love to hear is we love to hear from our former interns when they go back to campus, like, who else do you know? Who else do you think would be a fit here?

Those people not only now understand your company’s culture and hiring bar, but they also understand the context of the University, of who’s doing well in some of the under graduate classes so they can help kind of be that conduit. So, seek out those students that just interned the previous summer at that company.

Most companies now are doing some kind of campus ambassador thing where they actually are asking certain former interns to go back and help identify that. It’s pretty easy to probably identify those people. Second worst to applying online, is standing in line at a career fair, so also, vary tough to differentiate yourself by standing in a line for fifteen minutes and then talking to someone at the head of the line for two or three minutes and they write a couple notes on the back of your resume, and then they fly home to California and look into those 300 resumes later, and trying and remember who you are.

That’s only slightly better to being one of the 500 applicants online. So, look for other ways to connect with the company on campus, whether it’s talking with them at a talk or going to some kind of hangout or if they come to a lab, look for a differentiated way to actually meet them in a more relaxed environment, then kind of the pressure cooker and crowded aspect of a career fair. And all of our recruiters, I’m sure have different Facebook groups and you can message them and connect with them on LinkedIn or other tools as well, that’s also a great way to reach out.

Adam I think you might be breaking some student’s heart who get really excited about dressing up in a suit and tie and going to career fairs and look forward to that day every year.

Nobody loves a career fair. The students don’t love it, the companies don’t love it, so, but it’s a necessary evil and it’s important, but it’s not as important as other ways that if you’re trying to differentiate yourself, there’s other, probably more effective ways to do that. So, I guess it sounds a lot like the importance of networking, so Caroline, would you mind sharing a tiny bit about how you, obviously Google’s a really massive team.

I know that there’s representatives who work with campuses across the country. How can students network with you, someone else on your team, former Google interns and sort of best position themselves to stand out in the pile of resumes? Sure so, besides, for example, attending our info sessions and talking to us afterwards, which really helps put a face to, for example, a resume, there are so many other ways for students to get involved and engage with us.

One example is many companies actually hold puzzle events or scavenger hunts or hack-a-thons. And that’s actually a really great way for students to get involved and really talk to the company representatives in a more intimate environment, but also also have some fun while doing that. So, for example by participating in a puzzle event or hack-a-thon, and then there are other ways to get engaged as well.

Many companies have a pretty large social presence online. So, for example, for Google, we have our Google students account where we often talk about opportunities or programs which students can get involved in, and I know other companies do that as well. So definitely look for their Google+ or Facebook or Twitter accounts and their blogs as well.

Perfect, and Ronner, would you express the same, or what are your thoughts on online applications versus other ways to apply to these positions at Twitter? And I mean obviously all of your reps are extremely busy and so how can the student engage in the right level without being too pushy or too aggressive?

Right, I mean I definitely echo the same thoughts that, you know Caroline and Adam shared. I would say that there are so many different ways and creative ways that you can get, you can network with us. In addition to some of the obvious ones, we have, for example, the @terns account is our intern blog account, so we basically have our interns take over a week or a day, tweeting, you know, the fun things, the interesting stories that they have, you know, while they’re interning here at Twitter.

So, those are great ways to just, you know, see and kind of follow who our interns are and maybe you’ll find some that are actually from your school and definitely hit them up because everyone loves to talk about their experience. And, you know, I would say there’s no stronger testimonial than getting, you know, first hand experience from your fellow students, right? Because they’re your peers, they are going through pretty much the same experience as you, but they can give you the reality of an insight to what it’s like to working at some of these companies. I would say those are all really good ways to do that.

You know, DM myself or any of the recruiters on Twitter and I would say we’ve also seen a lot of outreach from LinkedIn as well. But I would say definitely participating in the hack-a-thons that companies sponsor and coming up to talk to our engineers and to the recruiters while we’re on campus. If you’re from one of the schools where we, unfortunately, don’t have the bandwidth to go to right now don’t you don’t shy from that.

I would definitely reach out and introduce yourself and give us a few things, like an elevator pitch of why you think you want, why you want to work here and what you’re passionate about. I think those are maybe a few bullets to highlight why specifically Twitter or Google or Facebook that you’re passionate about. I think that would be very, very helpful to help you stand out from a recruiters perspective.

Fantastic, well I think this has been golden, on this question, has been golden advice in that speaking to students who you might have somewhere in your network who have previously worked at a company, regardless if it’s of one these three companies who are speaking now or anywhere else that you might envision yourself working, that’s an incredible person to get a vote of approval from. And those are usually someone on your campus in a club or someone who has similar passions to you probably, when you’re doing all those other fantastics or extracurriculars that we’ve already spoken about, are people that you can access and talk to in that normal, I don’t know, just in your day to day. So, it’s a really great opportunity I think, to kind of recognize as other peers as potential inroads to future careers.

So, kind of, I guess, a broader question here and I think that right now that technology’s becoming very pervasive and we’re seeing a more open education system and I think a lot of universities, MIT, Stanford, are all doing online classes now, and so I guess one question I wanted to have for you all is, as panelists who see a lot of this happening is, do you see this sort of opening up of education as a leading a charge towards you as companies being more open to younger students because there’s kind of a breaking down of traditional, you know, needing to go through four years of college before you’re ready to go to work at a company or do you not see that happening?

And, sort of what are your thoughts on how technology’s changing how you view age in the hiring process? And Ronner, do you mind taking a first crack at that?

Yeah, it’s a really good question that I’ve actually had really interesting conversations with my colleagues on the last few weeks especially. I think it definitely blurs the line.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone that went to that college and has that particular pedigree of the top twenty CS curriculum. In fact, I would love to get to know more smaller engineering programs out there too. So, there are a few instances here at Twitter where some of our interns have actually decided to stay here full-time after their internship rather than going back and continuing school, and this isn’t just PHD folks, but this is also undergrad students.

I think that speaks volumes to their experience here at Twitter. Obviously from my perspective it’s a very personal decision, right, that you have to make, the student would have to make on their own, and what’s right for them. But, I think that, you know, in terms of experience and just the amount of exposure that you get right now to technology at an early age, I think the doors are definitely open for you and there are so many different ways that we can help you through this, and whether it’s deferring a degree or doing a longer term internship, we’re very flexible in terms of kind of making the right balance for you.

So, I think it really goes back to what you’re passionate about and what you want to do and what you want to explore. But I would say one advice is that a lot of students coming out of college they think that oh, well this is a super, super important decision that I’m making and I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into a particular path. I would encourage you not to think that way because anywhere you land, obviously, being a super talented student you’re going to be doing a great, you’re going to definitely be adding strength to your resume and your background.

There’s always opportunities for you to switch later on. So, don’t worry too much about being pigeon-holed because doors are always open.

That’s great advice, I think, yeah, it’s hard to ever imagine where you might end up ten/fifteen years out of college and sort of how, the career path I always kind of see as more of a winding process than any direct line. So, that’s really fantastic advice to kind of engage positively and sort of the short term rather trying to manage too much where you’re gong to be in the long term.

Adam, do you see new online tools affecting how you hire candidates? Do you ever see a future where students will be getting badges online from places like the Khan Academy or other sources like that, that end up being more meaningful than sort of college courses or anything of that nature?

Yeah, I think in general the openness of education and the information dissemination is a good thing. And two of the industries that I think that are going to be slower to be impacted by the amount information and, you know, connectedness and the social graph are healthcare and education, for very different reasons. Healthcare is very obvious with patient privacy and medical records. Education, just from the traditional nature and the structure of it, but I think we are seeing some really interesting attacks I will which are good things, disruptive technologies that are really hopefully will move it forward faster than it’s currently moving. And, Kahn Academy is a great example, and there’s a bunch of other ones.

But, you know, if I think about computer science in general, it’s ripe for some modernization and I know all of these companies on this column and this meeting are really passionate about helping computer science get as modernized as quickly as possible.

But it is an upstream battle when it comes to very traditional academic brick and mortar institutions, and hundreds of years of legacy of that. It’s gonna take some time but I think in general we are at a crossroads, an opportunity for more students to get more access to top education, and it no longer being, an admissions process, being weeding people out and creating a has and has not with education, but opening up these top 20 and more computer science curriculums to students world-wide.

So, I think it’s an exciting time and I do think that will impact us over time. And we’ll probably never be as fast as we would like. But I’m hopeful that it will be as quick as possible.

And Caroline, is Google now hiring more underclassman? I think your underclassman program is probably the longest running of those that we have here speaking today, and so have those numbers grown more recently and how do you you see age changing in your mind in terms of a factor for hiring?

Sure, for Google we’ve definitely seen a large interest in underclassmen applying for internships and for us as a company too it’s actually really important for us to develop young computer scientists, so that’s why we have, for example, the freshman engineering practicum and engineering practicum programs that are specifically targeted at freshman and sophomores.

And then, in terms of your question about age, for us at Google, age has never realy been a huge factor. So, for example, if you’re a freshman and you’re qualified and you’d be a great intern we’d be really happy to hire you. We really do think it’s really important to grow young CS students, so that’s why, as long as you’re qualified, we’re happy to hire you, whether that’s the freshman engineering practicum, the engineering practicum or our regular traditional intern program.

Fantastic, well, so that was a lot of our regular scheduled questions. Those are all really informative and incredibly insightful answers so, thanks a ton for sharing everything that you have so far. We have about 14 minutes left. And we’ve gotten some really fantastic questions on our Google+, and Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and so these are all direct from students, and maybe whoever wants to jump in and anyone who wants to follow on, please be welcome to do so.

The first question is one that we get a lot of, and it’s from a student named Nick Benner from Boise State and just asked, is hiring locally a priority? I think there’s a concern among students that if they go to school somewhere that’s further away from major cities, that it’s harder to get an internship, and so he was wondering if hiring locally is a priority and do you offer relocation assistance for internships?

I guess I can go first. So, for Google we definitely hire students for from all over, it doesn’t matter whether they’re local or not. And we do provide relocation assistance, so for example if you’re attending school 15 miles away from where our office is, we provide either an intern relocation stipend, or a housing option that you can choose.

Yeah, that’s the same thing for Twitter. We offer relocation help in terms of your round trip airfare, and your housing stipend. And we do hire from all over the states and some international schools as well. So, definitely don’t be shy about applying and getting yourself out there.

Ditto.

Perfect, so another question I thought was really interesting, this is from Clayton Pritchard who’s a University of Central Florida student, and he was wondering what technical skills are you looking for from a marketing hire or marketing intern, if any?

I can go. First of all, so go Knights, Central Florida, nice.

For marketing, what skills are we looking for in a marketing student, I think that’s his question, is that right Nathan? Yes, that’s correct. Yeah, I mean, I think we’re going to want to see, demonstrated experience of him working on a marketing plan right? And so whether that would be, if he’s not getting that in his classroom project, him going out and volunteering with a non-profit in this community or volunteering your services to help apply that.

Probably being a member, and a leader within his marketing student association is probably good to see, and maybe having a portfolio that we could look at. So, whether it’s a link to his or her website, or a link to other work that they’ve done on another website or another organization, I think would be a great way for him to demonstrate some of the, kind of the skills they’ve had.

I think it’s, with marketing particularly, it’s got to be very hands-on through demonstrated work. It’s really hard to tease out like, oh took intro to marketing or took marketing, online marketing, things like that. I want to see what you actually did through those classes and those projects. Fantastic. Moving on then, another question we got from a student named Raymond Ayawa, and he asked on Facebook, and this is a fairly specific question, but I think of one that’s really of interest.

Do your companies have any specific internship opportunities for military veterans? And he’s someone who has eight years of experience and now is working towards a degree in computer science. But, do your companies work with military veterans at all? And if so how do those programs work?

I can go real quick. I think, yes I’m sure all of our companies. We are certainly really passionate as all of our companies are about looking for student veterans that are turning from service in our armed forces, into our companies. One thing that we’ve seen as a trend over the last two or three years is the new GI bill has been really quite amazing in helping some of these top veterans actually get access into some of the top universities as well. So, we’re really hopeful that over the next couple of years as these students kind of start to progress through these degree programs, especially underrepresented degree programs, like computer science, where we haven’t seen, historically, a lot of veterans going into that.

We’re really hopeful that we’ll see more students, cause all of our companies, I’m sure, would be excited and would love to be able to hire students from majors where we do the a majority of our hiring like computer science.

Fantastic, and maybe actually another way to broaden that question, but sort of, can you explain a little bit about how you value geographic diversity within your internship programs?

I think that there’s a lot of students who come from different parts of the country and it would be really interesting to hear your perspectives on how you value getting students from all over and sort of how that helps build a more meaningful internship program, or if it does in your minds.

I mean, I think it definitely does build a stronger intern class to have a really diverse class of students that can offer varying points of view. I think it just overall in general makes our product better, right? We have products all are stemming from a huge user base. So, the more diverse and the more folks that we get from varying viewpoints, I think makes everything that much stronger.

So, I think it’s always great to have, for example, our international and our growth engineering teams, we do hire quite a few students from Europe, from Australia, from Asia. So, it’s defiantly different, I mean obviously these teams, since they’re international, we do look for, you know, a specific language, skill sets and so forth, but I think in general, I think you’re question Nathan is just how much we value that and, we definitely do.

Smaller schools, like I mentioned earlier, there could be tons of awesome students that might not be going to some of the quote unquote top ranked schools, but we know that maybe it’s just a family thing, personal choice, or maybe they got a scholarship, you know, a full ride, to some of these smaller schools, so we definitely want the opportunity to get to know those smaller engineering programs and as well as I think those are schools where you can really set yourself apart because those aren’t the schools that, say like in a program like MIT, where tons of students have, you know great internships at top companies already, but I think you can also offer a lot from giving a differing perspective.

Fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing that. So, another question that we got from a student named Maggie Donovan. We have a number of recent grads who, despite this being our underclassman hangout still wanted to tune in and hear from you all, and so, she happens to be one of them, and she’s a new grad and was wondering, one if you still hire new grads grads into your internship programs?

And two, how much internship experience do you expect a new grad to have coming into your programs?

I think if a new grad is going, you know, say they graduated from a Bachelors Degree and they’re thinking about going back to get a Masters or a Masters and PhD program, we’re definitely open to doing an internship arrangement with them.

Like I mentioned, we’re fairly flexible on that, and if you’re graduating from a four year Bachelors program, we tend to look for a little bit more experience, whether it’s research, working in labs or internship, in one of the you know, a start up or one of the top companies, like, you know, some of the ones that we have here today.

So, yeah I think with experiencing and with age, you know, we definitely look for a little bit more, we put a little bit more emphasis on industry experience.

Fantastic. Looks like we have time for one last question and I think this is actually one that we hear from a number of students as well and I think underclassmen sometimes really get anxious about their GPA and so a student was wandering what skills, or in what ways on a resume can they best counter balance what might potentially be a low GPA?

I think it’s been addressed in some of your previous answers, but again there’s a lot of students who are nervous about their GPA not crossing the right threshold. So, is there anything specific for a student who has a low GPA that they should be doing or thinking about, in a, in their resume to kinda help counter-balance that.

Yeah, I mean, I think we see that sometimes a lot and we’ll often ask the awkward question when GPA’s not on their resume, we’ll ask, so I think it’s better if the student puts it on there. But, I think there are different ways that they could talk about it that companies may value. So one thing they may talk about is, they may talk about their, they may show their over all GPA but also say GPA in major.

So, if they have done really well at computer science but, you know, no one likes philosophy. We can all resonate with a D in Philosophy. Like, okay, or if they say my upper divisional classes have been this GPA, if they can show that on things that they really are passionate about or excited about or looking for careers in, that they did really well in those subjects, maybe from other subjects they were less interested in. Or they had a bad first semester or a bad first year. They seem to be able to talk about it and visualize it on a resume in a certain way that highlights those things. And they’ll be able to talk about you know, why it might be lower than they would have hoped.

And then, different companies are gonna value that different ways. Some companies you know, outside of high tech, they’re gonna look at GPA and maybe have cut offs. Other companies are not. But, if they can really highlight the reasons that they, it may be lower in areas where it is, where they are doing very well. I think it can help offset some of those.

Well fantastic, we’re just about out of time, so unless anyone has any last words that they would like to add in, I’d just like to thank you so, so, much for all of your time today. This has been some of the most amazing advice that I wish I had heard, you know, when I was first getting into college and thinking about careers and it’s been really incredible to have all these insights shared.

And just a note to all the students who might be watching. We’ll be following up this with a blog post that will contain the video for the event in case you have any friends you want to share it on to. The companies involved have some internship content up on WayUp that you can go and check out and view and kind of learn more about some of their programs, just if you are interested in learning more about their offices and cultures.

There’s content like that on our site.

And we’ll also be responding to any questions that we didn’t get to also on the blog post, so we’ll have all that extra information. And so, this has been an incredible hour, I think everyone who tuned in is extremely thankful and so are we for all your time.

So, thanks so much and we’re really happy to have had all of you participate.

Thanks David.

Thanks for having us.

Yeah, thank you all. Cheers take care.Yeah, thank you all. Cheers take care.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How to Find an Internship as an Underclassmen (Video Resource) appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Internships have slowly graduated from an optional over-the-top resume addition to an essential part of finding a job when you graduate. More and more businesses are looking for internship experience on the resumes of their entry-level job candidates.

But how do you find an internship?

Step 1: Know what you want

The first step in answering the question “How do I find an internship?” is asking “What do I want to do?” Start looking at industries that you’re interested in and get a feel for what they’re looking for. Make a list of the industries you might want to work in, and then start listing potential internships in each one.

Internships should be tailored to your interests, and your skills. If you’re majoring in accounting, you probably won’t be qualified for an engineering internship (I mean, I’ve been wrong before, but stay with me). The company should also offer the kinds of things you’re looking for in an internship. If working remotely or being able to access your personal social media at work are important factors, keep them in mind when making your list.

You should also look at which cities you might want to try out or that you’ve always wanted to visit.

Step 2: Prepare for the search

Once you have a list of places to go and companies to work for, you’re going to need to gussy up that resume. “How do I get an internship?” “You make a great resume.” Take a look at an online resume guide or check out Pinterest to get some solid and creative ideas for how you want your resume to look. You’ve only got about fifteen seconds to grab a recruiter’s attention on paper, so do it right. Don’t have typos in your resume, and try not to let it get longer than a page. I know, you want to expound on all the things that make you a great person, but keep it short and sweet.

Cover letters are also a very important piece of applying for an internship. Each application should be accompanied by a completely customized cover letter. Do not generalize and then send it out to a dozen different companies.

Do some serious research on each company that you are going to contact (because you will be contacting them) and apply to. The best thing you can do to recommend yourself to a company is to be well-versed on what they do and how they do it. The more you know, the better you fit into the already established order of the company and the less they have to think about training you.

Step 3: Make contact (Network. You have to network.)

The best way for you to get an internship is to network, and to network intelligently and efficiently.

Start with your school’s career center. Honestly, that is the best resource you have at your disposal. They might not have contacts at a particular company, but you might be able to break into an industry from there. Career centers often host mock interviews for practice, have resume and cover letter help, and networks and contacts of their own that you can tap into.

If they can’t help you (or even if they can), your next step should be finding alumni from your school on LinkedIn who work at your preferred companies. Connect with them and explain briefly what you’re up to, ask if they have any tips, advice, etc.

Also consider shooting out a Tweet or a Facebook status. “I want to get an internship at X company. Does anyone know somebody I can talk to?”

Depending on a company’s internship program, you may be applying online. If this is the case, you need to identify the recruiter or internship coordinator, if at all possible. In the age of information, “To Whom it May Concern” is a thing of the past, and there are few excuses for not being able to directly address the person reading your application. Find them on LinkedIn or a company directory, or you can try calling the company.

If the company you want to work for does not have an internship program, things get a little interesting. Find the contact information for the head of Human Resources (this can sometimes be accomplished with a simple phone call to the company). If you can provide value to a company and prove the merits of having an internship program, you can get an internship simply by creating your own. But this needs to be a well-thought-out presentation, with persistence and confidence.

Step 4: Be Prompt

Whenever you make contact with someone at a company, assuming they’re interested in you, they’ll ask for your materials. This could be as simple as a resume and a cover letter, or it could extend to an entire portfolio of your creative works. Send in this information as soon as possible. Recruiters are busy people, and they appreciate someone who is on top of their game and who responds quickly and efficiently.

Apply to open positions early so that you can follow up early and can demonstrate an eagerness to fill the role.

Step 5: Follow Up

So you’ve applied, you’ve made contact. You need to follow up or all of that work will have been for nothing and you might end up not getting an internship. Send a succinct email reminding the recruiter who you are and mentioning your application. This should be sent about two weeks after you’ve sent in your application. Thank them for their time and consideration, and say that you really appreciated having the opportunity to land an internship with their company. Don’t ask when/if you’ll find out about the internship. They’ll contact you or they won’t, and bugging the recruiter for those details might make you sound like you’ve got multiple applications in the works (which, however true, is something you want to keep to yourself).

Attending your college’s career fair can also be a form of follow-up, as you should have your application completed and sent in before you set foot on a job fair floor. If a company you applied to is attending the fair, definitely pay their booth a visit. Follow some career fair guidelines to make a (favorable) lasting impression and increase your chances of getting an internship.

Step 6: Interviews

If you’ve managed to land an interview, you’re halfway there. Yes, only halfway, maybe even only one-third, depending on how many rounds of interviews the company has.

Phone Interviews:

While this arms-length interview puts less pressure on your physical appearance, it is still a very important step in the process of landing that internship. The most important thing you should remember with a phone interview is to not interrupt. I mean it: be respectful and do not interrupt. Wait for an opening. Listen and respond to the questions. Keep your answers brief, and address the interviewer’s questions without launching an in-depth tale of your life story.

In-Person Interviews:

Obviously, you’ll need to dress the part, so know what kind of dress code is common for the industry you’re interviewing for is crucial (this goes back to all that research you did). Make sure your hand isn’t clammy when you shake the interviewer’s hand (wipe it on your pants first if you have to) and do NOT be the limp fish handshake. While many people recognize the folly of basing an interview on the initial handshake, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a good firm handshake.

Similar rules apply in-person as over the phone. Do not interrupt, answer questions as completely but as briefly as possible, and don’t talk yourself silly. But now there’s a physical element. Keep eye contact when listening to your interviewer. Do not fidget, it makes you look restless and impatient. Be friendly but not informal, even when interviewing in an informal workplace.

And no matter what, always have questions for the interviewer, whether you’re talking on the phone or in person. Have at least two good questions to ask when the interviewer says “Do you have any questions?” If, at the end of the interview, the interviewer hasn’t asked you if you have any questions, ask them anyway.

Step 7: Repeat.

Don’t give up. Every rejection is a new opportunity to look for a new opportunity. And believe me, you’re not going to get every internship you apply for. You’re going to receive a lot of “Sorry, we’ve chosen someone else”s and even more opportunities will pass without a response at all. Don’t be discouraged. To get an internship, you have to be a special breed of persistent. You can do it.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How Do I Get an Internship? appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Finding a great internship is going to be HARD. You need a great resume, but even more so you need a great STRATEGY! In the end you need to get professional to be taken serious by an employer, so below are seven steps on how to succeed:

1. Think about your general motivation for finding an internship.

Is it to explore a new field, gain contacts in a given industry, learn on the job skills, or to simply pad your resume?  Understanding your motivations will help you focus on where to apply and will also open new doors in case your ideal position does not come through.

2. Search and Save.

Certainly a good first step on any job or internship search is getting in touch with personal, academic, and professional contacts and networking with them about potential opportunities. Looking online is great because all of a sudden your swimming in a much bigger pool.

• Search for POSITIONS, not for a company.
  Searching all marketing positions in a given location will open new options at organizations that need marketing help and offer marketing experience but which are not a traditional marketing firm. These include non-profits or start-up companies which may be less competitive overall but still offer ideal industry experience.
• Find 10-20 positions.
  One of the biggest benefits of an online search is that once your basic application materials are created, applying to additional positions online is EASY. To improve your odds find 10-20 positions which are all good options. In fact, you may want to apply to a bunch more than this — there is no harm in opening more doors, doing more interviews, and testing the waters at more places.
• Save all these positions along with your application status on WayUp.
  Keeping your search organized is absolutely key. You are going to want to remember where you are in the application process, little reminders about the person you spoke to (we both grew up in MI… awesome) and what your next deadline is.

3. Get your resume and cover letter materials ready.

When you apply online these documents are the only means an employer will have to evaluate you. It is important to see these documents as your personal brand, marketing your experience to the organization you are applying to and eliminating any error or typos that will appear novice. A lot of work goes into making these documents strong but if you put in the time you will stand out from the pack. We recommend you visit our resources section to see sample internship resumes and cover letters, and that you read our advice on how to take these documents to the next level.

4. Apply and Follow-Up:

With positions saved and materials ready it is time to start applying.  Ideally you should customize your resume and cover letter for every organization you apply to.  It is important to remember that after you submit materials the process is still not over. While not always necessary you may want to follow-up a week after you submit your application with a phone call or email to the intern hiring director and make sure the materials arrived in their hands. This is an opportunity to show your ability to be confident and professional while speaking on the phone or emailing.

5. Get ready to interview:

Just like improving your application flow and your resume documents, getting ready for an internship interview takes a lot of practice. We recommend getting in front of a mirror and rehearsing common answers and/or convincing a friend to be your practice interviewer. Practicing answers out loud and hearing how they sound makes a big difference.

6. Reflect, Improve and Repeat:

If you landed a position after steps 1 through 5, congratulations. If not, do not get discouraged. As stated in the introduction, this is a challenging process, with the final reward of becoming much better at the entire search and application process. You should reflect upon what worked and what did not, ask the people you have interviewed with what you can do better next time, and incorporate feedback to improve your future prospects. Internships on Wayup.com are constantly being updated so frequently check what is new and incorporate feedback as you apply to the latest positions.

7. There is no guarantee (especially in the current competitive job market) that there is an internship waiting for you – you need to go out there and get it.

Following these steps will guarantee that you are approaching this process in a systematic way that gives you the best possible shot. There will always be new opportunities so don’t get discouraged, focus on improving this process, and learning as much as you can. Finally, remember to always be courteous to employers even if things do not work out with them. Through this process you will become a stronger applicant and develop your professional network!

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 6 Ways to Impress Your Boss and find answers to common interview questions such as What Are Your Strengths?

The post Crib Notes: How to Find an Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Congratulations on landing a royal internship in the beautiful city of Charlotte, NC, also known as the Queen City! With its mid-Atlantic location, Charlotte is known as the international gateway to the South and is home to a unique blend of both old-fashioned and modern attractions, dining and entertainment. Its emerald tree-lined boulevards, glistening downtown skyline and Southern charm will pull you in and make it your newfound city love.

This kind of appeal has made Charlotte a booming hub for banking industry big names Bank of America and Wells Fargo, placing it as the largest banking headquarters in the country second to New York City. Living in the largest city in North Carolina, Charlotteans continue to make their city grow by developing the latest trends in technology, finance and commerce among their neighboring Southern cities.

At Looksharp we want you to get the complete experience during your stay in Charlotte so we created this Internship City Guide to get you ahead of the curb when it comes to navigating your way through Charlotte neighborhoods, transportation and popular spots for foodies and outdoor explorers alike.

Exploring Charlotte

You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the fair amount of cool places to check out in Charlotte. As a widespread city that seems to have a new neighborhood pop up every month, there’s almost always a spot nearby to spend some time exploring!

Downtown

Aside from its sky-high banking buildings, Downtown Charlotte is lined with the most interesting museums in the state, from the Carolinas Aviation Museum featuring exhibits on the history of aircrafts and flying (North Carolina’s Wright brothers were first in flight!) to two amazing side-by-side art museums: The Min Museum and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

If you’re craving a little more hands-on action while downtown, definitely make your way to Discovery Place, an interactive science museum and Charlottean favorite for years (my #1 field trip destination until college!). If lying on a bed of nails, crushing a garbage can, or scoping out cute animals on the National Geographic Crittercams isn’t enticing enough, Discovery Place also hosts an IMAX theater next door where you can watch science documentaries and Batman movies alike on the largest screen in the Carolinas.

For Downtown nightlife, enjoy bar-hopping made easy at The EpiCentre, a multi-level complex of Charlotte’s most popular Downtown bars, clubs, and restaurants. A personal favorite of mine is Mez, holding lavish interior design, stunning views of Charlotte’s skyline and a menu of classy cocktails and tasty late-night bites. Did I mention there’s a movie theatre within the restaurant with full access to the menu? Not much pairs better with an action film than a fresh plate of linguine caponata.

Freedom Park/Dilworth

After walking through Charlotte’s downtown skyline, you can relax in the prettiest Dilworth neighborhood spot, Freedom Park. Known as the Central Park of Charlotte, Freedom Park is a beautiful area full of rolling green hills (the largest known as “hippie hill”), walking trails and playgrounds — the perfect place to escape the daily grind. Bring a friend, a pup, a bike or a good book and enjoy the scenery for hours on end. And if you’re a picnic kinda person, you’re in luck as there are rows of popular restaurants along the East Boulevard entrance of the park where you can get your order to go and enjoy it at one of the many picnic tables in the Freedom Park. I recommend Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar to get your juicy, any-way-you-want-it burger and sweet potato fries fix.

Plaza-Midwood

Feeling a little more alternative? Head over to the Plaza-Midwood area, where leather biker vests, colorful wall art and vegan black bean falafels are the norm. The Plaza-Midwood area comes alive during both day and night. During the day, you can grab a bite to eat at one of the awesome variety of eateries all within the same block. For a hearty, mouth-watering Southern feast check out Dish, home to some of the best mac and cheese, BBQ sandwiches and biscuits in the city (Guy Fieri agrees). Not to mention, their menu features a section of awesome quesadillas and burritos too! After stuffing your face Southern style, take a walk down Central Avenue and pop into the cool shops and art galleries. Hong Kong is a favorite for vintage shoppers and thriftinistas.

Find yourself in Plaza-Midwood at night? Start your night off easy at %{link_to “Common Market”, “ :target=>”_blank”}, a charming, eclectic little spot for choice beers and wine from around the world. Pick up a round of pool or hang out on the back patio down the street at Elizabeth Billiards, a dive bar destination for all Plaza-Midwood locals. Before catching some zZz’s, make a late night stop at Diamond, an old-school diner brought back to life by a crave-worthy menu of late-night fried goodness (the hushpuppies are a must!).

NoDa

Located just a few blocks from Charlotte’s city center is North Davidson Street, celebrated as the city’s Historic Arts District, NoDa. Lined with historic art galleries, funky coffee shops and nightly entertainment in popular performance venues, NoDa is a gem that is not to be missed. Check out The Evening Muse, a listening room and art gallery where the best of Charlotte’s local music scene get their start. Across the street is the historic Neighborhood Theatre. Built in 1945 as a movie theater, this now-performance venue has hosted some of the most memorable concerts Charlotte’s seen and has also been the set for many music videos including North Carolina stars The Avett Brothers’ ““I and Love and You.””

Deciding where to grab a bite to eat in NoDa can be a challenge given the delicious range of options. Feeling baja fresh? Chow down on the city’s most popular fish taco at Cabo Fish Taco and enjoy the restaurant’s upbeat atmosphere. Feeling a little more French? Settle in at Crepe Cellar, a swanky kitchen and pub whose menu boasts European eats like steak frittes, French bread pizza and both savory and sweet crepes. Continue the French theme at NoDa’s star bakery, Amelie’s. With charming baby blue walls, gourmet salted caramel brownies and brie toasted baguettes, you’ll never want to leave Amelie’s side. In fact, its doors are open 24-hours, leaving many inner-city Charlotteans to call it their second home.

Southpark

Charlotte’s Southpark neighborhood is a favorite for residents and business owners alike. There’s no better place to shop ’til you drop than at Southpark Mall, the city’s largest shopping mall. It has all the essentials for retail therapy: Urban Outfitters, Aldo, Nordstrom, Gap and more. Connected to the mall are a variety of both chain and locally owned restaurants. Cowfish, which has recently exploded into the Charlotte foodie scene, offers a tongue-wagging half-sushi, half-burger menu that keeps its doors packed every night of the week. Down a mile from Southpark Mall is Phillips Place, a suburban oasis of clothing boutiques, wine bars and luxurious water fountains. All in all, the Southpark is a go-to destination for all of your shopping, entertainment, dining needs.

Transportation

Charlotte, with its horizontal patterns of growth and suburban sprawl, is not exactly the most ideal city for efficient public transportation. Having a car in Charlotte is your key to getting around town. Fortunately, there’s more than enough parking in most areas and lot prices are easily affordable.

The Lynx light rail system exclusively serves the Downtown area with lightning speed, passing through neighborhoods and areas of entertainment in and around downtown Charlotte from South Boulevard to 7th Street. Park and Ride lots are located at the majority of Lynx stations. Cost to ride is $1.75 each way.

Friends & Family Coming to Visit?

The CLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport serves hundreds of carriers and destinations, both international and domestic. If your place seems to be a little cramped, they can always find a great place to stay in the city using Airbnb.

Staying Fit in Charlotte

Don’t let its leisurely Southern pace fool you — Charlotteans are huge on keeping fit and trying out the latest workout trends. To keep in shape during your stay in Charlotte, you can join one of the many YMCA branches in the city, all of which offer a great variety of machines, butt-kicking classes and an overall supportive atmosphere for getting the most out of your workout.

If you’re on a tighter budget, look into a plan at Planet Fitness, an affordable alternative that offers gym essentials at a lower price. Forget the indoors — if breaking a sweat outdoors is more your thing, you gotta check out Ultimate Crossfit, a fitness club that will whip you into shape like never before, all while enjoying the scenery of Charlotte neighborhood parks (Freedom Park 5:30 am workout, anyone?).

It’s an Emergency, Doctor!

Having an idea of where to get medical attention is valuable information in any new city. ZocDoc is an online tool used to find a doctor based on your location and insurance provider, not to mention its easy online appointment booking process. You can always find immediate help at any Charlotte metropolitan area hospitals such as Presbyterian Hospital, or Carolinas Medical Center.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is an Internship? and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post Charlotte Internship City Guide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Looking for ways to stand out as you search for an internship or entry level job? The slideshow below will teach you how to market yourself to employers (a not-so-easy skill to learn) and to dramatically improve your ability to land the internship that is right for you!

The Importance of Internship Fit – A Quick Road Map

Section 1:

Broad ideas on how to think about the internship search process.

Section 2:

How to standout in a competitive market — from business cards to a better cover letter.

Section 3:

Unique hints on networking to begin building connections in the professional world.

View the Presentation

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as the Top 10 Things You Should Look For In An Internship and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post 40+ Ways to Find the Right Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

In the past few years, it’s become increasingly common for college students to have a paid or unpaid internship under their belt by the time they graduate. To be competitive in the workforce and give yourself a leg up in the job search after graduation, it’s more necessary than ever to apply for meaningful internships.

In order to figure out that type of internship would be right for you, here are some answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about internships.

What exactly is an internship?

Simply put, an internship is on-the-job work experience that is either related to your career interests or current field of study. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and can take place during the academic year or during the summer. All internships are short-term but can last anywhere from a single week to a full year. Most internships function as training opportunities and some, especially ones that take place during the school year, can be research projects where a professor or a company wants a student to study a new topic of interest.

What type of experience can you get out of an internship?

Regardless of when the internship takes place or how much it pays, the experience can provide you with a number of invaluable opportunities. For example, you can:

• Learn about different work environments and get a taste of the “real world.”
• Build new skills and tweak ones you already have.
• Broaden your professional network, gaining contacts and future recommenders along the way.
• Benefit from one-on-one mentorships.
• Get a sense of what happens in multiple departments at a company.
• Try out a career without having to make a full commitment.
• Possibly get college credit (if it’s an unpaid internship).
• Turn an internship into a full-time job opportunity after college.

Not every internship is the same, and what you do day to day can vary widely depending on the company. What’s most important is to understand what you’re going to get out of an internship and to check if that aligns with your career goals.

Some may give you more hands-on experience and others may provide a chance to shadow key executives or take part in weekly meetings. One company may offer you the chance to dive deeply into a single project and present your findings to company leadership; another may give you the chance to work across departments, giving you broad exposure to many parts of a company at once. Asking yourself what you want to get out of an internship is critical to knowing what’s going to be the best fit for you.

Now that you have the basics under your belt, check out the internships available on WayUp and get ready to find the perfect one for you!

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Follow Up and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post What is an Internship? appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

If you’re just starting to look for an internship, you may be wondering about the best things to focus on. Whether it’s a paid or unpaid internship, the true value comes from what you put into it. And that starts with finding an internship that’s worth your while in more ways than one.

Here are the 10 things you should look for in an internship.

1. A chance to separate yourself from the pack

Look at your next internship as an opportunity to distance yourself from your peers. Imagine the next career fair you attend and imagine what you would like to share with the recruiter in front of you about how you spent your summer (or fall or spring) semester. Think about the experience and the skill set you will gain that will build your professional brand.

2. An opportunity to figure out what kind of career you want

One of the key parts of an internship is getting to experience a specific role or industry so that you can decide whether it’s something you want to pursue after graduation. When picking an internship, look for one that offers you a truly hands-on experience. This will allow you to make well-informed decisions down the line and find the career path that works best for you.

3. A chance to work with smart and motivated people

If you can thrive off the energy of others around you, you’ll naturally work harder and enjoy what you’re doing. By finding an internship at a company where employees are excited to come to work every day, you’ll naturally have a more enjoyable experience and will be more likely to choose a similarly positive work culture in the next phase of your career.

4. Access to mentors you can learn from

As you navigate what you’re looking to do professionally, it’s important to have mentors that you can rely on who will help you navigate the work environment you choose. Look for opportunities that have a built-in support system for interns to access higher level executives. Not only will this increase the exposure you get within the organization, but you will learn from people who have been working in the business or the industry with an expert-level understanding.

5. The chance to experience a new city

If you have the option, leverage your internship experience as a chance to explore a new city! This will help pull you out of your comfort zone of being on campus or at home for the summer.

6. The opportunity to add new tools to your toolbox

Sharpening what you’re learning in your classes and actually applying it is key. However, try to pick up other skills that your professors aren’t necessarily teaching you. Identify programs or tools that are relevant in your industry and become an expert at them. Not only will you make yourself more marketable after the internship, you’ll set yourself apart as the “fast-learner” who is looking to add value fast!

7. A way to test what you’ve learned

Validate your interest in the industry you’ve chosen by test driving what you’ve learned. Ask yourself if this is something you could see yourself doing for the long-haul and take the opportunity to explore different paths within your chosen profession. Internships are a great opportunity to get exposure to a potential career path without having to choose it for the long-run. Take this time to get a better understanding of what you like most.

8. A chance to identify with a culture that reflects your values

Find an internship that offers an environment that aligns with what matters most to you in a workplace. If you’re looking for summer Fridays (i.e. leaving the office on Friday at 2 p.m.), or you’re looking to work 100 hours per week, understand what the company values and what’s expected for the business.

9. An opportunity to work on projects that matter

One key goal coming out of your internship should be the ability to say how you were able to make an impact. Having the opportunity to work on real-world projects is key, and a killer thing to tout in your next interview. Understand the types of projects that interns have worked on in the past and what you might expect to work on during your time in the program. You can also gauge what kind of opportunity you’ll have to work on other side projects. Go into the internship with the goal of making the greatest impact you can make. This will help you walk away as the superstar for the summer and leave will you with a potential job offer after the internship is over.

10. A way to earn an income

Although money shouldn’t be the only deciding factor when it comes to picking an internship, it’s definitely something to keep in mind, particularly if you need an income to support yourself during the school year or the summer.

Getting work experience before graduation is certainly important, but you want to make sure that the internship you choose will benefit you in more ways than one. By following these tips, you’ll find an internship that’s right for you.

The post Top 10 Things You Should Look For In An Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

The concept of working remotely has become popular in many industries including engineering, customer service and sales. This doesn’t just mean occasionally working from home, but actually living in a different city or even a different country from the company you’re working for. In a survey of college students and recent grads, working remotely was the top factor they considered when looking for internships and entry-level jobs. To do it effectively, it’s important to remember that working remotely is more than just opening up your laptop while you’re still in bed.

Here are a few tips on how to be effective at your remote job.

Set work hours

Depending on your job, it might also be helpful (or mandatory) to set your work hours around your company’s core business hours, so that you communicate easily with the rest of the team and be available as new situations crop up. Even if that’s not the case, consistent work hours help your body and mind get into work mode, allowing you to focus and be more productive. Working the same hours every day also makes it easier for co-workers to get in touch with you since they know when you’re available.   

Set up a workspace

Set up an area in your home just for working. This area should be separate from the bed or the couch. Working from your bed might be super comfortable, but you might just end up falling asleep halfway through the day. If you don’t have space, an alternative is to go to a local coffee shop or bookstore. Most of these places offer free Wi-Fi and a quiet place to sit and do your work.   

Take breaks

When you work in an office, you often take short breaks to get a refill of coffee, walk to meetings or even just walk over to a colleague to chat. However, while working remotely, it’s easy to get bogged down in work and forget to take those breaks. But taking a break can actually make you more productive. So make sure to stop working and stretch your legs a few times a day.

Communicate early and often

It’s already difficult enough to create a healthy flow of communication in the workplace, and it is way harder to do it when you are working remotely. Always be sure to let those you work with know what you’re working on, how it’s progressing and any issues that come up. The more information you provide to the rest of the team, the easier it will be for them to work with you and help out if you get stuck.

Build relationships

Successful careers are not just based on the work you do, but also on the relationships you build with your managers and co-workers. Make sure you take the time to build these relationships by having regular video calls with team members, being active on internal communication platforms like Slack and talking about your interests outside of work. Many companies also regularly have team meetings and parties, so even if you love working remotely, take advantage of these opportunities to meet the team in person.   

Network locally

In an office environment, a lot of ideas are exchanged with people within teams and across teams. Working remotely, you miss out on a lot of these ad-hoc conversations and meetings. Even though you can gain experience from the work you do, to really grow your skills, it’s important to learn from others. Finding meetups and work groups in your area is a great way to network and to learn and share ideas.

Working remotely is a trend that will continue to grow as the tools companies use for communication improve. If done right, a remote job can be a healthy balance of freedom, flexibility and productivity while still advancing your career. If you’re reading this and it sounds awesome but you don’t work remotely, head over to WayUp.com and filter your job search to look for remote and virtual jobs.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 40+ Ways to Find the Right Internship and find answers to common interview questions such as How do You Handle Pressure?.

The post How to Be Effective in a Remote or Virtual Job appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

As an arts major, you may be wondering how your passion for art factors into the real world. The good news is that because of the many and varied skills you develop during your major, there are a lot of career opportunities available to you after graduation. Not sure what you want to do? An internship is the best way to explore all of your options and gain some professional experience.

Here are just a few of the best internships for arts majors:

Art gallery intern

As an art gallery intern, your responsibilities vary from clerical, communications-related tasks to those that are more organizational. This internship will familiarize you with the setting and running of an art gallery — from maintaining the gallery space to communicating with national and local artists. You may assist with gallery exhibitions in every capacity from installing artwork to adjusting the lightwork and eventually dismantling, repackaging and shipping the exhibits to another gallery. You will also get to build your professional exposure to the art world with duties such as researching and compiling information about artists, looking into art sale techniques and engaging guests during shows.

Art therapy intern

Whether you have previous clinical experience or not, as an art therapy intern you’ll be shadowing certified art therapists in group sessions. You may assist in the logistics of the session and gain experience as a part of a team of professionals. By working as an art therapy intern, you’ll also be exposed to the use of creative and expressive arts in settings such as a hospital, community and youth care or rehabilitation facility. This is a great opportunity to use your skills to help others and to learn the real impact of art in a clinical setting.

Graphic design intern

A graphic design internship is great exposure to the field of graphic, and a step up the ladder towards a full-time job after graduation. You could get accepted for a graphic design internship at an ad agency, a corporate firm or an art studio. During your internship, you will be assisting a graphic designer in designing prototypes, logos, social media graphics, flyers or whatever the organization requires.

Photography intern

Whether you’re capturing a candid of the bride in an extravagant wedding or researching stock photos to accompany a magazine article, a photography internship involves a great deal of hands-on experience, collaboration and insight. You could be employed at an in-house studio, a magazine or a newspaper. There’s a lot you can learn on the job, from the extent of communication required with related departments such as costume & make-up to what it takes to organize and categorize photo submissions or assist in print production.

Marketing intern

Your creative insight and discipline as an artist will come in handy in a marketing internship. Whether you are interning for a marketing organization or a marketing division of a huge corporate company, a marketing internship gives you more than a general idea about the marketing industry. From writing copy to working on concept creation or even to a stint in a public relations department, you’ll be able to experience several facets of the marketing industry and apply your creative skill to each one.

From knowing the story behind every nook in an art gallery to researching a rare sculpture, or creating a great design, an internship is a wonderful and safe space for art majors to explore, learn and re-invent themselves.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is an Arts Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look for in an Internship.

The post Types of Internships for Arts Majors appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

One of the best things about being a design major is the ability to develop a broad range of technical and creative skills. And although design is considered primarily a creative field, these skills can have practical applications in multiple professions. The best way to find out which profession is right for you is by doing an internship. This will offer you some insights into different career paths while also giving you the type of hands-on experience that will make you a competitive candidate after graduation.

Here are some of the most common internships for design majors:

Graphic design intern

A graphic design internship will give you the chance to learn about graphic design, a field dedicated to communicating ideas visually. As a graphic design intern, you’ll assist with technical tasks such as creating hard and soft copy files, writing reports and mailing, printing and stuffing materials. You’ll also shadow a graphic designer, attend meetings, compile databases and assist the design team with creative work related to existing projects. During your internship, you’ll learn how to turn creative processes into practical ones and you’ll also develop the ability to think on your feet and get organized in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

UX design intern

The UX in UX design stands for user experience, and this is what a UX design internship focuses on. During your internship, you’ll learn what goes into ensuring that the user experience of a particular website is as smooth, easy, comfortable and all-around amazing as possible. As an intern, you’ll learn how to create responsive app or digital product designs and you’ll understand exactly how much knowledge and effort goes into every step of the UX design process.

Interior design intern

An interior design internship will acquaint you with the various skills and technicalities involved in an interior design career. From note-taking during client meetings, to organizing and coordinating materials, visiting vendors and answering emails, you’ll be involved in every aspect of the role. You’ll also assist with the actual design process, learning to tailor designs according to client interests, budgets and overall feasibility. It’s an experience that will help you decide if you have the inclination and skills required to make it as a full-time interior designer.

Fashion design intern

A fashion design internship offers you a behind-the-scenes look into the world of fashion. From cutting fabric to planning model fittings and managing the logistics of fashion events, this internship will give you an in-depth look at everything involved in designing and manufacturing clothes. Whether you’re working for a store brand or a large fashion house, this experience will help you build the skills you need to work in fashion.

Design internships can be both informative and fulfilling, making the most of your creativity, drive and ambition. By taking on one or more of these internships during your time in college, you’ll be able to learn the ins and outs of a design-related profession and to find a career path that’s just right for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Design Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Become a Confident Public Speaker.

The post Types of Internships for Design Majors appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

If you’re majoring in architecture and want to know what it’s like to work as an architect on a day-to-day basis, there’s no better way of finding out than by doing an architecture internship. In fact, this field has a lot of great internships to choose from, each of which will offer you significant insights into what it’s like to work in the field.

Some of the best internships for architecture majors include:

Architectural model making intern

From scaling drawings to assisting with prototypes, an architectural model-making intern assists in the making of architectural models. In addition to being creative and requiring attention to detail, this role will give a hands-on understanding of how modeling works and why it’s such a crucial part of architecture.

Property development intern

A property development intern gains experience in the field by researching development sites, visiting prospective ones and interviewing potential clients in order to assist in the writing of business plans. Because this role is so cross-functional, you’ll learn how to work with architects and contractors, while managing development projects.

Design intern

A design internship is one of the most diverse internships you can take on since, depending on the design firm you choose, this can be focused on including interior, landscape or stage and set design. While the responsibilities vary depending on the type of design internship, they may include assisting with client presentations, participating in design teams, or even developing and visualizing concepts.

3-D rendering and interior design intern

If you’re interested in broadening your knowledge of interior design, a 3D rendering & interior design internship gives you the experience you need to make it in this profession. During your internship, you’ll participate in client presentations, update resources and communicate with vendors, or even in create quality 3D-visualizations.

Transportation intern

As a transportation intern, you’ll learn more about what keeps your city or nation going. By becoming a transportation intern, you’ll be taking on projects that teach you how to apply new technical tools, analyze data and make presentations. Best of all, you’ll be getting some deep insights into how transportations systems work and applying skills from your major to help make those systems even more effective.

Architectural design intern

An architectural design internship familiarizes you with the a-day-in-the-life of an architectural firm. You’ll get an around-the-clock view of the office, with your duties ranging from assisting higher-ups in aspects of architectural design to making client presentations and working with a construction team. You may also assist with general logistics and research out-of-state rules pertaining to design and construction.

Urban planning intern

An interest in the optimal use of land and community welfare translates well into an urban planning internship. As an urban planning intern, you may work for a public department or private firm, where your responsibilities will range from assisting in field investigations/ surveys to reviewing site plans.

By taking on an internship related to your architecture major, you’ll be able to figure out what career path you want to focus on after graduation. And with so many great options, from design to urban planning, you’ll be sure to find something that works for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Career Opportunities for Architecture Majors and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is a Chronological Resume?

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When it comes to starting your career, few things are as important as getting internship experience under your belt. This is because internships help you develop your skill set while also showing you the ins and outs of what it’s like to work in particular field.

Here are five things to keep in mind when applying for an internship.

1. Update your resume

One of the keys to landing a great internship is having a great resume, so before you start applying for roles, it’s important to make sure that your resume is up to date and includes your relevant skills and experience. Having a strong resume is not only likely to get your noticed by employers, it will also help you realize what you can bring to the internship and what you still need to learn.

Pro Tip: Filling out your WayUp profile is another great way to get employers to notice you and to make the job search a lot easier. Best of all, unlike a regular resume, you can include extracurriculars, hobbies and fun facts, which will show employers that you’re a well-rounded candidate with a lot to offer.

2. Identify the type of internship you want

Once you have your resume and WayUp profile filled out, it’s time to decide what type of internship you want. The key to doing this is to have a good idea of what field you want to explore while staying flexible when it comes to the actual position. For example, if you know that you’re interested in marketing, you can consider internships in digital marketing, event marketing or social media. These will all give you great exposure to the field of marketing while helping you develop transferrable skills that you can use in almost any industry.

Pro Tip: In addition to figuring out what type of internship you want, you should also try to identify what type of company you want to work for. This will help to ensure that you’re happy with your decision and working in an environment that’s right for you.

3. Know the application deadlines

When it comes to landing an internship, timing can be just as important as having a great resume and knowing what to look for. If you’re applying for an internship in a structured field like finance or consulting, this means knowing the relevant timelines and following them. In most of these fields, summer internship opportunities are open for applications during the fall semester and candidates are usually offered places before winter break.

Pro Tip: If you’re applying for internships in a less structured field (like marketing, engineering or business operations) you’re likely to have more flexibility with applications since these internships tend to come up on a rolling basis. However, it’s important to still apply as early as possible to give yourself the best chance of success.

4. Apply for several internships

The best way to ensure that you find an internship that’s right for you is by keeping your options open and applying to a broad range of internships. Although this may seem somewhat overwhelming at first, it’s actually quite easy to do once you have your resume ready and know what types of roles to look for.

Pro Tip: The best way to keep track of your applications is by creating a spreadsheet with a list of the positions you’re applying for and including details such as the job title, company name, job post URL and the date you applied. This will make it easy to follow up with hiring managers and will keep you organized as you move forward with your job search.

5. Prepare for the interview

Once you’ve sent out your applications, it’s time to prepare for the interview. The best way to do this is by researching commonly asked interview questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “What are you passionate about?” and coming up with an answer that gives the interviewer a clear insight into who you are and what you can bring to the table.

Pro Tip: Practicing your answers out loud (either in front of a mirror or with a friend) is a great way to ensure that you’re coming across as confident and professional. Aim to practice each answer at least a few times, though more is often better.

By following these steps, you’ll be sure to set yourself up for success and get one step closer to landing an awesome internship.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How Much Should I be Paid at an Entry-Level Job? and find answers to common interview questions such as What Are You Passionate About?

The post Top 5 Things to Do When Applying for an Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

From learning new skills to getting a hands-on feel for a particular job, internships have a lot to offer college students. If you’re considering an internship, you might be wondering what you can do to set yourself up for success. And, more importantly, is there anything you should avoid doing during your internship? The answer is yes, especially when it making common mistakes.

Here are the top three internship mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Not managing time well

One of the most common mistakes interns make is managing their time badly. Just as it’s sometimes difficult to juggle assignments for multiple classes, it can also be challenging to juggle the tasks associated with your internship, particularly if it’s a cross-functional role where you’re reporting to several different people.

How to avoid it: The best way to prevent this mistake and manage your time effectively is by getting a handle on your tasks right from the start. Talk to your manager about what will be expected of you in the role and create a list of goals and priorities that everyone can agree on. Once you’ve created that list, focus on your most important tasks first and try to take care of your easier, less important tasks at the end of the day. Project management tools like Asana or Trello can also come in quite handy, letting you track your tasks and progress throughout the week.

2. Complaining about trivial tasks

Another common mistakes many interns make is to underestimate the importance of trivial tasks. These can include research, data entry or filing and although they might not seem that important, they are actually a crucial part of running a business.

How to avoid it:  The first step in avoiding this mistake is realizing that everyone at the company (including your manager) has to do their fair share of grunt work. Once you have that understanding, it’s important to demonstrate your commitment to the job by showing that you’re a professional and a team player. Take pride in the tasks you perform — whether they involve filing or drafting emails — and be confident about the fact that you’re adding value to company.

3. Not asking for feedback

One of the keys to being successful in any role is asking for feedback on your performance and identifying ways that you can improve. Unfortunately, a lot of interns overlook this step, expecting managers to deliver feedback only if something critical comes up.

How to avoid it: Instead of waiting for your manager to bring up the subject of feedback, take the first step and ask them to weigh in some of the tasks you’re working on. For example, if you’re a marketing intern and you’ve been tasked with doing market research, you can show them the results of your initial research and say something like, “Am I taking the right approach with this?” This is a great way to show your manager that you value their feedback and that you’re committed to doing a great job.

Although on-the-job mistakes are often hard to avoid, you can definitely spare yourself from some of the most common ones by knowing what to expect and coming prepared.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Become a Software Developer and find answers to common interview questions such as What Motivates You?

The post 3 Common Internship Mistakes and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Choosing between a paid and unpaid internship may seem like a no-brainer, but there are several factors you should consider when making the decision. From your financial circumstances to the type of experience you’re looking to gain, finding the right internship should take into account both your current situation and your future goals.

Before we dive into the full list of things that may affect your decision, let’s cover the basics. What’s the difference between a paid internship and an unpaid one? The answer seems pretty simple: money. But it’s actually a bit more complicated than that. Unpaid internships need to meet stricter standards than paid ones and are more likely to be eligible for college credit. They are a great way to gain valuable hands-on experience that can be hard to come by in school. Unpaid internships can also help you land a job and grow your professional network. To find out more about credit requirements for your school and see how an internship meets your financial and professional goals, set up a meeting with your advisor.

And if you’re ready to take a more in-depth look at other factors, we’ve come up with a list of questions to help you narrow down your options.

1. What do you need to get out of the internship?

If you really need a summer job that pays, your focus should be on either a paid internship or a non-internship opportunity. But if you have the resources to support yourself (or are able to get another job in addition to your internship) an unpaid internship may offer some perks that a paid one doesn’t. For example, many small companies don’t have the budgets to pay interns, but sometimes they can offer a lot more hands-on experience than larger companies.

The key is to find out what opportunities the company is able to provide and to make the most of them. Maybe you can set up weekly meetings with the leadership team or one-on-one mentoring with a senior manager. Companies want interns who are motivated and enthusiastic, and they’re usually excited to work with you to provide the kind of experience you want.

2. Which type of internship will be most helpful to your career path?

If you’re nearing the end of your time in college, chances are you’ve already had an internship (or two) and you’re probably ready to take the next step towards your post-college career. In a recent survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers noted that 65.4% of seniors who have paid internships on their resumes are more likely to get a job offer prior to graduation. If you want a paid internship but haven’t found any options, we’ve got several paid internships that might be right for you.

On the other hand, if you’re a freshman or sophomore and are looking to gain experience in a specific field, you may consider unpaid internships that give you the chance to develop certain skills and build your resume. The good news: You’re more likely to land a paid internship with an unpaid internship under your belt.

3. Is there a possible future with the company?

One of the best things about internships (both paid and unpaid) is that they can lead to a full-time job with a company. In fact, the promise of landing a full-time job is one of the main reasons why students consider unpaid internships in the first place. The best way to find out if the company you’re considering interning with has a history of hiring interns is to ask directly. And if a company does frequently hire interns, they’ll usually tell you that during your interview.

Choosing an internship is one of the most important decisions you can make during your time in college, and having as much information as possible will help you pick the right one. The key is to know what you want and work with potential employers to find the best fit. And if you want more advice, don’t be afraid to reach out to former interns or employees who are alums of your school. They’ll have the inside scoop on the companies you’re considering and be able to tell you what they got out of the experience.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Dress for a Job Interview at a Bank and find answers to common interview questions such as What Gets You Up in the Morning?

The post Paid vs. Unpaid Internships: How to Decide appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

One of the most important ways to explore your career options and get hands-on job training while still in school is to engage in a summer internship. The key to landing the right internship is not only knowing what you’re interested in doing but also when you should apply. Since different industries have different timelines with structured career paths like finance, consulting and technology requiring internship applications to be submitted almost a year in advance, it’s important to know the timelines for different fields and what you should be doing each semester to ensure that you land the summer internship of your dreams.

Here is when you should begin applying for a summer internship.

What to do during the fall semester

As a general rule, if you’re looking for a summer internship you should start thinking about the process first semester of that year. It’s never too early to start the process, and the more time you give yourself, the less stressful the process will be. To begin, it’s important to reflect on the types of jobs you’re interested in. A great place to start this is to meet with people who are in the fields you’re interested in and ask them questions about what it’s really like to work in those fields.

Once you have a general sense of what jobs you’d like to focus on, research interesting companies online (via WayUp, social media, and the company’s own website) and attend networking events (i.e. corporate presentations, career fairs, networking nights) these companies are hosting. You should check-in with your career center for a calendar of all upcoming employer events. Many of these happen starting in September and October, so be sure to go to campus ready to start networking. You should also reach out to alumni or interesting employees at these companies – most are more than happy to answer any questions you have, and even set up informal coffee chats or informational interviews to help you prepare for the working world.

Most applications (ie when you actually submit your resume online) open anywhere from November-January. The company’s website and/or your career center portal will likely have those dates published months in advance, so you can schedule reminders and plan your time accordingly. This varies according to industry and company size. Large, well-established companies (Goldman Sachs, Google, PwC) will have very structured recruitment processes that will likely move very quickly (networking, applications and interviews will be wrapped up by January).

For less structured programs, or for small companies and startups, internship opportunities are likely to come up throughout the spring semester and even during the first few weeks of summer break.

What to do during the spring semester

Smaller, newer companies (startups, family-owned businesses) will likely have more lenient timelines and move a bit slower. Many of these companies do not have the resources to come to campuses for fairs or advertise their openings on the university portal, so you’ll need to do some extra legwork (research the company and their openings, reach out to a current employee to introduce yourself, etc) before applying. We recommend starting this during the first part of spring semester and planning for interviews running from March-May.

If you haven’t found anything by the middle of the spring semester, don’t worry. Instead, head to WayUp to look for internship opportunities in your chosen field. You can also book an appointment with your faculty advisor and/or campus career advisor to ask about existing college and university partnerships. There may be a small, local internship nobody has applied for yet.
To avoid stressing too much about early internship deadlines, think ahead. The most competitive internship programs may require you to prep a year in advance to give you ample time to comfortably complete your application. But even if spring semester is coming to a close, chances are that you’ll be able to find an internship that will meet your needs. And when you’re ready to apply, we’ve got lots of paid and unpaid internship opportunities that are just right for you.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Should I Intern As a College Freshman? and find answers to common interview questions such as Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?

The post When to Start Applying for a Summer Internship appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

If you’re interested in interning as a college freshman, it’s important to consider how this will affect the rest of your schedule. Whether you’re looking to give your resume a boost, or you’re hoping to make some money, there are lots of good reasons to take on an internship.

Your first year in college, particularly the first semester, is a period of discovery and a time for new experiences. From taking classes, making friends, participating in extracurricular activities, and adjusting to dorm life, there is already a lot on your plate. For some, interning makes more sense during the second semester, or the summer before sophomore year. For others, internships are altogether put off until the following year. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to a freshman year internship, it really comes down to your course load and personal preference.

Here are the pros and cons you should consider when deciding whether to intern as a freshman.

Pros of interning as a college freshman

• Interning gives you a chance to experience a work environment without having to fully commit to it just yet.
• An internship can lead to college credit, which means you may be able to graduate early and complete your requirements ahead of schedule.
• The work experience can help you zero in on your preferences and give you a clearer picture of what you are looking for out of a career.
• Interning and networking go hand in hand. You will meet a lot of people during your internship who can mentor you and help you land your dream job down the road.
• An internship will introduce you to an office culture and gives you a glimpse into the dos and don’ts of that world.
• Last but not least, an internship gives you a chance to potentially make money.

Cons of interning as a college freshman

• An unpaid internship won’t be beneficial to students who are looking interested in interning for financial reasons.
• If you are interning during the fall or spring semester, you will have to manage your course load at the same time. This can prove too stressful at times and your grades may suffer.
• An attempt to get ahead of the game can actually backfire if your internship causes you to drop out of extracurricular activities and have less time to study.

If you are considering a paid or unpaid internship but you aren’t sure if it’s the right fit for you, you should reach out to your academic advisor and career counselor. Together, you two can walk through the advantages and disadvantages of a freshman year internship and determine if it’s a good fit for you.

If it does seem too overwhelming, it’s okay to put it off until you’re ready to do it, like during your sophomore or junior year. No matter when you choose to intern, there is so much to learn throughout your experience. By weighing the pros and cons, you’ll be able to make a decision that’s best for you.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Get the Job You Really Want and find answers to common interview questions such as What Are Your Salary Expectations?.

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Internships are one of the most valuable ways for college students to gain professional experience and exposure to new industries. In fact, an internship can give you a significant leg up in a number of ways, including building your professional network and helping you develop new skills. If you’re entering your sophomore year, you may be wondering about the pros and cons of doing an internship while still an underclassman. For example, will you have time to balance a packed class schedule with a part-time job?

Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to intern as a college sophomore.

Identify what you want to learn.

Getting an internship solely as a resume booster isn’t bad, but it isn’t ideal. Internships are a fantastic way to get career clarity and exposure to industry networks, so having a goal in mind will help guide your search to a meaningful internship.

Maybe you have a burgeoning interest in PR, but you’re not sure if that’s what you want to do after college. Or perhaps you’re trying to decide if an office job is for you or if you want to dive into other creative pursuits. When you’re clear on what it is that you want to learn — about a company, industry, or about yourself — then it’s time to dive into the internship search.

Be honest about your other commitments.

In order to decide if interning as a sophomore is right for you, it’s essential to think about your time commitments and to be realistic about how much time you can devote to an internship. When doing this, be sure to take into account your coursework and extracurriculars as well as the additional time needed to study, exercise or hang out with friends. Once you have an idea of your availability, you’ll be able to make an informed decision without running the risk of overextending yourself.

Assess your financial situation.

One of the most important factors when determining whether to take on an internship is to assess your financial situation. For example, if you currently need extra income to support yourself during the semester (or the summer) then you should be focusing only on paid internships or part-time jobs. On the other hand, if you have financial support from other sources, then you might consider taking an unpaid internship if it will offer you great exposure or invaluable work experience.

Regardless of whether you decide to do an internship during your sophomore year, it’s important to remember that internships are meant to be opportunities for learning. Think about your circumstances, how you want to grow and what skills you want to build, and make a decision that seems right for you.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How Do I Get a Job in Another City or State? and find answers to common interview questions such as Tell Me About an Accomplishment That You’re Most Proud Of.

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Considering an internship during your senior year can seem overwhelming, particularly when graduation and the post-college job hunt lie ahead. Still, interning during your senior year can give you the chance to add some new skills to your resume and build up your professional network. When deciding whether or not to take on an internship during your final year, it’s important to weigh out factors like your class schedule, your previous internship experience and the field you’re hoping to enter.

Once you’ve done that, here are a few other factors to consider when deciding whether to intern as a senior.

Internships help build your professional network.

Internships are a great way to expand your professional network by introducing you to key players in the industry you’re hoping to enter. This is especially helpful if you’re getting close to graduation and would like to have more contacts in your field.

Employers want to know that you’re spending your time wisely.

By the time they graduate, each senior should have something solid on their resume. While several college students will opt to do summer internships, an internship during your senior year will show employers that you take initiative and have a desire for continuous learning.

You continue to hone time management and professional skills.

Senior year goes by fast, but when you’re balancing an internship on top of your classes and extracurriculars, you quickly learn time management skills. These skills will come in handy after graduation regardless of what field you got into because they’ll help you prioritize tasks and make the most of all the hours in the day.

You’ll be top of mind for the employer.

Employers love to hire people they know and trust. If you’ve performed well at an internship and maintain strong relationships, it’s likely your employer will be willing to vouch for you. Even if they can’t hire you at their company, they can share your resume with people in their own network.

You’ll be able to earn extra money.

If you land a paid internship, you’ll be able to not only purchase things for yourself, but also save extra money for your first apartment or an emergency fund. And best of all, paid internships are much more likely to get you hired when you graduate.  

Balance is a tricky thing in college, especially during senior year. However, if you find you have the time to take on an internship, doing so might be one of the most useful things you can do to help you land a job after graduation. In addition to providing you with much-needed experience, taking on an internship as a senior will help build your professional network and set you on the path to success.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is a Chronological Resume? and find answers to common interview questions such as Tell Me About an Accomplishment That You’re Most Proud Of.

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If you’re on your way to earning your associate’s degree, you may be wondering whether you should be pursuing internships that will help you land an entry-level job upon graduation. Generally speaking, paid and unpaid internships are a great way to bolster your resume and coupled with an associate’s degree, internships can show employers that you’re a hard worker and someone who they would potentially want on their team. However, there are other things to take into account when deciding whether to intern while in an associate’s program such as your other time commitments and financial circumstances.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you make your decision.

Do you have time to take on additional commitments?

The main thing to consider when you’re thinking about seeking internships while earning your associate’s degree is whether you’ll be able to balance your current academic workload and other obligations with the time requirements of an internship. To get a sense of whether an internship will fit into your schedule, it’s important to understand the time commitments a typical internship requires. Most spring and fall internships last the length of an average semester and expect interns to work 10-20 hours per week. Summer internships may last longer and/or require more hours — typically, summer internships ask applicants for a 20-40-hour commitment each week. In order to decide whether this is something you’d be able to to do, make a list of all of your time commitments during the semester, including classes, study time, extracurriculars and other jobs. Once you have a clear picture of how much time is taken up by your academic and day-to-day commitments, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about taking on additional work.

Do you need an income to sustain yourself while getting your degree?

Paid and unpaid internships may factor into your decision to pursue an internship while working toward your associate’s degree. For example, while you may not be able to take an internship without compensation, perhaps you can find one that will offset your financial needs and allow you to focus on gaining professional experience rather than just earning money as you work toward graduation with your degree.

Can you earn college credit through your internship?

As in many four-year programs, plenty of colleges and universities offering associate’s degrees allow students to earn credits toward graduation by doing an internship. And since you can often replace classwork with internship hours, your internship doesn’t have to distract from your schoolwork. If your associate’s degree program allows you to substitute an internship for regular coursework, you can take advantage of the opportunity to double down on earning credits while exploring all the benefits internships can offer.

Since job candidates with associate’s degrees are often competing for entry-level jobs with graduates of four-year programs — many of whom will have also done internships — it’s a hugely useful step up to have completed an internship along with your program. These internships will bolster your studies with experience and a widened skill set, and will help you exercise the professional abilities you’ll need for entry-level jobs. In addition, internships will also increase your professional network, meaning that you’ll come into contact with people in your field who may be able to recommend, or even hire, you for entry-level jobs after you graduate with an associate’s degree.

By weighing out the different factors involved and getting a clear sense of your own situation, you’ll be able to decide whether interning while in associate’s program is right for you.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What to Do After You Get a Job Offer and find answers to common interview questions such as What Motivates You?

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While accounting might seem like a straightforward major, there are many different types of accounting you can focus on. Below are four of the most common types of accounting internships, what each one entails and specific skills you might need for that particular internship.

Corporate accounting intern

Corporate interns work within a larger organization to assist on a variety of financial tasks. In your role, you could be performing profit analysis, working on costing and pricing, preparing budget and forecasting documents, creating cash applications and collections, and preparing tax information, certificates and filings.

Tax accounting intern

Like other accounting interns who deal with taxes, tax interns spend a lot of time on a client’s tax preparation and filings. One thing that sets tax interns apart from other accounting-based interns is that they work very independently. Because they spend a lot of time working alone, tax interns must be self-motivated and detail-oriented so that they feel confident when presenting their work to supervisors.

Audit accounting intern

Audit interns work with a team to help with the planning, implementation and reporting of audits. Because these interns work with others within the auditing team and within an organization at large, it’s especially important to have strong interpersonal and connection skills.

Financial accounting intern

Financial accounting interns may be assigned to do a variety of tasks depending on the size and scope of the company they work for. Responsibilities could be helping with creating and fact-checking an organization’s financial statements, working on tax documentation or auditing a company’s various departments and their budgets.

Whether you’re looking for a paid or unpaid internship, getting exposure to as many areas of the accounting field as possible is a great way to set yourself up for success after graduation.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Journalism and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Should I Intern as a Senior?

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Being an education major gives you the skills you need to teach both children and adults. It’s a great career for those who are interested in the educational development of others and who are driven by helping their students succeed. If you’re currently working towards completing your major in education, taking on an internship will give you some wonderful insights into the career paths available to you after graduation.

Here are some of the most common internships for education majors:

Department of Education internship

Government internships offer a lot of great benefits, especially if you’re interested in educational policy and administration. For instance, Department of Education internships include an internship on educational policy with the potential to take on projects related to policy analysis, research and community outreach. This is a great internship for someone interested in policy administration who wants to make an impact at a national level.

Educational nonprofit internship

An internship at a nonprofit is a great opportunity for learning and growth, allowing you to take on roles within and outside your area of expertise. From grant writing to planning presentations and assisting with fundraising events, you stand to gain a ton of experience while also building your skill set. Education-related nonprofits, from youth homes to online education platforms, allow you to apply what you’ve learned in school while giving you the satisfaction of working towards a great cause. This is a wonderful internship for someone who is considering going into the nonprofit sector.

Elementary school or high school internship

Internships in the administrative department of an elementary school or high school will give you exposure to what a career in administration looks like. Your responsibilities may range from basic clerical tasks such as gathering and compiling data to coordinating deadlines for projects and recommending solutions for identified problems. In addition, you may also get the opportunity to attend professional meetings and sit in on classes in your chosen subject area.

Ed-tech internship

If you’re passionate about revolutionizing education with technology and media, an internship at an ed-tech company could be just right for you. These internship openings can be found at ed-tech companies focusing on everything from online learning courses to learning-based apps. Your responsibilities may include content production or marketing depending on the specific type of internship you apply for. You may also contribute to brainstorming sessions and monitor and analyze user engagement to optimize the learning process. An internship in the ed-tech field is great for anyone interested in a career not solely focused on teaching or administration.

College campus internship

Colleges offer on-campus internships in areas such as admissions, alumni relations, student life or even career development. Depending on which office you end up interning with, your responsibilities may vary from more administrative tasks to more research-based ones. Some types of internships you may find on campuses include being a marketing intern, a graduate programs intern or a summer research intern. Whether you’d like to pursue teaching, administration or research, internships across college campuses present a lot of opportunity for learning about higher education.

By taking on one or more internships during your time in college, you’ll gain valuable exposure within the field of education and beyond. This is a wonderful way to build your skills and increase your professional experience, while also helping you to carve out a career path that’s right for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is an Education Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Write a Resume That Stands Out.

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A philosophy major is a great opportunity to learn about some of the complex issues we face as individuals and as a society. It’s also a wonderful chance to develop a strong set of core skills including communication skills and the ability to think critically. And because this combination of big-picture ideas and skills translates well into multiple careers, philosophy majors can be found in a variety of different industries including education, research and law. How do you decide which field is right for you? An internship is a great way to explore your options while gaining some professional experience.

Some of the most common internships for philosophy majors are:

Education intern

If you’re thinking of a career in teaching, an educational internship can be a wonderful way to get exposure to life in the classroom. Whether you’re interning at an elementary school or a high school, you’ll learn how to prepare and present information to students, grade papers and structure a lesson plan.

Research intern

Since philosophy majors are trained to think critically and explore new ideas, a research internship can be the perfect way to develop these skills and to discover new areas of interest both within the field of philosophy and beyond it. You can intern at a research organization or apply for a research assistant position at a university department.

Legal intern

Another common career path for philosophy majors is law and being a legal intern will help you learn more about the field while also sharpening your reasoning skills and objectivity. From directly assisting an attorney with their work to researching cases, drafting memos and writing legislation, this type of internship will give you an insight into the perks and responsibilities of working in the legal field.

Policy intern

A policy internship involves conducting legislative research, developing fact sheets, tracking federal legislation, attending congressional briefings and representing your organization in conferences. If you decide to become a policy intern, you’ll keep up with reforms, write and edit reports and support staff with research and analyses of specific issues. Depending on the organization your work for, you could be working towards educational reform, environmental safety or a humanitarian cause. The work you’ll do will strengthen your understanding of the impact and procedures behind policy reform and change.

Junior analyst

Want to branch out into consulting or finance? Working as a junior analyst is a great way to see if these fields are a good fit for you. As a junior business analyst or financial analyst, you’ll identify client needs, assess and evaluate possible solutions and prepare reports on how they can be implemented. You’ll also stay up to date with the latest business and economic trends, which will help you make informed decisions and build up your knowledge base.

Nonprofit intern

For those philosophy majors who are interested in entering the nonprofit sector, interning with a nonprofit could be a great way to get started. In this type of internship, you’ll become familiar with a smaller, sometimes more cohesive environment, take on administrative as well as more specific responsibilities and learn more about causes that are close to your heart. You’ll also be able to use your writing and presentation skills to write reports and grant applications and as well as to come up with presentations for conferences and events.

From learning how to present information to a class of students to understanding how to assess and solve operational problems related to a specific type of business, an internship is a wonderful way philosophy majors to explore their options and figure out the career path that fits them best.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Philosophy Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What Motivates You?

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Pursuing a health and medicine major is a great way to develop your knowledge of the healthcare industry and learn the skills you’ll need to succeed in the field. The best way to put those skills and knowledge to use is by taking on an internship in a healthcare-related field and figure out what career path really fits your interests. From a healthcare-focused education internship to an internship at a public policy organization, there are a lot of options you can explore to determine what works best for you.

Some of the most common internships for health and medicine majors include:

Clinical lab intern

As a clinical lab intern, you’ll work at a lab where you’ll be involved in a number of administrative and research-related tasks. It’s a great opportunity to keep up with the latest research trends and methodologies while learning how to test, analyze and discuss your results with the world at large.

Pre-med summer intern

Another great option is to apply for pre-med summer internship programs in hospitals and universities. This can be especially helpful if you’re a pre-med student who is interested in going to medical school since it’s the perfect opportunity to get a handle on the medical environment and the responsibilities that come along with it. This type of internship involves hands-on experience with the functioning of different departments as well as the potential to shadow a doctor in their everyday duties.

Policy intern

If your passion for healthcare extends to facilitating change through healthcare and mental health policies, a policy or advocacy internship with a prominent healthcare organization could be a great choice. From keeping up with legislative changes to attending conferences and drafting and researching topics related to specific healthcare policies, you’ll get hands-on experience into the procedures required to facilitate policy reform.

Education intern

If you’re looking to put your healthcare major to use in an educational setting, interning at a school, a university or an ed-tech company can give you the exposure you need. In this role, you could be coordinating training programs in a school or writing content for adaptive learning apps. This type of internship will give you hands-on experience with the learning methods and technologies you’ll need to make learning interesting and engaging to students.

Nonprofit intern

If you’re interested in working in the nonprofit sector, you might consider interning at a nonprofit healthcare organization, a role that can offer you a great all-around experience while also giving you a sense of what it takes to fund and sustain such an organization. Whether you’re assisting with grant writing, organizing training sessions or coordinating outreach programs, you’ll get a broad range of experience in the healthcare field and beyond.

Healthcare administration intern

As an administrative intern in a healthcare setting, you’ll gain familiarity with the operations of a hospital or a healthcare organization. You might be assigned to a specific department or gain experience across multiple departments in areas such as data gathering and report writing.

Whether you’re on your way to medical school or looking to branch out into a healthcare-related occupation that does not directly focus medical care, an internship will give you the hands-on experience you need to develop your skills and find out what type of career is right for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Types of Skills Are Best for a Health and Medicine Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as the Top 10 Skills Employers Want in an Intern.

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Majoring in literature is a great opportunity to broaden your perspectives about literature, culture and academia. But if you’re a literature major, you may be wondering how you can apply that knowledge in the real world, especially when it comes to finding a job that’s right for you. This is where an internship can help. Giving you hands-on experience of a particular type of role, internships help you fine-tune your marketable skills and prepare you for applying those skills and knowledge in the real world.

Some of the most common internships for literature majors are:

Publishing intern

Whether you’re working for an independent publisher or a big publishing house, a publishing internship helps you get a sense of everything involved in putting out a book or putting together a peer-reviewed journal. From researching author biographies to fact-checking information, writing press releases, arranging book signings and assisting with the operations of your particular department, you’ll get great exposure to what the publishing field is all about.

Literary agency intern

As a literary agency intern, you’ll assist the staff of a literary agency as they negotiate contracts and prepare manuscripts for publication. You’ll also assist with updating the website and social media accounts, reading and evaluating manuscripts and handling email correspondence with authors. Depending on the type of literary agency you work for, you may also be asked to prepare contracts and participate in meetings and workshops. This type of internship is great exposure to another side of the publishing industry.

Literary magazine intern

Interning for a literary magazine is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about poetry and short fiction while still gaining some insights into the world of publishing. As an intern, you’ll assist the editorial staff with tracking submissions, evaluating manuscripts and transcribing interviews. You may also coordinate schedules, manage social media accounts, write press releases and sit in on editorial meetings. It’s fast-paced environment but also one that lets you wear many hats.

Journalism intern

If you’re a literature major looking to branch out into journalism, an internship with a digital media company, radio or television network is the way to go. Along with researching and fact-checking articles, your responsibilities may include attending media events and updating social media accounts. Depending on the type of publication you work for, you might even get an opportunity to conduct interviews or write articles. A journalism internship will give you the hands-on experience you need to get your foot in the door for a career in journalism.

Public relations intern

If you have a strong interest in media and public relations, a public relations internship could be another great option. Based either at a PR agency or on an in-house team, this type of internship will give you a firsthand feel for what it takes to create and maintain a public presence for a brand. You’ll also learn how to write press releases, communicate with clients and pitch article ideas to media outlets.

Nonprofit intern

For literature majors who are considering going into the nonprofit sector, an internship at a nonprofit could be a good fit. From assisting with grant writing to managing social media accounts, you’ll get to put your communication skills to use while also learning more about how nonprofits operate.

From knowing how to research a news story to coordinating the different processes involved in publishing a literary magazine, an internship is a wonderful way for literature majors to explore their options, learn new skills and reinvent themselves.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Types of Skills Are Best for a Literature Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 6 Things to Do in Your First Week at a New Job.

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How does being great with numbers and complex equations translate into in the real world? If you’re a math major, you’re probably asking yourself that question right now. The great news is that there are plenty of career opportunities for math majors in a broad range of fields including data science and accounting. The key to finding out which career path is best for you is to take on one or more internships while completing your degree.

Here are some of the most common internships for math majors:

Data science intern

A data science internship will give you first-hand experience with making data useful. You’ll learn how to clean large amounts of data and run relevant analyses by blending together applied mathematics with computer science, statistics, machine learning and other disciplines relevant to the problem at hand. You’ll also learn how to interpret these results in order to gain insights into a specific issue, identify emerging trends or even create a data-driven product.

Risk modeling intern

An internship as a credit risk modeler at a bank or financial firm can give you the opportunity to apply your math skills to the fields of banking and finance. As a credit risk modeler, you’ll assist in developing and measuring the validity of credit risk models which help the bank manage risk and measure different components of its performance. You’ll also receive training in the framework of existing credit risk models.

Quantitative research analyst intern

An internship as a quantitative research analyst will familiarize you with statistical methods and techniques used in making sense of data. From analyzing large, complex data sets to developing and testing statistical models, you’ll use your skills to interpret data and turn it into reports that can be used when making key business decisions. Because of the broad scope of this role, this internship can be found in any number of industries from healthcare to hospitality.

Financial analyst intern

A financial analyst internship is a great opportunity to learn about the process of collecting and analyzing financial information and making recommendations based on that information. This includes everything from internal and external data collection and analysis to data budgeting and forecasting. By interning as a financial analyst, you’ll be getting exposure to a broad range of duties and a hands-on feel for the world of finance.

Accounting intern

If you’re looking to branch out into accounting, an accounting internship will give you exposure to a wide range of responsibilities in the field. During your internship, you’ll be assisting with everything from preparing month end financial reports and bank statement reconciliations to crediting checks and contributing to the team’s yearly forecasting efforts.

Investment banking intern

An investment banking summer analyst position will give you a great sense of what it’s like to be a full-time analyst. Throughout your internship, you’ll be getting exposure to various aspects of investment banking including client pitches and deals such as mergers and acquisitions. Although you’ll mostly be working on behind-the-scenes projects such as analyzing financial statements and putting together presentations, you’ll also be building valuable skills that you can use in a full-time analyst role.

Business intelligence intern

As a business intelligence intern, you’ll assist the business intelligence team with their current projects such as analyzing competitor data and market trends for a specific industry. You’ll also obtain an overview of key operations within the company, support data management efforts and assist clients both within and outside the organization. Along the way, you’ll learn how to improve the organization’s decision-making outcomes and performance.

Internships relevant to math majors will tap into your problem-solving skills in more ways than one and offer you exciting opportunities for learning and skill building. By taking on an internship during your undergraduate career, you’ll learn more about the career opportunities available to you after graduation and figure out what role is right for you.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Math Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look for In An Internship.

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A natural sciences major is a great opportunity to learn about the sciences while also developing your skills. If you’re a natural sciences major, you may be wondering about the best way to develop these skills while also discovering career paths related to your major. Since the field itself is fairly broad, an internship is one of the best ways to explore potential roles while gaining hands-on experience.

Here are some of the most common internships for natural sciences majors.

Education intern

An education internship prepares you for a career as a teacher or educational consultant in the natural sciences. You might work as an administrative intern at a school, supporting the staff by organizing events, updating databases and sending out emails. You might also work as a teaching assistant where you’ll be preparing teaching materials and presentations while helping teachers in a classroom setting. Educational internship opportunities can be also be found at ed-tech companies. In this type internship, you’ll likely be producing content or helping to design an educational curriculum.

Research intern

Research internships are a great way to get increased exposure to the natural sciences field, especially if you’re a pre-med student or if you’re considering pursuing an advanced degree. You can work as a research assistant at a university lab, join a specialized summer research program, apply to be a student trainee for the U.S. federal government (such as the Pathways Program) or work for a private research firm. This type of internship will give you the opportunity to assist with important research while also learning about the technicalities and ethics involved.

Pre-med intern

Another common type of internship is a pre-med internship. Hospitals and universities frequently have summer programs for students working toward pre-med requirements, giving them an overview of a medical environment and its various responsibilities. From observing different departments to shadowing doctors as they attend to patients, this type of internship will orient you to a healthcare setting while also giving you valuable hands-on experience.

Data science intern

Natural sciences majors can also branch out into data science, a field that involves making meaningful connections between data sets. As a data science intern, you’ll gain valuable experience with large data systems while also learning how data informs business decisions. Whether you intern with a start-up or a large corporation, this type of internship offers great exposure to how science can affect all types of businesses and company operations.

Environmental science intern

Environmental science internships give natural sciences majors an understanding of careers within the field of environmental science. From developing an educational curriculum to helping with the creation of initiatives focused on environmental protection, this type of internship will help you learn more about the field while also showing you how you can really make an impact.

Science journalism intern

A science journalism or writing internship at a scientific publication trains you to report recent scientific developments and generate ideas for other science-based articles. During this type of internship, you’ll be mentored by a staff of writers and editors, and in most cases considered an active member of the team. It’s a great opportunity to learn about science writing and to stay ahead of the latest science news.

From working in a lab to exploring the environmental sciences, a natural sciences internship is a wonderful opportunity to find out what you’re passionate about and to develop the skills you need to succeed in your chosen field.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Natural Sciences Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as When to Start Applying for a Summer Internship.

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Because sociology is such a broad field, sociology majors end up working in a variety of different industries including politics, law and social work. Not sure which field is right for you? An internship is a great way to explore your options and build your skill set while gaining some professional experience.

Here are just a few of the most common internships for sociology majors:

Political intern

Many nonprofits and legislative offices have a political intern who is dedicated to helping the political team with legislation, policy and any other related tasks. As a political intern, your duties may include sitting in on hearings held by your city or state government, drafting campaigns related to specific policies, creating policy recommendations and writing notes and briefings.

Development intern

For sociology majors who choose to work in the nonprofit world, many will find themselves focusing on helping causes gain traction and raise money. As a development intern, you’ll help your organization discover donors, raise money, keep in contact with loyal donors and apply for grants.

Social work intern

As a social work intern, you’ll work at a nonprofit to support its full-time social work staff. Depending on what type of organization you work for, your responsibilities may include becoming an advocate for a particular client or case, creating notes and briefings for case files and assisting clients in the office.

Legal intern

Whether you’re working for a nonprofit, a law firm or a government agency, being a legal intern allows you to sit in on client meetings and cases, create important briefings and keep case files organized. You’ll also get to take your learnings and apply them to a specific field or a particular problem, allowing you to really make an impact in a meaningful way.

Research intern

If you want to go to grad school or work in a research-related field, every bit of research experience you can add to your resume will make a big difference. Regardless of whether you work at an academic institution or a nonprofit, this internship will help you learn the basics of collecting, cleaning and organizing data for statistical analysis. You’ll also get to create reports from your findings and learn how to gain valuable insights by interpreting those reports.

From knowing the details behind every case file to understanding how to write a grant proposal, an internship is a wonderful and safe space for sociology majors to explore their options, learn new skills and reinvent themselves.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What Types of Skills Are Best for a Sociology Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as What is a Panel Interview?

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If you’re interested in logistics and operations, chances are you already know about supply chains and the crucial role they play in the consumer economy. And if you’re trying to decide whether a supply chain career is right for you, you might be wondering the best way to research different positions. The easiest and most effective way to do that is through an internship.

Here are the top five supply chain internships.

Supply chain operations internship

As a supply chain operations intern, you’ll be working closely with one or more supply chain managers to ensure that operations run smoothly in one or more areas of the supply chain. Depending on your interests and the company you’re interning with, you could be focusing on any number of areas including purchasing, inventory and distribution. Because of its broad scope, this internship offers a wonderful opportunity to gain exposure to several elements of a supply chain and is a great first step towards a career in supply chain management.

Logistics internship

Similar to an operations internship, a logistics internship focuses on several key elements of supply chain management from purchasing to distribution and transportation management. As a logistics intern, you’ll be assisting management in ensuring that processes are streamlined and efficient, and that all parts of the supply chain (from manufacturing to customer service) are working in sync.

Business analyst internship

While logistics and operations internships focus on streamlining general processes, a business analyst internship is a chance to do a deep dive into a few specific elements of the field. During this internship, you’ll be analyzing data related to company operations and making recommendations for how those processes can be proved. Key tasks include performing analyses of business systems, performing QA testing and reporting on the findings. This is a great internship for a business or computer science major.

Industrial engineering internship

An industrial engineering internship focuses less on the broad strokes of supply chain management and more on the specifics of one particular aspect. During this internship, you’ll be learning about the planning and coordination required to run one aspect of the supply chain such as distribution. You’ll also be ensuring that the processes in place meet strict engineering standards. This is as especially great internship for someone looking to expand their technical skills or for someone majoring in engineering.

Manufacturing internship

As a manufacturing intern, you’ll be getting hands-on exposure to the production side of a supply chain, particularly when it comes to the manufacturing process. Like an industrial engineering internship, this type of internship is especially great for someone interested in developing their technical skills and being involved with the production cycle.

Although supply chains have been a critical part of the consumer economy for a long time, they have gained increased importance in recent years as the processes involved in getting a product from the manufacturing plant to the consumer have changed. With those changes have come new and increased opportunities for careers in the field. If you’re interested in learning more about a supply chain career, consider taking on an internship to get a hands-on feel for what supply chain management really looks like.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 3 Common Internship Mistakes and How to Avoid Them and find answers to common interview questions such as Tell Me About Yourself.

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Whether it’s a paid or unpaid internship, an entry-level job or a part-time job, there are several things you can do to impress your new boss right off the bat. Following these steps will help you learn your job quickly and make a positive impression on everyone at the company.

Here’s a guide of what you should do in your first month on the job.

1. Set up meetings with team members

Make a point of setting up individual meetings with your co-workers so that you fully understand their roles and how their positions interact with yours. No need to make them formal — these can even be walks or coffee chats. Be proactive and focus on learning everything there is to know about the company. Once you get a firm grasp of the inner workings of the organization, your value becomes much greater and so do your chances of impressing your boss.

Added bonus: Your co-workers will appreciate that you took the time to get to know them and that you’re taking an interest in their work.

2. Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is a key part of the learning process and your manager will be expecting you to do so. Asking questions not only shows your interest in the company but also your commitment to learning and growing with the organization. Challenge yourself to ask at least one question about any new task you’re given. This will help you learn new things more quickly and speed up your transition into the new role.

3. Try to own at least one big project

Being proactive about getting involved in company projects is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to the role and to show your manager that you’re enthusiastic about the opportunities available to you. Focus on a particular challenge the company is trying to overcome or an innovative idea that they haven’t had time to execute. Volunteer to take on the project and bring it to fruition. This will show your boss that you’re serious about making a difference and adding value to the organization.

4. Be a team player

Collaborating with your co-workers is another wonderful way to demonstrate value. Offer to help your team members with projects that are a good fit for your skill set and try to anticipate challenges that you might be able to address. Being a team player will give your boss a better sense of how you handle tasks and show them that you’re committed to the role.

5. Send weekly progress reports

Sending weekly reports is a great way of showing that you’re organized and focused on results. Be sure to send this over email at the end of the week and include everything you completed that week as well as outlining the things that you still need to learn and areas where you hope to improve. This will show your manager that you’re self-aware and able to proactively assess your own performance. It will also give him/her insight into where they can be most helpful in your onboarding.

6. Ask for feedback

Setting up a meeting with your boss is a big win. This will help you understand their expectations so that you can ensure you’re meeting them. Come prepared with three questions to ask and take notes during the meeting. Your questions can include things like: What keeps you at night? What do you expect of me? How will my performance be measured? At the next meeting, outline the steps you’ve taken to address your manager’s comments and show that you’re proactive about meeting their expectations.

Whether it’s your first job or your fifth, starting a new job will have you thinking about how to impress your boss. By following these steps, you’ll be sure to nail your first few weeks at the job and make a positive and lasting impression.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 3 Ways to be More Productive at Work and find answers to common interview questions such as Why Do You Want to Work Here?.

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Whether you’re just starting your first internship or already settled into a full-time job, constructive feedback is something you’re likely to encounter sooner rather than later. Why do employers give feedback? It’s to ensure that you know what’s expected of you and to show that they care about your work and want to help you be successful in your position.

Here are some things you can do to make the process of receiving feedback as effective as possible.

Ask for feedback

Taking initiative and asking for feedback is a great way to show your employer that you’re committed to doing a good job and passionate about finding ways to improve. The best way to do this is to set up a one-on-one meeting with your manager and ask them for feedback on specific things you’re working on. For example, if you’re in charge of creating a presentation deck for a certain project, you can walk them through the presentation and get their advice on what you can do to make the presentation as effective as possible.

Pro Tip: Asking for concrete feedback on specific things is a great way to maximize the advice you’re receiving. Don’t just say, “Is there anything I could be doing better?” Instead, focus on a task you’re working on and ask a direct question such as, “Am I taking the right approach here?” This will give your manager a chance to provide detailed feedback while also setting the tone for them to provide more general feedback when needed.

Take time to process the feedback you receive

For most of us, the prospect of receiving feedback makes us feel somewhat defensive and our initial impulse might be a “fight or flight” response to being criticized. However, by retraining our brain to think of feedback as helpful, we can overcome this impulse and find productive ways of incorporating it into our work. The best way to do this is by taking some time to process the feedback before responding to it. Instead of addressing it immediately, thank the person and take some time to think about what they’ve said. Once you’ve done that, you can respond and address specific points that you’d like to clarify or expand on.

Pro Tip: The key to keeping an open mind in this situation is to realize that the person giving you feedback has only one goal: to help you improve. By making this your focus, you can ensure that you’re receptive to their advice and that you act on the information you receive.

Agree on action items

Since feedback is designed to help you improve, having a concrete way to implement it is really important. In order to do this, make sure to walk away from the meeting with a concrete list of next steps. For example, going back to the presentation example, if your manager has asked that you add additional slides or metrics to the deck, be sure to outline what those slides or metrics will look like and come up with a timeline for when you will implement the changes.

Try it out

Once you’ve outlined your next steps, it’s time to apply the feedback. The key to doing this successfully is to focus on each step carefully and to take into account both the overarching and detailed points of the feedback you received. However, it’s also okay to push back on elements that don’t feel right to you. For example, if you implement a change to the presentation deck and you feel like it doesn’t add any real value, it’s okay to say so and to brainstorm other things you can do instead.

When handled in an open-minded and receptive way, constructive feedback can be a powerful tool that will help you succeed in your role and develop new skills along the way.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Become a Confident Public Speaker and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?

The post How to Handle Feedback at Work appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.

Giving and receiving feedback in a professional context might seem a bit intimidating at first. If that feedback is aimed at your manager, it’s likely to be even more intimidating. How can you ensure that you’re not offending your manager while also giving them feedback intended to improve your relationship and their work?

Here are some steps to follow when giving your manager feedback.

Establish a positive relationship with your manager

One of the keys to giving feedback (in any context) is ensuring that you have a relationship with the person beforehand. Since feedback is meant to help the person on the receiving end, knowing them and their work is a key factor in being able to deliver the kind of thoughtful observations that will help them improve. In order to establish this relationship with your manager, it’s important to build trust by taking initiative in your role and by asking for feedback yourself and acting on it. This will go a long way toward showing your manager that you value the relationship and that you’re providing them with feedback designed to improve on an already positive working relationship.

Ask for permission to give feedback

Before giving your manager any feedback, it’s important to ensure that they’re receptive to it and that the timing is right. You can do this by asking them if you can share some thoughts on an existing project or if they are providing you with feedback on something and you’d like to expand the conversation, you can offer them some feedback in return.

The best way to ask for permission by framing the question as something that would be helpful to you as their employee. For example, when giving feedback related to a particular project, you can say something like, “What would be really helpful to me would be to have some concrete steps in place for this next phase.” This will show your manager that your feedback is ultimately related to delivering the best results possible and will help them understand how they can help you do that.

Depersonalize the feedback

Another key component of giving your manager feedback is to make it impersonal. Rather than saying something like, “I don’t like it when you do XYZ,” you can say something like, “Something that’s worked for me very well in the past with previous managers has been XYZ.” This will shift the focus away from anything personal and onto your professional relationship.

Write it out

Once you have a clear idea of what you want to say, it’s important to write it out and refine your delivery. This is a great way to ensure that your feedback is both effective and sensitively. After you have an initial draft, take another look at it and practice saying it as you would to your manager. If something doesn’t sound quite right, refine it and try again. By the second or third draft, you’ll likely have it just right and you’ll be ready to discuss it with your manager.

Although giving your manager feedback might seem a bit stressful, by focusing on how you can improve your working relationship and how you can help them help you, you’ll be able to deliver the kind of feedback that managers appreciate and that makes the whole team stronger.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Get a Mentor at Work and find answers to common interview questions such as Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?

The post How to Give Feedback to Your Manager appeared first on Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide.