Using the Internet to Find and Research Internship Programs

Undoubtedly the most convenient place to look for internship opportunities is the Internet, especially since the majority of your applications and resumes will be submitted either via online forms or by email.

But the Internet is a very big place, and it is easy to get caught up in many other distractions while trying to sift through all of the possibilities. It is important to allot a very specific amount of time to the search process, turning off all of your email alerts and chat windows, signing out of MySpace and Facebook and getting serious about finding an internship. Some might even go so far as sitting in a cafe or in the library, to avoid home or dorm room distractions. Before you even boot up your computer, you may want to do a quick brainstorm of what you are looking for, including potential keywords, companies that you heard of through word of mouth, and any other information that might be useful. No matter where you begin your search, make sure that you have a pen and paper to jot down notes, jobs of particular interest and keywords that you may not have thought of during your initial brainstorm. Once you've started search, create a spreadsheet where you can cut and paste the URL of each program, a brief description of the program, pros and cons, and deadlines. After a while, things may start to blend together, so it's best to track as much information as possible during your initial search, rather than having to go back many times.

While there are many websites devoted to internship searches, there are certainly a few that stand out for their scope and functionality, and they will be the best place to begin your quest to find the perfect internship.

MonsterTrak

Website: www.MonsterTrak.com

What is MonsterTrak?

MonsterTrak.com, founded in 1987 as JobTRAK, is a division of Monster and focuses on the up-and-coming workforce. This site is a great place to look for internships. There are thousands of entry level jobs, part/full time, and internships that are available nationwide.

Why use MonsterTrak?

It is of no cost to create an account and use this website's applications or search engines. The search fields are easy to fill out and can be made detailed for your personal interest. You can enter your specific major or location, or simply search by keyword. Not only does this website offer internships, but also career advice. It supplies you with a check list for college students to frequently asked questions about starting a career. It also has advice particular to internships, whether it be listing the benefits of internships, or how to make your internship into a part or full-time job. Once you create an account, you can store and send out your resume and cover letter to various interests.

This website showcases four of their available jobs right on the home page whenever you visit! MonsterTrak has endless tools and resources to help you obtain your idea of a great internship.

Experience

Website: www.experience.com

What is Experience?

Experience.com created one of the first web-based college recruiting platforms and has become an important bridge to close the gap between college and the working world. This website is looking the make finding and choosing the right career path a little easier. Experience brings jobs, internships, and resources to students and alumni to help them get the career they want, and further the one they love.

Why use Experience?

Alumni from hundreds of universities and Fortune 500 companies post their openings on experience to recruit students! Experience connects you to these alumni that have just gone through what many college students are going through now. Not only can they serve as a connection to the work world, but also as a mentor. Experience has utilized the industry insiders, experts, and alumni to share their experience and advice. Once you create an account and sign in you are connected to many resources that will make you feel comfortable and become successful in job-search process. This website offers videos of real people who have been successful in finding an internship, read blogs of people who are currently interning, and exclusive tips from alumni who have become successful. Over 40,000 students and alumni are already using this site.

CareerBuilder

Website: www.careerbuilder.com

What is CareerBuilder?

CareerBuilder is the United States' largest online job site putting over 1.6 million jobs in front of seekers. Their mission is to be the global leader in online recruitment by being employee-driven and customer focused.

Why use CareerBuilder?

CareerBuilder offers an extensive online and print network to hook job seekers up with potential employers. There are also many job search tools to make the search for an internship, part/full time job easier. You can search jobs by categories, by location, even by industry or company. CareerBuilder even offers a career test to give a job seeker an idea of what position may suit them best. Upon visiting their site, you will already be shown thousands of jobs in different categories relative to where you live! CareerBuilder also has a function called Job Alert. By filling out required fields describing the job you are looking for, you will receive an email or text message informing you when a position opens. What makes CareerBuilder special is the job-matching technology that matches keywords in your resume; making the jobs you search for and apply to right for you.

Craigslist

Website: www.craigslist.com

What is Craigslist?

Craigslist is a central network of online communities, featuring free classified advertisements such as jobs, internships, housing, personals, services, etc. More than 40 million people a month use Craigslist, 30 million from the United States alone.

Why use Craigslist?

Craigslist has more than 2 million new job postings each month. When you first visit craigslist, you narrow down your search by picking your location down to the city. There is a column on the page entitled jobs, with category titles, such as accounting, government, engineering, etc. A great component of this site is that the jobs you search for are arranged by when they were posted (by day and time!). You can check out the new jobs posted everyday and be one of the first to apply. An email is supplied with each add, waiting for your resume and cover letter. You need not create an account. Another useful feature of craigslist is the ability to place your own ad. You can create an ad describing the service or type of internship you are looking to do, and it will become part of this enormous network in minutes, free of charge! You can put your own email on your ad, or use one issued by craigslist. Craigslist even features a discussion forum on various topics such as jobs or internships to help answer any questions you may have.

JobsThatMatter

Website: www.jobsthatmatter.org

What is JobsThatMatter?

This site lists specifically jobs and internships that have the environment first in mind. The organization is called The Fund, and gets results that make our country better. In recent years, The Fund has helped build several environmental groups into major political players. The Fund helps organizations win today in order to help build a better tomorrow.

Why use JobsThatMatter?

If you are passionate about our environment and want do your part to better it, this is the site for you. JobsThatMatter offer summer internships as well as part/full time jobs all serving the environment. Such projects and partners include the Sierra Club, the Human Rights Campaign, and Environment California. Past partners include Defenders of Wildlife, Save the Children, and Greenpeace, USA. The site offers links to these highlighted partners to give you an idea of what they're all about. By applying for internships with jobsthatmatter, you are not just given the opportunity for a position, but also the ability for advancement, all why being given the satisfaction of taking care of our environment.

IdeaList

Website: www.idealist.org

What is IdeaList?

IdeaList is the premier database of employment, internship and volunteer opportunities for the common good. Created as a space where non-profit and human service organizations can gather to share ideas and resources, ideaList should be the first stop for anyone looking to move into the non-profit sector.

Why use IdeaList.org?

The search function on ideaList is very well executed, and there is a tab specifically for internships (with the number of opportunities listed as well). You can then select areas of focus, skills, keywords and geographic areas to further target your search. Job postings are filtered for quality, so you can be sure that the opportunities listed there are legitimate. In most cases, there will be a profile about each organization to accompany the posting, and you can also see what other positions they might be hiring for as well.

 

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