| "Imagine
a community of girls on the Net who speak their minds, share their
ideas and make lasting friendships." —Holly Holmberg Brooks, Founder of GirlSite |
|
|
|
| How
to pick the perfect internship If your high school makes you get an internship in order to graduate, why not find one that you’ll love. GirlSite shows you how. Determine Your Internship Goals Before you can even start thinking about finding an internship, you need to spend time thinking about your goals for obtaining an internship. Consider this question: What are your specific career interests? An internship is a great way to help you define your career goals. For example, if you love history, but have an eye on a political career, you might consider an internship with a local or state politician. An internship can also help make a tough decision. For example, if you like your marketing class but not sure whether you want to go into advertising or public relations, you should consider getting internships in both areas to help you decide which is best for you. Why do you want an internship -- and what do you hope to gain from it? There are a ton of reasons for obtaining an internship, including answering the question above. Other possible reasons include learning new skills, gaining networking connections, adding work experience to your resume, and maybe it will even lead to a full-time position with that employer someday. What type of career are you interested in? Careers come in all sizes and shapes, from Fortune 500 companies to not-for-profit organizations. What are you looking for? Issues to consider include size of the company, ownership, location, salary, etc. What industry would be best for your needs? Even when you know exactly what you want to do, you can still be uncertain about the type of industry that best suits you. For example, if you are a natural-born salesperson, you really have the option of working in any industry, but remember that pharmaceutical sales is quite different from selling cars. Where do you want to have your internship? If your internship is during the school year, you obviously need an internship close to your home and school, but during the summer months you may wish to have an internship further away. You can always stay with a relative and enjoy not only a cool career, but also a new atmosphere. Will you consider both paid and non-paid internships? It would be great if all internships paid, but in reality a large number do not—especially in certain industries. So, you need to decide whether you can afford to not get paid during your internship. Do you want high school or college credit for the internship? Many high schools and colleges offer at least some credit for internships. The plus side (besides earning the credits) is that there is usually an internship program with an established list of employers and internships available to you. The down side is that there may be more restrictions on the type and amount of work you can do based on the program guidelines. |
 |
|
