Once you have identified a potential internship and conducted some initial research your next step is to contact an individual within the organization either by telephone or in person. Do not simply mail out a résumé and cover letter. You can send out hundreds of unsolicited résumés and receive very few responses. It is easier for a potential employer to discard a piece of paper than it is to ignore an individual. Person-to-person contact is your goal.
5 Steps for Effective Contacts
Step 1: Set up an effective and organized system
¤ Make a list of the organizations you want to possibly intern with
¤ Conduct initial research on the business
¤ Track your contacts, keep a record of who you have talked to, when
you talked, and what information you received
Step 2: Set a goal for the number of calls you want to make each week
¤ Set a goal for the initial number of new contacts you want to make
¤ Set a goal for the number of follow-up phone calls you need to
make
Step 3: Select specific times to call
¤ Some good times to
call/contact may be mid-morning or mid afternoon
¤ You do not have to call every day of the week For example you may
want to make calls every Tuesday and Thursday
Step 4: Prepare what you want to say
¤ Prepare a script, or a set of questions so you have a clear idea
of what you want to say when you are talking to your contact. DO NOT read
off your paper--it's just for general ideas
Step 5: Make the call/contact
¤ Your first goal is to find out who to talk to if you haven't done
so already.
¤ Your second goal is to ask for any information you would like to
get on the internship.
¤ Your third goal is to ask for additional contact names for others
in the same field (networking is always helpful.)
What do I say!?!?!?!
"Good morning. My name is_____. I am interested in gathering some information on your internship, and I was wondering who would be the appropriate person with whom to speak."
Tip: Focus on having a calm demeanor, an audible voice, and a relaxed attitude. These may be critical matters in how much information you actually obtain.
If you have gathered information on the organization (perhaps you read an article or learned something from another source) at this point you should indicate why you are actually considering this internship.
"I understand that you have an opening for an Intern. I am trying to do some research to see what internships would be best for me. May I ask a few questions?"
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Warning: Do not ask the prospective employer to hold while you pick up call waiting.
1. Now that you have researched your organization, prepared your questions, found out who to talk to, there is nothing left that is holding your back right? Right...maybe not…. Now to conquer the nerves. There are many ways to get over your nervousness and everyone has their own way of handling it but here are a few suggestions you might find helpful.
2.Bring a friend or family member in the car with you. Not only can they put friendly pressure on you, they can also drive the car if you are meeting the contact in person and they can park. Why put up with that extra aggravation?
3. Practice your introduction in the mirror or to other people. As long as it is out loud, you or others can find the parts that may not sound right.
4. You may want to seek out others that have been in your position, whether they be someone you know or not. This information is helpful. If you don't know anyone, the Career Center has a list of students who have been in your position and have volunteered to talk to others. Just ask your counselor.
5. Speaking of counselors, you can meet with your counselor and get tips on what to say and how to say it. Also the career counselor is a great resource when gathering contact information for networking and the counselors have all done a lot of that. Just ask for help.
