What was helpful in your process, so far?

For my internship search, the most helpful thing was knowing my goals in being specific. For example, I knew that I wanted to work with youth and would love to work in Baltimore City, which helped me narrow my options. With this in mind, I also limited my options by talking to my class Teaching Assistant who I’ve known for over a year now. She is aware of my interests, so speaking with her helped ensure my interests. Something else to keep in mind is time. I am not sure about you all, but in general, I feel the spring semester goes by really fast, so I was looking at internships and applied to some before this course even started. I started to look earlier because, especially for summer internships, many companies begin recruiting interns several months in advance, so if you are considering interning in the summer, I would start looking during your fall semester. The earlier you start your search, the better your chances of finding a fantastic opportunity. As I stated earlier, you can also start preparing your application materials, such as your resume and cover letter well in advance so that you can apply as soon as you come across an opportunity. Though we have an internship database, you should be using multiple sources, especially since most opportunities listed are unpaid. So don’t rely too much on the database to find internships, especially when working in a specific city or population.

As I mentioned previously, my interests were working with youth and in Baltimore City. Though I was able to find an internship within Baltimore City, the ones that involved youth within Baltimore City either did not respond or were not in the database; it has been a couple of years since the last time they had someone at our department intern there. So if your interests are not listed on the database, use multiple channels such as LinkedIn and personal networks to broaden your search. You can also sign up for email alerts from job boards or companies that interest you to get notified when new opportunities become available. Another helpful thing is going to the UMD Career Center so that they can help you update your resume and cover letter and include all the necessary items for your internships and post-graduation when looking to apply to graduate school. There is a difference between writing cover letters and resumes for internships versus graduate school because you have to tailor each to the opportunity and highlight relative skills and experience that align with either the internships or the graduate schools’ goals and values.

Though you will learn this in the course, always make sure that once you submit your application, send a follow-up email thanking and asking about the status of the application, especially if it’s one where you submit documents and there’s a long wait period because this showcases how proactive and motivated you are in getting this opportunity. While you take HLTH490, your other courses know that you are seeking an internship, so if there is a time conflict between an interview and class, just let the professor know and be ready for your interview. Another thing I want to point out is that the Career Center also has opportunities for you to have in-person and virtual interviews to practice.

In summary, searching for internships can be challenging, but following these tips can increase your chances of finding the right opportunity. So again, start early, use multiple channels, be specific, research companies, network, customize your application, follow up, and be prepared for interviews.Good luck!