Written by Bob Herrera, Internship Director for Mutual of Omaha

Spring is already upon us and summer will be here before you know it! If you’re still looking for a summer internship, you’ll want to get started soon. Companies have different hiring timelines and opportunities will start to dwindle in the weeks ahead. Here are some suggestions to help you kick-start your internship search and land that perfect gig.

• Identify which companies are still looking for intern candidates. Start with your school’s career placement office. They work with multiple employers, and you can ask which companies are contacting the school about unfilled internship positions.
  
  
• Check the different job board websites, such as Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn, Handshake and Careerlink. Search the intern job title to get a listing of internship opportunities for the location you selected. If you don’t specify a location, your search will return results from all across the country. This is quicker than visiting each individual company’s career page to explore intern job postings.
  
  
• Ask your professors if they are aware of any companies looking for students to fill intern openings. Faculty members frequently have contacts with different employers and can be a resource for students interested in an internship.
  
  
• Leverage your network (or start building one). If a family member, neighbor or friend works at a company you are interested in, or even just knows someone who is an employee of that company, ask them if they would be willing to get your resume in front of the company’s HR recruiter or hiring manager. This can be helpful in getting you an interview, and the rest will be up to you.

Once a company has contacted you, shift your focus to preparing for your upcoming interview. It will be important for you to stand out among other applicants. Be prepared to discuss your technical background, work experience and soft skills. Demonstrate your strong communication abilities and be ready to answer interview questions with specific examples from your past experiences.

If you don’t secure an internship for the upcoming summer, don’t get discouraged. Keep your options open in case an opportunity exists to work part time during the fall or spring semester, and plan on applying and interviewing in the fall for a 2023 summer internship!