The quest for an internship: Is it too early to start looking?

“The early bird gets the worm, but they worms are hibernating right now,” said the man who would be my mentor for my summer internship at Caltech and Amgen this past summer. It was August of 2007 and I was inquiring about working for him in 2008. I admit, I was a bit overeager and did not need to contact him that early. In fact, the students from that year hadn’t even left yet. However, in December, I received an email from Caltech asking if I was still interested in the position and I ended up getting the job. When I arrived in California, I discovered that my boss had over four times as many students apply as he could accept and that one of the main reasons I got the job was that I asked earlier than anyone else. With that being said, here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Come to Quick Question hours! Most people don’t know it, but QQ’s are not just for resume and cover letter reviews. We can help with your job or internship search or alleviate your frustrations with CareerLink. Stop by with any sort of question- we are here to help!

2. Peruse CareerLink! It may seem early, but there are already many postings for summer internships up on CareerLink and even updating your profile and looking around can help you later. Even if you don’t find something now, being familiar with the site and how it works will help make the search easier later on. Also, you will run into any problems you may have early on and will have time to get questions answered before the panic of deadlines sets in!

3. Make an appointment with a Career Advisor. Whether you know exactly what you are looking for or don’t know where to start, going to visit your Career Advisor could turn up opportunities you didn’t know about or prep your interviewing skills to help you land that position!

4. Watch for the Internship Book for 2009! It’s not out yet, but over winter break we will distribute the famous Internship Book which is packed with companies and organizations that specifically recruit WashU students like you.