Internships: Timeline

There is no "one size fits all" timeline for the internship search process, but the general guidelines on this page provide a basic time frame in which to research, plan, and apply!

One strategy for developing your timeline is to determine when application deadlines generally take place for your career field of interest and work backwards to plan time for researching opportunities and preparing your materials (i.e., resume, cover letter, formal application essays, etc.). If possible, it is best to begin in the fall semester and identify potential organizations of interest. Then, you can determine where their deadlines might fall and proceed accordingly.

Explore career fields that match your skills, interests, values, and personality preferences (e.g. through self-assessment inventories, self-assessment books in UCS library, meeting with career counselor).

Sign up for a CAVLink account if you do not have one already. Internship postings will be listed throughout the year and tend to increase in number in the spring semester.

Identify potential organizations of interest in your chosen career fields and learn if they have internship opportunities. Inquire about application deadlines if none are listed. If you need help identifying companies in your field of interest, visit UCS.

Consider attending the various fall career fairs to speak with employers and learn about structured internship programs.

Learn more about your career fields of interest by reading relevant material in the UCS library, researching professional associations and organizations for your field online, and speaking with alumni, professors, family, and friends who work in the field. Stop by UCS if you would like assistance identifying industry-specific resources.

Draft a resume that highlights your experiences (i.e., education, summer jobs, previous internships, involvement in clubs and organizations, leadership experiences, volunteer work, etc.) and meet with a career counselor for an initial critique.

If your internship of interest has a fall deadline, but sure to learn how to write a strong cover letter and practice your interviewing skills. UCS career counselors conduct mock interviews with interested students.

Identify alumni and other helpful contacts and anticipate scheduling informational interviews either in person or over the phone over winter break or early in the spring semester.

Consider creating your own externship (i.e., job shadowing experience) for winter break to learn more about your field of interest and/or gain firsthand knowledge of a company for which you hope to intern.

Conduct informational interviews, embark on an externship, and continue researching organizations to contact about summer internship possibilities.

Review the list of employers attending the Spring Job and Internship Fair and learn how to navigate a career fair.

Meet with a career counselor if you would like assistance in exploring your interests, strengths, and values and brainstorming how these may be related to the type of work you wish to pursue. Whether you have many interests and wish to narrow them down or are not sure where to begin and would like help in generating ideas, identifying a manageable number of ideas to explore helps the internship search process seem less daunting and more targeted and focused.

If you plan on attending the Spring Job and Internship Fair on January 29 and 30, meet with a career counselor upon returning from winter break to discuss your resume if you have not done so already.

Begin or continue identifying companies and organizations that match your career field of interest. Visit their websites to learn of existing internship opportunities. If you do not see an internship listing, contact one of the company's staff members directly to introduce yourself, briefly describe your interest in the organization, let your contact know you have already reviewed the site for listings, and inquire if the company anticipates hiring interns for the summer.

Finalize your resume and draft a cover letter targeted towards your internship of interest. Meet with a career counselor to review your documents.

If you would like to meet with a career counselor for a mock interview, it is strongly encouraged that you do so at least one full week before your first interview. The earlier you participate in a mock interview, the more time you will have to incorporate feedback from the session and continue to refine your interviewing skills.

Submit your internship applications. Unless a company advises you otherwise, follow up within one to two weeks to reiterate your interest in the position, ensure that your materials were received, and inquire about the company's decision-making timeline if one was not posted. Knowing the decision-making timeline will give you an idea whether to expect an update on your status in one week or in more than a month.