The Three Step Process

Step 1:  Develop a Goal for your Search

Before searching for internships or summer jobs, you will want to evaluate what your want and need from the experience.  Here are a few things to consider:

• What are your career interests? 
• What kind of work do you want to do?
• For what kind of organization or in what industry would you like to work?
• What personal traits, skills, and knowledge would you like to develop through this experience?

Step 2:  Develop Your Search Tools

A resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills are essential tools for any internship search.
Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviewing

Step 3:  Uncover Opportunities

There are many different resources you can use to find an internship.  Because of the size and diversity of academic programs at Penn State, resources for assisting you in obtaining internships may be varied.  We recommend you use a variety of resources and strategies to guide your search.

• View internships and summer jobs using the job postings in Nittany Lion Recruiting.
• Use the Career Library resources and On-line libraries to locate opportunities.      
• Participate in the Multicultural Internship Program to get matched to employers with internship opportunities.                 
• Contact your college Internship & Co-op Offices well in advance of starting your search to learn about their Internship/Co-op programs. 
• Conduct a targeted search as many employers may want to offer an internship or career-related summer job, but may have not listed the opportunity. Career Search, available in the Career Library, is a helpful tool to identify organizations by career/industry and geographic location.
• Talk to your professors, family, friends, and alumni about your goals.  Networking is still one of the most effective ways to learn about careers and opportunities.  To connect with Penn State Alumni, check out LionLink.