How to find an internship? (from a senior) 🤔💭

hello zesties! 🍋 i graduated 1.5 years ago from comp sci. did 3 internships in uni + found a full-time job months before graduation. i’ll be sharing some lessons i’ve learnt from job hunting!

disclaimer: my tips may not apply to all industries. do talk to seniors from your course for more relevant advice! ✍🏻

💨 Start applying AT LEAST 3-5 MTHS EARLY!!

it can take weeks for recruiter to get back to you (if they even do 🥲), and sometimes even multiple rounds of interviews too.

oftentimes, finding an internship takes months… so it’s never too early to start applying!

🏔️ Rank your options into Tier 1, 2 and 3

start researching EARLY on what companies you want to work for. and start applying for them in order of Tier 1, 2 then 3.

you should stagger the applications to avoid cases where you get an offer from Tier 3 but still waiting to hear from Tier 1 or 2. you’ll be stuck in a dilemma not knowing to accept or reject Tier 3’s offer 🥺🥺

👀 Get FEEDBACK on your resume!

back in year 1, i got my school’s career counsellor to review my resume and the feedback i received was super helpful! 💯

if you’ve never applied for internships before, i’d suggest getting your resume reviewed MULTIPLE times. dont be afraid to get your friends and family to take a look too.

🐣 Don’t put all your eggs in 1 basket

i’ve seen so many of my friends applying to very few jobs… hoping, waiting and praying they’ll get an offer, only to be disappointed. don’t do that! 😭

do apply to many jobs even if you’re not super keen, to also gain interview experience. you can always reject the offers in the end or accept them if you don’t get any offers. it’s always good to have options!

💰 Pay isn’t important for internships!

unless you’re in dire need of money, pay shouldn’t be the most important. what you LEARN is far more crucial 🧠

internship is a key stepping stone to full-time job after grad. if your low-paying internship adds much VALUE to your resume, you can always command a higher paying full-time job after grad.

so focus on the long-term salary goal rather than short-term! 💸💸

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hope that these tips would be helpful for anyone finding internships! 🫶🍀

#RealTalk #Internship #jobsearch #jobhunting #universitylife #universitytips #studentlife #studentstips #selfimprovement #selfdevelopment