While the College supports hundreds of students through our funded internship programs, the opportunities to intern around the world are endless. We understand it can be overwhelming to get started, so here are a few ideas to jumpstart your search:

Choose a field(s) of interest and location(s).

• While openness and flexibility are great qualities, they can make an internship search overwhelming. Think about the topics that interest you (they could be related to your coursework, extracurricular activities, or personal background), and think about how they could be translated to a professional context. For example, if you love your history classes, consider an internship in a museum, archive, or research institution. Your internship doesn’t have to relate to your major, but thinking about your academic interests can often provide a starting point for your search.
• Think about your resources and interests and determine whether you want to conduct your internship near home or where you already have a network.
• Internships tend to be plentiful in big cities, but then, so is competition. In addition, cost of living in many metropolitan areas can eat up your stipend or paycheck.

Keep a pulse on career education resources at Wellesley.

• Meet with career education staff to help you brainstorm ideas in specific industries.
• Peruse archives from events like the Tanner and Ruhlman conferences to get ideas.
• Regularly visit Handshake to keep an eye out for current opportunities.

Ask faculty and staff.

• Connect with faculty from various academic departments and programs through office hours or lectures.
• Learn about the experiences of other majors from the past.
• Ask faculty for suggestions and places to start in their respective fields.

Connect with the W Network.

• Reach out to your local alumnae club or find one in another location where you’re interested to work.
• Use The Wellesley Hive or LinkedIn to search for alumnae in your field, region of interest, or even from a student club and find out where they’ve worked (past and present).
• Though you may not ask an alumna in your field for a job or internship, you can request advice and ideas.

Reach out to your former employers. Don’t forget to include those from volunteering experiences.

Go directly to your peers.

• Prompt your student club to create events with professional associations to connect with established professionals in your field.
• Constitute a student organization to build a new career community!
• Ask classmates or colleagues about organizations doing interesting things in their hometowns or places they have lived/worked.
• Many students find internships through personal connections via a friend, a family member, or even a friend’s family member. It never hurts to ask!

Consider government agencies and trade organizations.

• Whether you are a U.S. citizen or an international student, the likelihood of there being a government entity or trade organization associated with your field is quite high.
• For example: students interested in public health might want to find out if the Department of Health and Human Services (Ministry of Health, for other countries) or World Health Organization is hiring or investigate outside projects/organizations supported by them.
• Trade organizations are particularly useful networks, as they regularly publish trends and offer networking opportunities such as meetings and conferences in various fields.

Read newspapers, magazines, journals, and online publications.

• Set-up Google alerts or subscribe to media and blogs through RSS for regular updates.
• Follow industry leaders on social media, including Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Find out which organizations are in the news and why. Research and contact those that spark your interest.

Ultimately, it’s important to stay on top of trends and changes in your field. It’s a great way to build expertise and credibility among those in your career community, as well as positions you for greater success as you apply for opportunities.