How Students Can Find Summer Internships

Summer internships provide on the job experience, which is a necessary requirement for entering today’s competitive job market. So instead of spending the summer lounging by the beach, consider finding an internship that will offer experience and look great on your resume. Psychology students in particular can benefit from summer internships by attaining marketable job skills, networking and discovering which branch of the psychological community is a good match. 

As a psychology student, you should know what your objectives are before looking for a summer internship, such as what field, clinical, forensic or business, that best fits your personality.To do this, research should be done on what the best internship opportunities are for your chosen field of study. 

Having the time to complete an internship can be tricky. Most students have to balance work and school, especially in the summer months when classes are not all in session. Many summer internships for psychology students are unpaid, but being open-minded about not getting paid will greatly increase the chance of finding an internship. 

To find summer internships, the first place you should look is on campus. Go to your department head and ask who would be best to talk to about finding a place within an organization. They may even direct you to a particular teacher. Psychology instructors sometimes have information on places that are hiring summer interns. They may also be able to provide valuable contact information that can aid in the search.

Your college’s career service center is also a good resource for finding summer internships. They will most likely have inside knowledge about who is looking for psychology students to fill intern positions. You can also find guidebooks and websites that offer details on summer internships.Internship websites are plentiful and can offer great leads.

But some employers will advertise directly with the college. Colleges usually hold at least one annual career or internship fairs a semester. Attending these events is a great place to network and potentially find the internship of your dreams.

Another viable method for finding an internship is tonetwork with friends, family and former employers. Networking can open the door to more opportunities then research alone. Remember to always bring along a professional and updated resume and cover letter. A good cover letter should showcase the skills acquired while completing a psychology degree program, along with the key reasons the you should be hired. 

Psychology students have a number of options available to them when searching for summer internships. To be successful, you should put forth constant effort in networking and applying for positions.

This post is brought to you by Argosy University. Drawing upon our more than 30-year history of granting degrees in professional psychology, Argosy University has developed a curriculum that focuses on interpersonal skills and practical experience alongside academic learning. Because getting a degree is one thing. Succeeding, quite another.