Where to Look for Internships

As with any job search, your chances of finding your perfect internship will be greatly improved by pursuing as many different options as possible. If you limit yourself to searching just one website, or making contact with only a few companies, you will likely limit your internship options. By exploring multiple companies and websites at the same time, you increase your reach to prospective employers and the likelihood that you will obtain an attractive internship offer.

It Begins With You: Outlining Your Goals

So, how do you begin a successful internship search? The first step is to determine what you really want to gain from your internship experience.

For some, the opportunity to learn English or experience a particular aspect of life in the USA is more important than the actual internship or training. For others, building targeted skills in a particular career field or professional role is most critical. Whatever your objectives, it is a good idea to write them down (in order of priority) so that you have a clear sense of what qualities and criteria are most important to you as you conduct your search and evaluate potential internship opportunities.

Surf the Web: Searching Online Internship Announcements

One of the most obvious ways to find an internship is to search online announcements for current internship openings. There are many general websites that you can search using keywords such as "Internship," or "Training," that will lead you to openings that would qualify for the J1 Intern or Training program. There are also a variety of industry-specific job sites, as well as sites that are dedicated specifically to internships and seasonal jobs.

General Job Announcements

Non-Profit Job Announcements

Internships & Seasonal Jobs Announcements

Industry-Specific Job Announcements

Hospitality

Marketing/Advertising

Engineering

Go Straight to the Source: Reaching Out To Companies

Another tactic for uncovering internship opportunities is to make direct contact with companies that interest you. Not all companies will advertise internship openings on external job sites; some companies will post openings only on their own website, and some may not post internship announcements at all.

If you already know of companies or organizations in the USA that really interest you, try searching their website for available internship openings. If you find a position, submit your resume and cover letter as instructed by the employer. If there are multiple positions for which you'd like to apply, be sure to submit a separate resume and cover letter for each.

If you don't see a position that fits your qualifications, try to make personal contact with someone in the organization who is responsible for hiring employees (a Human Resources manager, or the manager/director of a particular department in which you'd like to work). You may be able to find individual contact information on the website, or you may need to call the main telephone number and ask to speak to someone. If your English conversation skills are not strong enough to make a telephone call, try sending an inquiry via email instead.

Remember that persistence does pay off. While you should never be aggressive or demanding with a prospective employer, you want to clearly explain your enthusiasm for the company and your desire to work there. Unless otherwise specified, it is always a good idea to follow up emails and resume submissions with a telephone call, and vice versa. And, whenever possible, try to make initial contact with more than one person in the organization to increase your chances of reaching someone who may want to hire you.

If you don't already know of companies you'd like to target, you can develop a list by searching job announcements on the websites listed above or reading American newspapers and other industry-specific publications such as The Economist for general business, Lodging Magazine for hospitality, and Wired Magazine for IT. You can also do simple searches in search engines for keywords related to the type of company you are seeking (example: "USA Hotels", "Engineering Firm in New York City").

It's All About Who You Know: Networking with Personal and Professional Contacts

Networking with personal or professional contacts is another great way to uncover internship opportunities.

This strategy involves contacting people to seek their career advice, requesting informational interviews, and developing relationships. Successful networking is NOT about asking your contacts for a job or internship, but rather building a network of contacts that can help educate you about your desired profession and may eventually refer you to internship and job opportunities.

Networking is not a fast solution to finding any job or internship. It takes time to build a network of contacts and a good deal of work to maintain those relationships. But a strong professional network can prove to be an important resource over the lifetime of your career, so it is definitely worth the effort.

Even if you don't pursue networking before your first internship in the USA, you should work to build relationships with your colleagues, supervisors and personal contacts while you are here so that you can use this network once you return to your home country.

Outsource Your Search: Working with Placement Agencies

If you are low on time or your efforts to find your own internship are unsuccessful, you may consider hiring a placement agency to help you. Placement agencies can vary greatly in size, experience, credibility and fee structure, so it is a good idea to research them thoroughly and choose carefully.

Some questions you may want to ask a prospective placement agency are:

What are the total fees I have to pay and what do they include?
How do you find your internship positions?
Am I guaranteed an internship?
How long have you been in business?
How many individuals have you worked with?
What is your placement success rate?
Do you have any references (interns and/or US companies) I can contact?

Intrax Career Development offers a Premium Placement program for qualified individuals who would like us to find an internship or training opportunity for them. If you are interested in this Premium Program, please complete our online inquiry form and an Intrax representative will contact you to discuss your interests and qualifications.