- November 18, 2010
- 12:19 pm
- Cheryl Mc Philimy
- no comments
Finding Internships from Rome
It’s a challenge, certainly, to find an internship in the United States while you are studying abroad. But it can be done, and resourceful Loyola students are finding ways to make it happen.
Some of the success strategies I’m hearing about from our students include:
Let your people back home know you are looking. It sounds obvious, but be sure to reach out to peers, parents and professors who may know about and be able to refer you to internships.
Troll the career sites. Hop on the Internet and search sites such as Monster, College Monster and CareerBuilder, as well as job listing aggregators such as Employment Crossing.
Check the industry Web sites. The PRSA Jobcenter and the IABC Job Centre are just two of many.
Keep a blog and post your resume and writing samples to it. This way, the difference in time zones will never prevent a potential employer from reviewing your credentials.
Tap into university resources. Ramblerlink and the School of Communication downloadable database are two good places to find a wealth of internship postings.
Offer to Skype an interview. Potential employers may not take you up on it but might appreciate two things. 1. Your willingness to get up in the middle of the night to interview, and 2. Your technical savvy in actually knowing how to use Skype.
Convey your enthusiasm. When you don’t have the benefit of being able to interview in person, you have to work all the harder to make sure your passion shows. Leave nothing to doubt. Express your interest concretely, e.g. “Although I am in Rome this semester, I wanted to reach out as there is nothing I want to do more this summer than work at XYZ Agency.”
Reply swiftly. Impress them with your responsiveness. Keep an eye on your email in-box and answer any correspondence right away. Don’t give them time to consider just how far away you are.
If you’ve not yet departed for your semester abroad, it’s a great idea to start the internship search before you go. Your gung-ho spirit, advance planning and foresight may impress. If you don’t get hired before you leave, ask for permission to stay in touch from abroad. Then do so.
