Internships

Internships
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Frequently Asked Questions



What Are Internships?

An internship is a paid or unpaid short-term work experience in a professional field of your choice. It enables you to try out a field you have been considering, or gain experience in a field that you know you want to pursue. This experience should provide you with a combination of training, supervision and evaluation from the organization in which you work.

Most students at Bowdoin do internships in the summer or during the January break. However, some students have done them during the semester with an employer nearby, or have taken a semester off to do an internship in another city. These positions can be part-time or full-time, lasting 10 to 12 weeks or more, depending on student and employer needs.

There are many firms with established internship programs, or you may design an experience with an employer that is mutually beneficial. If a prospective employer raises the issue of credit, Bowdoin generally does not offer credit for internships at this point. If necessary, the Career Planning Center can write a letter in support of you, stating that we do encourage internships, though credit is not granted for them.

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Why Are Internships Important?

Employers seek students who can articulate why they want to work somewhere and how they know they will be satisfied doing the work. An internship is important in developing your self-awareness, in strengthening your abilities in the world of work, and gaining a competitive edge in the job market.

Internships provide you with a great opportunity to:

  • Gain exposure to a particular career field.
  • Learn about your own likes, dislikes, interests, and values.
  • Build your skills and your résumé for full-time positions.
  • Expand your network of contacts and gain a professional reference.
  • Develop insight into what skills and abilities employers want.


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How Do You Apply For Internships?

Each program that you decide to apply to will probably have a slightly different process to follow. We can help you with the entire application process including searching, developing résumés, cover letters, and interviewing. To get started, contact Career Planning at 725-3717. Being proactive is the key to getting a great internship.

The following steps can serve as guideposts:

  1. Identify several internships (8 or more) in which you are interested.
  2. Research each organization so that you are familiar with the mission, strengths, history of the organization, and try to obtain a position description.
  3. Draft a résumé and cover letter. Download the Résumé Handbook and Cover Letter Handbook to assist you. 
  4. Have your résumé and cover letter critiqued by a Career Advisor to help you finalize them.
  5. If possible, network with the organizations where you are applying. If you talk with individuals from the employer you can learn more about the organization, enabling you to focus your résumé and cover letter.
  6. Be sure to follow and complete all the steps in the application process with all of the organizations.
  7. Be proactive in your search. Follow up with a phone call within 10 days to 2 weeks of sending your résumé to identify yourself, make sure the employer has your application, and to determine the rest of the application process.
  8. Congratulations! You have an interview. Most employers will at least do a phone interview and possibly require an interview at their office. To prepare for interviews, read the First Round Interviewing tipsheet and talk with a Career Advisor. You can also do a mock interview on videotape to practice before the actual interview. Please contact Career Planning at x3717 to schedule one of these practice interviews.

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How Do You Select An Internship?

You need to decide what you want to gain from an internship experience. The more specific you are about the goals you want to achieve, the easier it will be to evaluate your options.

Here are some ideas of what you might want to gain from an internship:

  • Learn more about a chosen field.
  • Apply classroom theory to real work situations.
  • Become more knowledgeable about general work functions in a particular field.
  • Investigate organizational culture.
  • Learn career related skills.
  • Polish written and oral communication skills.

Here are some thoughts on how to evaluate an internship site:

  • What kind of training and supervision will you receive?
  • Is there a good mentoring system at the employer?
  • Will there be a good opportunity to expand your network of contacts?
  • Will you be improving important skills needed for future opportunities?
  • Will the employer provide you with substantive work assignments?

As you go through the interviewing process you can ask very specific questions of the employer to verify that the experience will fulfill your goals. Refer to the First Round Interviewing tipsheet to understand how you can use this process to learn what you need to know about the employer and the opportunity.

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How Do You Make The Most Of Your Internship?

The following are some suggestions that will help you make your work experience more beneficial:

  • Be proactive: Clerical work will be part of almost all internships. Do it willingly. However, be proactive in asking for more significant work assignments. Showing initiative can make your experience much stronger.
  • Network, Network, Network. Talk to as many people as possible in the organization to gain as much information about the career field in which you are working. Read the Networking tipsheet for advice.
  • Keep all of your work samples. Develop a portfolio of examples of your work that you can show prospective employers for your next internship or full-time job.
  • Journal your experiences every day. Doing this will enable you to relate what you did on the job in a more professional and succinct manner.
  • Develop a log of your tasks. Create a table that shows what you did, how you did it and the results of your work. Doing this will help you remember the tasks you accomplished and the skills that you developed in your job.
  • Reflect after your internship. What did you learn about yourself, the career field, and your goals from the internship experience?

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