By Jason Linstonburgh
Despite how high the unemployment rate is, it is not difficult to find a short-term job or internship in the summer.
If you are in college, then you are super lucky, as all colleges will have career service office, which provides internship information. Job information will always be available on the career services website, in the college career service office, and on the fliers they put on lecture hall doors. Many companies will send people to colleges looking for students to fill in their seasonal positions. Multiple companies will show up in college job affairs or workshops.
Sometimes if you are doing well as an intern, companies might offer you a full-time job after you graduate. Don’t be picky It doesn’t really matter if the intern position is in a big, famous company or a tiny, little-known business, as long as it is legit. Your goal is to gain experience and to network. The pay rate might be a little low, and the internship might even be unpaid. But an unpaid internship gives you access to more equipment in the field to enhance your skills, or gets you to know more people in the field. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is relevant to your major or intended career, so you can put these into your resume, which will help you find a long-term job in the future.
Just be careful about online scams. Not everything you can find on a college career services website is legit. If things sound too good to be true, or if you are required to purchase something before start working, or if there is no registration information on the business, then you know these are scams. An application fee is a different scenario. If it is from a well-known corporation, and emails, phone numbers, terms and conditions are legitimate, then you are good to go. You can search the company name online and see if there are any scam stories associated with the name. You can also look up BBB Accredited Business at www.bbb.org.
If you are in high school, you will have fewer opportunities compared to college students, but it doesn’t mean there’s no chance. Pay attention to school or city summer internship projects. Sometimes your teacher will mention the internship opportunities he or she knows. It is also likely that your parents or relatives work for companies that offer internship programs, so ask them for these details.
