How to Become the Intern Insider

By Alexandra Fisher

As a second-year graduate student I have had a few different jobs and internships, and I can honestly say this was the best experience I have had so far. It can be hard balancing being a professional and a student in these types of roles. Many times, people only want you to be whichever is most convenient to them at the time. Here at the Gardner Institute, I was treated with respect as if I had been working in this field for years. They consistently valued my opinion and took my ideas seriously. How did I get so lucky as to find the best internship ever? Guess you’ll have to read the rest of the blog to find out!

When looking for an internship whether it’s in undergrad or graduate school you have to do some research and put yourself out there. The first place you can go if you don’t know where to start is your academic advisor. They have students who have done internships in the past, and probably know people who work in your desired field. Second, reach out to your career center and alumni office. The career center will have all types of resources for you and the alumni office might be able to connect you with an alum in your field. Or you can be like me and just start googling. I found out about this internship because I was looking through the Gardner Institute website to learn more about their mission, figured I’d check if they were hiring, and found their internship program. I would recommend starting to look up businesses or nonprofits with missions that speak to you and email inquiring if they are looking for an intern. If they aren’t, maybe you could snag a meeting with someone instead to talk about their career journey. The last place I recommend checking for an internship is if you are a part of a professional association or a national organization look to see if they offer any! So many of these organizations have internships and scholarships that go underutilized because people don’t know about them.

Don’t box yourself in when looking for internships, especially in undergrad experience is so important! If you start looking at internships that are a little bit outside of your comfort zone you can double the internships available to you. By looking at those that might seem a little different than your dream job you are creating an opportunity for yourself to expand your skill set. When it comes to job hunting, having a variety of experiences and skills might help you stand out from your peers. Since I came from a liberal arts background, having the opportunity to intern at a few very different places in undergrad helped me not only to learn how to do different things, but helped show me what I want and don’t want out of a job. I think learning about yourself can be just as valuable a takeaway from an internship as the skills themself.

When interviewing for an internship, they aren’t just interviewing you, you are interviewing them to see if you’ll get the experience you want. I would recommend asking questions about the work they want you to do and ask if there is any room in there for you to choose to focus on work you are drawn to. There will be tasks that aren’t your favorite, but you should find out if there is a way to ensure your work goals are also being met. Ask how the internship contributes to the goals of the company – are they looking to mentor young professionals or are they just trying to say they offer internships? I knew right away with the Gardner Institute that students were their mission, and they made it clear if I got the internship, we would collaboratively determine what work I would accomplish for them. Some internships might not check all your boxes, but personally having the autonomy to choose a few things to work on that matter to you can really make an internship.

In the end trust your gut. I’ve taken jobs before that I was wary of, and I should have listened to my gut and not taken them. If you don’t think it’s a good fit don’t feel like you have to do it. I knew when I was submitting my application for this internship that I wanted it. Once I interviewed, I knew this organization would create a great learning environment for whichever student was lucky enough to get it even if it wasn’t me. No matter if you get that internship or not, there are plenty of opportunities out there, you just have to be proactive and find them.

Thank you to all of those who have kept up with my blog throughout my internship – I look forward to reading about the next intern’s tales from the office and classroom!

Happy last blog! (or is it??)
Ally