This weekend, my younger son and I started looking for summer jobs – for him mostly, though I wouldn’t say no to a camp counselor job or maybe something selling fruity gelato and sorbet.  We looked online of course – CraigsList is our first stop – and also went to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market.

I made him practice a few things – and pointed out the importance of creating a “cheat sheet” of names and phone numbers of the places he’s worked before. And I tried to coach him a little on what to wear and what attitude to put on to impress a shop owner or a farmer / sales person.

He’s not seeking an internship, just part-time work. But I want him to treat it as seriously as a full-time internship, which provides valuable work experience – and contacts in the intern’s chosen field. They also provide experience in different work environments – and aside from pay, three in 10 marketing professionals believe that is their most important role for students.

Internships also improve thes “soft skills” and technical knowledge, according to a Creative Group telephone survey of 250 advertising and marketing executives who work at the largest agencies and other companies.

The Creative Group, which places people in temp and permanent marketing jobs, offers some advice for landing an internship.Here’s an outtake of their tips:

·        Put on the polish. Your cover letter, resume and portfolio should be professional and without error. Likewise, your attire for for the interview.

·        Show your independent side. Many firms are stretched thin, so demonstrating an ability to work without much direct supervision can be a plus.

·        Emphasize your social media skills. Many firms seek professionals to help launch compelling e-marketing initiatives. If you’re a whiz with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, you could have an advantage.

For more advice on finding a great internship,  I checked outInternWeb.com. InternWeb offers free internship postings, and some good advice on developing a “power resume” and developing some experience through volunteer work and school projects and organizations. See all five strategies for landing “your dream internship.”

Please check my previous posts here at WorkingKind on a teen’s first resume and other internship advice.

As part of my youth jobs and nonprofit support company, Mity Nice, we will launch a series of job hunt tips for teens in about a week. They likely  will appear first on Mity Nice’s Facebook page and then will be gathered here somehow. My plan is to offer one a day, five days a week, for six or seven weeks – it’s ambitious, I know, but how else to help out young people who want jobs?

Bankrate.com via the Boston Globe offers 15 steps toward an internship – from tapping your professors and parents to introducing yourself to speakers at events – but the advice would have been more relevant in January.

And my advice to my son, on searching CraigsList jobs and gigs is simple – start by doing a word search using “summer” and then go to three to five categories and look at most of the listings.  Many won’t be appropriate and some may be bogus, but there are great possibilities there. Like our gardens in spring, we must look for the new shoots of beans, broccoli and sage and water and fertilize them — and throw out the weeds.

Note: This piece originally appeared on April 20, 2009, before my blog was hijacked. I’m reposting it here in hopes that it will be useful. It’s been updated – and the MityNice teen tips will be even more up to date starting right around May 1.

Note: This post appeared originally on WorkingKind on April 1, 2009. The advice is still worthwhile so here it is for this year’s internship seekers:

If you – or your roommate, your daughter or son or nephew – are dragging their feet on going after a summer internship, here’s three good reasons to jump into one:

1. Interns often end up as the first people hired after the cutbacks stop.

2. Students who have had internships before are likely to earn more this summer, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

3. Interns this summer will earn more than last year – a 5 percent increase, according to NACE’s new research.  That means average pay of $15.93 to $18.26 an hour – much better than they’ll get at the  ice cream stand or amusement park.

The NACE research comes from surveys of 318 employers that are its members – they indicate that one-third of their college graduate hires last year were former interns. NACE contacts employers every year to ask about hiring prospects and pay – and its research gives a good benchmark for college hiring.

Yes, there are far fewer internship openings this year than in previous summers - NACE estimates a 21 percent reduction from the 2008 levelels. This reflects the lower workloads and layoffs that have claimed millions of full time jobs.

And yes, it’s late to get started on an internship search. But it’s not impossible. And many of those workplaces that laid people off in January may find by May or June that they’re short handed and need some extra help.

Here’s a Working item I wrote for the Washington Post in May 2007 that gives some smart advice on the last-minute internship:

College classes are winding down and summer internships heating up. Yet for some last minute lookers, it’s not too late to land an internship. Many organizations in and around Washington – - from the Consumer Electronics Association to Marvelous Market to some marketing firms- were advertising for for youthful talent and energy within the last week. And at some large corporations, which typically choose their interns in March or April, some inters will drop out at the last minute, leaving room for latecomers to slide in, said Mark Oldman, Vault.com’s co-founder. Vault publishes information on careers. That’s how Oldman ended up interning at MTV more than a decade ago while studying at Stanford University. “I was burning to work at MTV” with Downtown Julie Brown. Yet the music network didn’t choose him. Still, after classes ended, he called to see if there was any other work possibility, and the hiring manager told him that one intern hadn’t worked out and they wanted him to step in. “I was an internship junkie,” he said, completing six in college. Oldman, who is author of ” Vault’s Guide to Top Internships,” says finding a department head who hires her own interns – instead of relying on human resources managers – may be another door in if you’re running late. And he suggests the “create your own internship” plan. Identify nine or 10 intriguing people who are doing worthwhile or intruing work and write each one a personal letter offering to be their research assistant or intern. The letter must be customized to that person’s specific work and explain “why you’re excited to work with them.” “It shows initiative,” said Oldman, who notes that Vault still has internships to fill in New York.

-Vickie Elmer

So what are you waiting for? There’s still plenty of  time  and more than a few opportunities to find your summer internship.

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Here’s five new resources on landing a great internship this summer:

• Homework is key in the world of competitive internships. My Washington Post piece from Jan. 24, 2010
• How to Land the Internship You Want. Forbes magazine has tips and photos from last spring.
• “College Students: Do This – Get Hired!” a short book by recruiter Mark Lyden offers excellent advice and insider tips.
• The Riley Guide’s internships page offers many other resources and organizations - http://www.rileyguide.com/intern.html
• DCinternNet.  Sign up for the free daily e-tip and list of internships with deadlines soon, or view them online.

Note: I hold the copyright to my Washington Post articles and much of my other writing. If you’d like to republish a piece on your website, please contact me for details and rates.