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The Best Internships for College Juniors

Check out our tips and tricks for finding an internship during your third year.

As your third year of college rolls around, you’re pretty much adjusted to your school schedule and extracurricular activities. Junior year is a fantastic time to lay the foundation for your career and intern at places that build your skills and knowledge.

In what college year do you ideally go for internships?

While some students like to get the ball rolling early on, many students start their serious work experiences during junior year. You’re not the young freshman on campus and now have a more defined vision of your interests. Internship and job searches for college students usually start around junior year.

Best internships for third year students

Examples of the best/most popular internships for juniors:

Summer internships are also great for third year students who have more on their plate during the school year. Internships like Summer Analysts and Summer Researchers are super popular among third years.

How to search for junior internships

Four ways to search for a junior internship:

  1. Handshake: search your area for “junior internships” using Handshake’s easy job filtering feature
  2. University: browse your school’s job listing page or ask your professors if they know of any openings for junior internships
  3. Personal Network: reach out to classmates, professors, or upperclassmen in other majors and see if they have any advice or connections
  4. Handshake Network: search on Handshake for other students and alumni who have had junior internships that you’re interested in who can answer your questions about their job, how they liked it, and how to go about applying to something similar

How to get an internship as a college junior?

Many places hiring junior interns are looking for similar keywords in resumes, but what makes the right candidate is listing the skills that make you stand out.

List your past experiences

Even if you’ve never had an internship role, you definitely have skills from past experiences you can offer. From mentorships, volunteer roles, and school projects that you did–there are always skills you can pull from your life that apply.

Six soft skills that might make you a better candidate on your resume:

  1. Quick learner
  2. Natural leader
  3. Organized
  4. Accountable
  5. Detail oriented
  6. Collaborative

Technical skills

It’s likely this might be your first internship, but if it’s not then you may have some technical skills from previous jobs to add to your resume. It’s always a good idea to mention that you have strong industry specific skills, know how to manage projects, or have had experience leading and also being a teamplayer.

What should I write in my cover letter for a junior internship?

Besides your resume, your cover letter is another chance to really sell yourself as a future intern.

Three things you should include in your junior internship cover letter:

  1. Previous experiences (volunteer or extracurricular) and how they apply to the role you are applying for
  2. Why you’re passionate about and interested in working with them
  3. Specific examples of how you could contribute to their mission

Check out this article with proper formatting techniques and more in depth information about the perfect cover letter.

When is the best time to apply for a summer internship?

If you’re wondering when to apply for summer 2021 internships: the sooner that you apply, the better! If there’s a specific job you have in mind, start researching when they take applications and get in touch with them if you have questions about the process. A great time to start looking for summer 2021 internships might be during your winter or spring break as that will provide you with an ample amount of time to research and apply.

Many internships will ask for a resume, cover letter, and possibly a few letters of recommendation. It’s a great idea to prepare these documents now so you can save time and stress later!

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