Most college students have heard of the quintessential summer internship. It’s a great opportunity to get some “real world” experience, network with professionals, and see if a field is the right fit for you. Summer isn’t the only time you can gain this experience: you can also snag an awesome opportunity for this fall.
Not sure what kind of internships are available and the best ways to go about landing one? Professionals from Campus Philly, Allen & Gerritsen, and USLI spoke about the fall opportunities they are offering and all of the fall internship perks. Each of them provided career-specific advice that will help you succeed in the certain field.
Campus Philly
Roger Estes, Creative Manager at Campus Philly, is offering a 12-month paid graphic design internship for undergraduates and recent graduates starting in the fall. Responsibilities will include creating images for the website, event campaigns, CollegeFest, and fall career events.
“One perk to being an intern at Campus Philly is that you’re working on highly visible projects. For fall and spring, both of our interns had a lot of work published in the Insider Guide, and that’s an 80,000 copy run.”
If you’re interested in this or similar graphic design internships, Roger suggests that applicants keep their cover letter concise.
“I wouldn’t write more than two paragraphs for the cover letter. I’ve gone through a number of hiring processes for both interns and full-time people. You just don’t have time to read a five paragraph cover letter.”
Applying and interviewing for internships can be an overwhelming process for anyone, no matter what the industry. Roger provided two pieces of simple advice.
“Just get yourself out there. Show some personality so you don’t just blend in.”
Allen & Gerritsen
Kelly Poulson, the Vice President of Talent and Operations at Allen and Gerritsen, described the differences between the summer and fall internship programs at her company.
“For our summer internship, we usually have a larger group that collaborates on an intern project together. In the fall, we’ve got a smaller crew whose efforts are more broadly focused.”
This fall, A&G is launching a new program called the A&G Apprenticeship and will act as a “crash course in advertising.” The six-month apprenticeship will include a rotation in business leadership, new business and marketing, and strategy.
“Our intent will be to give this person an opportunity to work on projects, find mentors, learn the ropes and, at the end of it, figure out what role within A&G would be right for them. If we’re unable to hire them full time at the end of six months, we hope to help them land at a dream job elsewhere.“
Philly can get snowy in the winter but don’t let the inclement weather deter you from taking an internship. Oftentimes, supervisors are flexible and understand if you can’t get into the office.
“Everyone here has a laptop and the ability to work from home. Most of us don’t work from home 100% of the time because we believe that something special comes out of our in person collaborations. But when it storms, our philosophy is be safe. We don’t want to put you in a situation where you are stressed out,” Poulson said.
Lastly, Poulson offered her best strategy to finding an internship.
“Find a company that you’re really interested in. Then, start to reach out to some of their people, whether it be on LinkedIn or some other way to ask questions and learn more about the organization.”
USLI
Instead of offering fall internships, USLI does something a little bit different: they offer year-round internships. Kate Mulvey, the Assistant Vice President and Team Leader for the College Help Program at USLI, explained that if you apply to be an intern at USLI in your sophomore year and if you get accepted, you can stay until you graduate.
“The perks are that they are going to be learning what full-time people are doing. They’re contributing to the team just as if they were a full-time employee. So we have them doing pretty extensive projects.”
Mulvey stressed the importance of having strong time-management skills to balance school and internship work. She understands that interns who work during the school year are often less available than during the summer.
“During the semester, we ask that they work a minimum of 12 hours, but they can work up to 29 hours per week. It varies for each student depending on their school schedule.”
If you are interested in working at USLI, reach out to the company directly. Mulvey often recruits students for internships by going to local campuses and speaking to student organizations and business fraternities.
