<p>I'm an international freshman looking for an internship the summer after this year in Finance/ Marketing/ Accounting. I know freshman + international student + business-related internship = a lousy combination as far as internship opportunities go especially in this economic time, but I still want to at least give it a shot. </p>
<p>I'm willing to work unpaid, and location doesn't really matter cause I know I can't be picky at this stage. I just want to get some work experience and learn more about the organizational environment, how companies are run etc. </p>
<p>Can you guys give me a headstart on what I should do now to prepare for it, what source of information/ opportunity I should look at to increase my chance of getting an internship? My school's career services office doesn't really help, so I think I'll have to find opportunities by myself. I know that usually they recruit interns based on previous work experience and leadership. It's kinda tough for students seeking their first internship, cause I have zero work experience up to now. Do on-campus jobs help? any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Finally, what sorts of companies usually recruit interns, and what time of the year is best for internships? Winter/ spring break or summer?</p>
<p>Hi there, I’m not an accounting major, but my girlfriend is. She got a summer internship and job offer right after her junior year. Although gpa plays a big factor, you should do something that involves leadership, like join akpsi or beta alpha psi business fraternities. After the numbers game, everyone’s pretty much on equal ground, so just make sure you know how to be persuasive and genuine in an interview.</p>
<p>There’s no limit to what a Finance people can get in terms of internships.</p>
<p>1) Get a job NOW. I don’t care what it is. If you have an empty resume, leaderships skills, and a great GPA, they’ll give it to someone else who has a reference they can call.
2) Businesses:
U.S .Department of Commerce
AARP
FINRA
NBC
Genworth Financial
Any Embassy
EPA
Treasury Dept
Women for Women International
Citigroup Inc.
Fannie Mae
Freddie Mac
Any DC based Association/NGO/Nonprofit probably has a marketing internship</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestions. What kind of GPA would be considered good enough? I know GPA is not the only factor, and there’s no universal GPA cut-off point for internships and all that, but I just want to get a general idea of what range of GPA would likely get me qualified for further consideration.</p>
<p>
you mean she got an internship the summer after her first year? was the job offer from the same company? and I was considering joining the business fraternities in my school but what benefits will I get from that?</p>
<p>@AUTransfer: thanks for the list, but aren’t those companies a little hardcore for freshmen? I mean all the top candidates, usually upper class students with more experience and better credentials will be competing for those spots. I think realistically I should at smaller firms?</p>
<p>I got another question. Would companies offering these kinds of internships look at my course load and see what business-related I am taking/ have taken? after freshman I will have taken a couple of Economics courses, lower division courses in Accounting, Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship. I won’t be allowed to take Finance until my sophomore or junior year. Would that be nearly enough? I don’t have a lot of work experience so I guess course load **</p>
<p>hey there-
I got a finance internship at a major international bank the summer after freshman year. It was unpaid, but the trick to getting internships is just contacting the people in the department directly. Be proactive. Tell them that you’re willing to work without pay. Show a lot of initiative. </p>
<p>Grades aren’t actually that important. I actually left my GPA entirely off the resume. I think the banks look at (1) your SAT score [I hate a 2400, which my interviewer loved] and (2) your school / your activites at school.</p>
<p>Also, be prepared to provide names of recommenders</p>
<p>I know this is an old post, but I know a company that has marketing/accounting internships for this winter. (paid) Only in certain cities though…</p>
<p>DS was able to get a paid internship in finance at a major company for the summer after freshman year by signing up during the fall semester for daily email alerts from a dozen different job boards and using those alerts to apply for dozens of positions. He was contacted right after the new year for interviews which he scheduled for his spring break.</p>
<p>The best postings seemed to be on SimplyHired, Monster, and Indeed. Be sure to have your school’s career center look over your resume first. They may have some formatting suggestions or recommend buzzwords that the recruiters look for. Best of luck!</p>