<p>Hi, parents. I need help deciding whether it would worthwhile applying anywhere with my qualifications.</p>
<p>I don't have any particularly exciting volunteer experiences to my name, just your typical community service organizations. I also haven't had any leadership positions (I am more the dependable member type that consistently shows up). I haven't held any research positions or anything with a fancy title, and my work history just includes several jobs in the retail and food service industry. Would this at least show that I do have experience working in a busy work environment and interacting with people?</p>
<p>That depends a lot on what field you want to go into. In politics for instance, everyone is desperate for volunteers and will gladly give you the title of intern if you show up regularly. In places like engineering, or finance however, the selection process is far more rigorous. Where are you thinking about directing your energies?</p>
<p>A “real” internship (as in, an internship which required an application and probably an interview, assigns specific duties and assignments to the intern, and expects that the intern carries them out as responsibly as a permanent worker - NOT the kind of internship where a parent/parent’s friend lets a kid wander around and get coffee for adults in a business for 8 weeks) shows initiative, career interest, and responsibility. Apply for the internships you’re actually interested in - if you do something solely to pad your resume, it’s going to look like you did it solely to pad your resume. A paid internship is better than a “volunteer” internship because paid internships are usually competitive to get and require you to actually do things - not just to be a “gopher”.</p>
<p>ETA: I’m not looking to pad my resume or carry coffee. I want to reinforce or deny whether my career goal is something that I really want to get into.</p>
<p>I think it would definitely be worth your while to apply for internships, particularly if you will be a senior next year. If you don’t believe your resume is worthy of an internships, how will you be confident in your ability to find a job when you graduate? Even if you don’t find a placement, the experience of applying and interviewing will be good practice.</p>
<p>You have community service and paid work experience. Both are excellent additions to every resume. At our son’s school, student resumes also typically include GPA and some info on key coursework taken that might be applicable to the desired position.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the lack of leadership. Simply emphasize the strengths that you do bring to the table.</p>
<p>“and my work history just includes several jobs in the retail and food service industry.”</p>
<p>Any paid employment is a big plus. Prospective internship employers know that to handle a paid job, one must be responsible and highly motivated. People paying for you to work aren’t likely to keep paying you unless you’re dependable and providing good service. That’s not necessarily true of volunteers.</p>
<p>Put down all of your retail and food service industry jobs. Holding down a job means that you can show up on time, learn the processes and procedures of the establishment, get along with other people and follow orders. It also means that you have a little experience with administration (filling out tax forms).</p>
<p>I’m going to echo a lot of the comments here. Internships are a way to demonstrate responsibility and dependability. In addition, its simply one of the best ways to learn about a profession and make new connections.</p>
<p>If anything, the interview will be great practice for you. Remember, its an opportunity for you to ask questions and learn about a company too.</p>
<p>Our son applied for an internship a few months ago (still waiting to hear back from them) and it was fun doing the prep work. I found a bunch of interviewing videos with instructions and mock videos for dos, don’ts, etc. We also do at least one trial run and I provided feedback (I’ve had a lot of public speaking training and interviewing experience).</p>
<p>Your career center should provide these services.</p>
<p>Because of the economy, this is not a good year for internships. </p>
<p>So don’t just apply to one internship – apply to everything you can find that is even remotely connected to your interests. And if you can afford it, include unpaid internships on your list.</p>
<p>My daughter has already applied to about 30 internships and doesn’t know whether she will get even one offer. This is par for the course unless you have connections at a particular company or organization.</p>
<p>As previous posters have mentioned, work experience is a plus on a resume, and in some cases can outweigh the GPA. If you have any work experience, definately include it!</p>
<p>As posters like Marian above noted, internships are incredibly difficult to find. Apply to as many as you can which you think are relevant. You never know what you’ll find.</p>
<p>I’ve seen CC’ers post on these boards before about programs that help you find summer internships. You may want to give one of those a shot. I know the WSJ recently had an article about these things (which was received both positively and negatively by posters here). There should be some credibility to these programs if the WSJ is giving it a shout out.</p>
<p>Has anyone here had any direct experience with any of these programs?</p>