Looking for an internship?

With my first article on this blog, I will write about a hot topic for the fellow students at the second year of their Master degree at WUR: internships!

A curricular internship is part of most of the Master programs offered at Wageningen University. Well, I consider it a great opportunity! It is a unique chance to have a first professional experience and especially to get acquainted with the whole process that leads to an application to a job and the selection process (and hopefully being hired).

Every year Wageningen University organizes a career event to help students and companies to meet each other.

Here I want to share with you guys some tips that I hope will help you find the internship you dream of every night (also, if you dream about internships go see a doctor):

• The first approach to find the internship of your dreams is asking yourself: what do I want to learn during this internship? Keep in mind that an internship is also meant to teach you something. So, my advice is to exploit this occasion before being set free into the jungle of fresh job seeking-graduates. If you decide in advance what you expect from your internship it will be way easier to find one and to narrow down your shortlist of potential employers.
• Write a shortlist of organizations of the private (companies) and public sector (research centers / universities / NGOs / other no-profit organizations) that could potentially offer you an internship that meets your interests and learning goals (see above). Don’t exclude anything!
• Check out the websites of the organizations of your shortlist. Look for vacancies or just send an open application. In case you wish to join an ongoing project at a public institution, send an email to the group leader or project manager to show your interest. Important: do not forget to attach your CV.

UPDATE YOUR CV!

• But please, make sure you just don’t send the same CV to all the positions you are applying to. Highlight those experiences that in your opinion can be relevant for the job. Also, make your friends read your CV and cover letters. That is a way to double-check them and they will be more objective than you in deciding whether they are well written and comprehensive of all your qualifications. If you feel like you are unqualified for the internship, don’t apply. Don’t waste your time (and the time of the HR’s).
• Do you have a LinkedIn profile? NO? DO IT NOW! Apart from being public profile of your qualifications, it is the best way to get in contact with potential employers. HR managers use LinkedIn a lot and companies advertise internship and job positions. Create a link to your LinkedIn profile in your CV!
• If you are a student of Wageningen University, you can request a free membership at KLV Wageningen Alumni Network (www.klv.nl). Apart from organizing seminars and workshops on job seeking strategies, they offer a wide range of tailor-made consultancies. They range from career support to how to make your CV glow like gold.
• Do not be afraid of asking for help! If you ask your professors for an advice on companies or public institutions for an internship or for a recommendation letter (usually for internships they are not required but you never know) they will be glad to help you!

GO TO THE CAREER EVENT!

• Every year Wageningen University organizes a career event to help students and companies to meet each other. This year the career event will take place on the 7^th of February. You can meet companies’ representatives, have a brief interview or lunch with them. I did not find my internship there (unlucky, right?) but a lot of my friends did! So, print a few copies of your curriculum, wear nice clothes and go networking like there’s no tomorrow.

That’s it for now! If I hope this was helpful. If you have other tips or if you want to share how you found an internship, please leave a comment below J

Good luck in finding an internship!

P.S 1: There is no money-back guarantee if the information provided here will not get you an internship. Sorry.

Claudio