How to prepare for internship season

As the spring approaches, one of the top concerns for Newhouse graduates and undergraduates alike is finding an internship. For graduate students, this is especially stressful because an internship is a required part of the program. As someone who had trouble finding news internships in the past, here are some tips and tricks I used to get an internship.

Keep your LinkedIn up to date 

Make sure you keep your LinkedIn current with all your recent and ongoing professional events. You never know when someone could be scrolling through your profile and might want to offer you something. You could miss out on an opportunity and not be aware of it because you neglected to update your profile.  This includes keeping your résumé up to date.

Have someone look at your résumé and critique it

Something I’ve learned in the past few months is that your résumé could probably be improved. It’s always useful to pass it on to someone else to get their feedback on it. I asked my mom to look over mine. When she got back to me, she found a number of errors that, while small, could make a bad impression. There are people in the Newhouse Career Development Center who would likely be willing to take a look at it if you ask for help.

Reach out to your professors

It’s good to have a positive and close relationship with your professors, as they can often help you expand your network. Ask them if they know of any internships or job positions available. Having a professor to speak with can also help with getting work published. During my time here, various professors have helped me to get work published at publications such as The NewsHouse. One of them even took the time to go through the story, correcting it and offering suggestions.

Reach out personally

While it can be difficult to do for a larger company, if you are applying for a position at a smaller local outlet, making the call yourself to ask if they have any openings or positions for a freelancer can endear you to a potential employer. I got m first internship at a local paper in my town through calling the editor, showing some of my clips  and setting up a meeting with him. It can be hard to do, but making that first step by just calling yourself can show initiative.

Headshot of Jalen Wade
Jalen Wade

Jalen Wade is a graduate student in the magazine, news and digital journalism program at the Newhouse School.