Additional Resources and Advice
Career Services Resources
Finding an internship is a job search process! For more information about the job search process, including how to use informational interviewing as a search tool, see our Job Search Process handout.
Get ideas by using the Career Services Internship Database to search through past internships. (From Career Services click on the “Internship Application for Academic Credit” link on the homepage and log in using your Boise State username and password.) Select your department Sociology and browse through the descriptions of internships other students in your major have done.
Your internship should be as closely related to your post-graduation career goals as possible. If you don’t know your career goal yet, one resource to use in exploring your options is “What Can I do With This Major?” available from the Career Services homepage.
You can also meet with a Career Counselor to take a career assessment and explore what type of career and internship you should be pursuing. See the Career Planning handout for additional web resources and information.
More Resources
Similar to the Career Center “What Can I do With This Major?” resource above, What You Can Do With A Sociology Degree is a resource that is helpful to explore when thinking about your post-education career goals as a Sociology, Social Science, or Ethnic Studies major.
Handshake is a good resource for searching for posted internship opportunities. Remember when you look that you are only seeing postings from companies recruiting at that exact time, so get in the habit of checking Handshake regularly so you see new opportunities as they come up.
Advice
Use the Internship Database to get ideas of companies you’d be interested in interning for. Select your department and browse the internships other students in your major have done, or if you’re already interested in a specific company, find it in the Organization drop down menu to see what kinds of internships that company has had. Develop a list of target companies and check their websites for information on internships. But,
- DO NOT limit yourself to posted internships! Most internships students complete were never posted, which is why it’s important to start by deciding what you want to do and identifying companies to pursue. Just because a company doesn’t have internships currently posted, it doesn’t mean they don’t offer internships or wouldn’t offer one.
- Conduct informational interviews. This is where you would contact someone working at a company of interest and ask questions to gather information about the company and their needs. Even more important, informational interviewing is the best strategy for getting in the door to talk to the company when you’re looking for internships, and also allows you to expand your professional network. For in-depth information about informational interviewing, see the Job Search Process handout.
- Pitch an idea. Research your companies of interest, explore what needs they might have that you could help address for them as an intern, develop an idea for an internship, and pitch it to them. Companies you find in the internship database are good places to start, because you know they might be more receptive to the idea of an intern. You can do this with any company of interest, though. Non-profit organizations are great places to use this approach as well since they rely heavily on the initiative of interns and volunteers to further their organization’s goals.
- Have a strong resume ready. Your resume should highlight your relevant skills, experiences, and activities, and should be targeted to the internship you’re applying for. You may also be asked for a cover letter. For full information on how to create these, see our Resume and Cover Letter handouts.
- Be aware of if you are in a major that has a different internship process. While the vast majority of students will use the process described here, there are a few majors (mainly the professional programs such as Education or Social Work), that have a different process for how you get set up with your internships/field experiences. If you’re not sure, talk to an adviser in your department.