Internships: How to Find, Apply, and Register for Internships
How to Find, Apply, and Register for Internships. 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, contact sociology department Internship Coordinator Desiree Brunette at DesireeBrunette@boisestate.edu
Steps to Getting an Internship:
1. Decide what you want to do
2. Seek out internship opportunities and apply
3. Register for academic credit
Step 1: Deciding what you want to do. Just like jobs, most internship opportunities are not posted, and the majority of students obtain their internships through making direct contact with the company. This means you can’t just browse postings to see what you’re interested in; you have to figure out what kind of experience you want to gain (and where) before you start.
Get ideas by using the Sociology Internship Data base or speak with the departments Administrative Internship Coordinator to search through past internships.
Select Sociology and fill out the form.
Your internship should be as closely related to your post-graduation career goals as possible. Click on examples of possible internships our students have done in the past for ideas.
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.
Step 2: Seeking out opportunities and applying. There are many different ways to get an internship. You can apply to companies with a formalized internship program, you can seek out companies who hire interns as they come but don’t recruit for them, or you can create your own internship.
Research companies you may be interested in interning with. Develop a list of target companies and check their websites for information on internships. DON’T 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. More importantly, 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.
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.
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.
Step 3: Registering for academic credit. Once you have secured an internship with a company, you may then begin the registration process. You can earn 1 credit for each 45-50 hours of work. Sociology, Social Science, and Ethnic Studies requires a 3 credit internship. To determine whether or not an opportunity can be considered for academic credit, you must review your opportunity with your department internship coordinator.
The coordinator must first evaluate the work you are doing to ensure it meets department guidelines and help you decide how many credits the internship should be assigned. Once you have identified your internship and are ready to register for the internship course, you will need to complete an online application. Complete the Online Internship Application by clicking on the “Internship Application for Academic Credit” link found on the Career Services web page. Once on the Gain Experience page, on the right of the page click on Internship Application for academic credits. Log in using your Boise State username and password and follow the directions. If you have question contact the Sociology Department Internship Coordinator.
1.Click on the plus (+) sign next to the “Internship Application for Academic Credit” option on the left side menu, and then click on “Create Application” to begin your application. If you do not see the option to “Create Application,” contact the sociology department.
2. Enter all required information, and then click SUBMIT. (If you do not have all the information, you can hit SAVE and come back to it at another time, but remember, it is not submitted until you hit SUBMIT.)
3. Once submitted, the application will be sent to your department internship coordinator for approval. He/she will get an email notification asking them to approve your internship.
4. Once approved by your department internship coordinator, it will then be sent via email to your supervisor at the place you’re doing your internship for approval.
5. Once approved by the organization supervisor, it will be sent via email to the Registrar’s Office and the approved internship course will be added to your class schedule in myBoisestate (Student Center). Please note that you will NOT be registered for your internship course until your department internship coordinator and organization supervisor approve your internship application.
Complete the Online Orientation Workshop before beginning your internship for academic credit. You are required to complete a very short online orientation workshop and quiz. To access the online orientation workshop and quiz, follow the same instructions to complete the application.
1.Click on the (+) sign next to “Internship Application for Academic Credit” on the left side menu.
2. Click on “View Online Orientation Workshop” to watch the short YouTube video. After you finish watching the video, you will be prompted to take a quiz.
3. Complete the 10 question quiz and click “Submit”. You may also print your quiz.
Still have questions about the internship process or need further assistance? Contact the Sociology Department Internship Coordinator Desiree Brunette at DesireeBrunette@boisestate.edu