An internship is just like an apprenticeship.
In both cases, the young or inexperienced study under an expert to learn a skill.
The only difference is that interns spend their time learning in a more business like environment.
Almost every university in America requires students to complete some form of an internship.
And if the school doesn't, many employers in white collar professions prefer applicants with earlier internship experience.
So conducting an internship search is pretty much inevitable for college students.
When you're able to find the perfect internship to increase experience in your specific field of interest, it's extremely valuable.
But the internship search itself isn't always so easy.
Often because young adults don't know the best places to look.
Some places college students and graduates may not think to conduct their internship search are: SearchTempest.
com If you like Craigslist, you'll love this website.
SearchTempest.
com compiles search results from any and every city in Craigslist's database.
Users have full control over where results come from.
Even better is that there are two categories that'll help your internship search.
Both the Jobs and the Gigs categories can yield opportunities.
Type in a search term or keyword to wean out irrelevant results.
You also have the option to only display paid jobs or gigs.
Indeed.
com Indeed.
com is a website that most people use to find job listings.
But college students and graduates can also use Indeed for an internship search.
The beauty of Indeed is that so many businesses use it to find employees.
There's ALWAYS new job listings to apply to.
From the home page, just type a few words that describe what you're looking for.
If location is important, enter a zip code to show local results only.
For those who can travel for an internship, simply type internship into the What box and search.
Basically every internship available through Indeed.
com will show up.
Jackpot! Elance.
com This is one of those places I never would've thought to look on an internship search.
But you'd be surprised at how many legitimate companies outsource talent through Elance.
Elance orders listing by industry category.
Find the one that your skills or field of interest will most likely fall under.
You can try typing intern into the search box, or you could sift through the individual postings for opportunities.
I've run across several clients who are eligible to offer college credit.
Local Businesses Some times the places right under your nose are as far as you need to look.
Check with local businesses and organizations to see if they can create an intern spot for you.
Businesses rarely pass up the chance to hire an unpaid intern.
So if money isn't a big deal for you, this is probably the easiest way to end your internship search.
Your Own Job Very few young adults think to ask their own employer about internship opportunities.
It's almost common sense when you think about it.
A college student who's already proven dependability with their employer is highly likely to snag an internship if one is available with the company.
Even if your employer doesn't already have any internship opportunities available, look into creating one.
Hopefully, you can keep your current wages.
Your Dream Employer This one is for the truly ambitious types.
The faint of heart wouldn't think twice about it.
Approach your dream employer personally about becoming an intern with the company.
You may not necessarily have to speak with the boss.
If you are able to speak with a department manager, that's great.
Not many show up to ask for an internship face to face.
It goes a long way to prove your initiative and gumption, something employers love in interns.
If one of these internship search destinations don't work, try another.
The Law of Averages supports you here.
The more effort you put into making your internship search a success, the more likely you are to find the best opportunity for you.