Once you are set to begin your internship, how can you maximize your experience? Here are a few tips on how to make your internship the best it can be.

Before you arrive…

Goals and Expectations. It is helpful to begin your internship with a clear set of goals and expectations in mind. Re-evaluate your initial internship goals in light of the specific position you’ve been offered, as well as what you hope to contribute to the organization.

Background Knowledge. Before beginning your internship, try to ensure that you have a strong sense of your organization’s mission and how it works. Take the time to perform any additional background research on the organization and its industry.

While you’re there…

Professionalism. Make a point of demonstrating standards of professionalism throughout your internship experience. This not only ensures your effectiveness as an intern, but also demonstrates your commitment and dedication to the experience as well as your reliability as a valuable member of the organization.

Attitude. Maintaining a positive attitude is key to a successful internship experience. Be enthusiastic and do your best on every task you are assigned, even if at first it seems rather mundane and not as challenging as you might like. Demonstrating a cheerful and energetic attitude toward all of your work will prove impressive to your supervisors and potentially lead to more challenging tasks.

Initiative. Another way to facilitate an enriching experience is to be a proactive intern. There may be times when your supervisor does not have anything pressing for you to do. In such cases, offer to expand on a small project you have already been assigned, or suggest another project you think might benefit the organization.

Network. Introduce yourself and be friendly with colleagues and co-workers. Be curious about the people you work with, and ask questions about their specialty areas, interests, motivations for entering the field, and how they started out. You might indeed find a mentor willing to share experiences, perspectives, and offer career advice.

When it’s over…

Follow up. Follow up with an e-mail thank-you or a hand-written card in the mail to your supervisor. Stay in touch afterwards to maintain networking connections and good rapport for possible references and letters of recommendation. Remember that many organizations hire permanent employees from their intern pool.

Since Middlebury is known for it’s languages, many of you have backgrounds in Spanish, French, or Chinese,  or have even taken up linguistics. These language-related internships sound super interesting, and  may be the perfect match for a language-minded Midd kid. Head over to MOJO to read up on these positions or to apply today!

1. Business Planning and Development Intern at The Language Way in Ossing, NY

Deadline to Apply: April 20

The Language Way offers customized Spanish classes for organizations and individuals who need to service their clients professionally in Spanish; multinational corporations doing business abroad and/or interested in consolidating departments within North and South America have found their programs essential to meeting their goals and containing costs. In this internship you will work with the president of The Language Way and local small businesses to develop an effective business plan and marketing strategy for the company so they can grow their business to the next level. *Although this internship is unpaid, you can apply for funding from Middlebury at go/summerfunding.

2. Paid International Project Management Intern at Sprung Language Solutions in NYC

Deadline to Apply: April 30

If you are interested in international communications, then this may be the position for you! Working here would give you the chance to help Fortune-500 companies grow their international business, build your own career path, and participate in driving company policy. In this position, you will be responsible for searching for translators that meet Sprung requirements, screening applicants, trafficking new jobs to/from  translators, and conducting cross-language quality checks across all languages.

Now that you’ve locked down  your summer internship (Congrats :) ) there are few steps to consider when moving forward. Is your internship paid? Do you need housing? Does your employer require that you receive academic credit? Here are a few tid bits of information to answer all these questions (and more!) and to help you finalize your summer plans.

1. Housing: If you’re looking for summer housing, whether that be in DC, New York, Boston or elsewhere, there are plenty of resources to assist in the process. Colleges and Universities in major cities offer dorm leasing in the summer, and websites like Craigslist Housing, IRoommates.com and Apartments.com, allow you to search for housing world. To see a full list of resources, see here.

2. Applying for Funding: The Center for Education in Action awards funds to support unpaid summer internship in all fields! The final deadline to apply for funding is May 14–head over to go/summerfunding to submit an application today!

3. Academic Credit: If your employer requires that you receive academic credit for your summer internship, EIA suggests that you come into Career Services to speak with an advisor. Most likely, you will need to submit a transcript notation form found here. This notation does not fulfill any graduation requirements and may not be accepted by some companies/organizations, so it’s best if you speak to an advisor before moving forward.

4. Make the most of your summer! Summer internships are an excellent way to explore career or academic interests and connect with experts in that field. Build relationships, network, and get to know the people behind the organization–they will provide valuable and insightful advice and information for you as you move forward.

For all of you still struggling to lock down your summer plans, don’t lose hope yet! There’s still a lot out there to choose from–especially when it comes to the environmental studies opportunities. See below for a list of 6 very cool summer internships that involve farming, food advocacy, environmental justice, and research. Remember, you can still apply for funding for unpaid internships for the last and final time by May 14. To learn more about summer funding visit go/summer funding. Be sure to look at MOJO  to find out more and to apply!

Summer Internship Opportunities in Agriculture and Environmental Studies—Apply Now!

To learn more about these positions or to apply, visit MOJO today!

 1.       Food Activism Internship at Community Servings in Boston, MA

Deadline to Apply: April 13

Reporting directly to the CEO (Midd ’81, ’88), the intern will participate in a variety of activities within the agency–from working in the kitchen and delivering meals to sick clients, to shadowing the CEO in order to gain an understanding of the management of a complex nonprofit food program. Included will be a self-directed research project on high performing food programs throughout the US, with the opportunity to pitch ideas for expansion to the senior management team. *Although this internship is unpaid, you can apply for funding from Middlebury at go/summerfunding.

2.       Paid Sustainability Internship at Li & Fung USA in NYC

Deadline to Apply: April 13

Based in New York City, LF USA is North America’s fastest growing provider of consumer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions, and their internship program is an immersive 10-week paid program that provides rising junior and senior college students with hands-on experience in design, sales, marketing, production and various corporate functions. Responsibilities of the sustainability intern include implementing various green projects, managing and contributing to LF’s green site, organizing high profile green events, and more!

3.       Paid Food and Farm Intern at Vermont Youth Conservation Corps in Richmond, VT

Deadline to Apply: April 15

This hands-on experience allows interns to take part in all aspects of food production, from ecological soil management, plant propagation, to disease and pest control and raising pasture poultry. Interns will be responsible for daily chores and upkeep of the farm, and be active participants in CSA pick-ups and farmers market sales. Interns will be encouraged to work on individual projects focused on improving the farm, sustainable agriculture, education, or food justice, and be supported by the Food & Farm Coordinator in this initiative. This opportunity is available for graduating seniors as well as undergraduates.

4.       Paid Marketing and Production Intern at Marie Veronique Organics in Berkeley, CA

Deadline to Apply: April 15

Marie Veronique Organics is a natural, organic skin care company located in Berkeley and offers award-winning natural skin care. This intern position will report to the Director of Business Development and will include Online Marketing, Customer Service, and Production Support. This is an excellent opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a growing start-up in the green beauty industry, and the CEO is a Midd grad!

5.       Summer Intern at Heyday Farm in Bainbridge Island, Washington

Deadline to Apply: April 15

Heyday Farm is two newly renovated historic farms (25 acres total) on the south end of Bainbridge Island that is a hub for promoting sustainable agriculture in partnership with other local organizations. They are looking for an intern to actively participate in some or all of the following areas: Livestock care (poultry, pig, cattle), fence building, land clearing and soil preparation, greenhouse plant propagation, produce preparation (egg and chicken processing), record keeping, and ‘in-the-field’ training. *Although this internship is unpaid, you can apply for funding through Middlebury at go/summerfunding.

6.       Campus Sustainability Assessment Intern at the University of Chile in Santiago

Deadline to Apply: April 30

The University of Chile faculty has been working on a transversal sustainability initiative over the last 2 years that includes changes to the curriculum, promoting service learning and public workshops, and establishing a recycling program. This intern will propose and apply a methodology for comprehensive sustainability assessment, using the STARS system (https://stars.aashe.org/) and adapting it to the University. The impact of the intern’s work will be important for advancing sustainability on our campus and also for promoting sustainability on other Chilean campuses. *Although this internship is unpaid, you can apply for funding through Middlebury at go/summerfunding.

How to Start Your Search

Start finding the right internship for you by answering these questions:

• What interests you–Do you like photography? Journalism? Scientific research? Politics?
• What kind of internship are you looking for? How flexible are your hours?
• Do you need to earn money or could you work for free?
• What do you want out of an internship? Are there particular skills you want to learn? If you’d like experience in the legal field, do you research to know what types of opportunities are out there.
• Talk to other students who have interned before to get an idea of the variety of opportunities and also what to expect in the application process.

Use a Variety of Resources

Employers often advertise internship positions through various sources. Check their websites, head to MOJO and LACN, and other internship databases online.

If there’s a specific company or organization you’d like to work for, don’t be afraid to inquire directly. Even if they’ve never had an intern, you might be able to convince them they need one by being clear about how you could help.

Be sure to thoroughly research any organization before participating in its program.

• www.internshipprograms.com lets you browse by employer, field, date and location.
• www.goabroad.com/intern-abroad shows opportunities in different countries.
• www.idealist.org allows you to search for internships at nonprofits such as environmental groups.
• www.volunteerinternational.org lists volunteer opportunities abroad.

Still need some guidance on your internship search? Not sure where you’d best fit in as an intern?

Internships.com offers a internship predictor that can help you identify some of your strengths and preferences as you continue your search!

Here are some sample results from the internship predictor taken by a random student (okay, they’re my results). Find out your own results by taking the predictor at: http://www.internships.com/predictor

Here’s a recent list we compiled here at the Center for Education in Action of the top sites to use in your internship search!

1. EnvironmentalJobs.com
   www.environmentaljobs.com
   Comprehensive listing of jobs in environmental fields
2. Green Career Central
   www.greencareercentral.com
   There is a membership fee but some areas are free; good tips for career direction
3. Green Job Spider
   www.greenjobspider.com
   Highly focused search engine that daily indexes green jobs from “pre-approved” (reputable) reliable sources
4. Job Seeker
   www.jobseeker.com
   Comprehensive listing of green, natural resources and environmental opportunities
5. Idealist.org
   www.idealist.org
   Site focuses on issues of interest to nonprofit organizations and job seekers; includes listings for green careers with not-for-profits
6. LinkedIn
   www.linkedin.com
   A business networking site with a variety of job openings, many associated with green careers
7. New Grad Life
   www.newgradlife.blogspot.com
   Find free help on job search, resumes, interviews, with a great jobs board for new grads
8. SimplyHired
   www.simplyhired.com
   A great job search site that provides a salary tool
9. Sustainable Business
   www.sustainablebusiness.com
   Global news and networking opportunities for sustainable businesses; link to Dreamjobs.com.
10. ]Website lists additional options at http://www.northland.edu/job-search.htm

Additional Resources:

www.ed2010.com – marketing/magazine/publishing in NYC

www.jobmonkey.com – internships and p/t, summer jobs. Just a little off the beaten path.

www.indeed.com – good WebCrawler

Simplyhired.com (for corporate and government)

YouTern.com (for social media, non-profit and start-up opportunities)

Idealist.org (for non-profit)

Studentjobs.gov (for federal positions)

So ladies. You’ve started applying for internships. Maybe you’ve even secured a fantastic winter internship (Wintermship? Can we make that a “thing?” Please?). Somewhere in this process it’s probably dawned on you that jeggings and Bean boots might not be appropriate attire for the office. I know what you must be thinking. “But I just spent my birthday money/allowance/entire Crossroads paycheck on tickets to see Passion Pit! How will I afford a business casual wardrobe?” And more, existentially, “What is business casual, really? Do I really need to set foot in an Ann Taylor? All that mauve makes me uncomfortable.”

Don’t worry. Even though you’ve made a grave mistake (Passion Pit is terrible live. You’ll regret it. Also, Ann Taylor is under-appreciated. Give a sister a chance.) we’ve got you covered. Check out this article from HelloGiggles (which just might become your new favorite website if it isn’t already) for tips on how to dress all business casual-y on a college kid budget:

http://hellogiggles.com/business-casual-on-a-budget

Internships can be insightful, life-changing experiences, but not all internships are created equal. By identifying what you hope to get out of your experience and doing some research beforehand (i.e. finding out what exactly you’ll be doing on a daily basis) as well as creating realistic goals for your experience, you can make sure to find an internship that will be both useful in the long run and rewarding from day-to-day.

This article from GOOD Magazine’s recent series The GOOD Guide to Hustlin’, shines a little light on how to make sure an internship is right for you. Check it out as you continue your search this Thanksgiving break:

http://www.good.is/post/the-good-guide-to-hustlin-how-to-know-if-your-internship-is-worth-it/