Internships & Fellowships

It is difficult to find something if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Start with an idea of some of the qualities that you prefer in a job or internship before beginning your search. Homing in on an industry or particular company, a skill you hope to obtain, or a preferred region can help determine your search terms and might dictate what resources you use to identify positions. 

• Make an appointment to discuss your options with a career adviser.

Knowing about career fields will allow you to effectively target your application materials and prepare to interview in that industry. Employers prefer candidates who can articulate their understanding of an industry, organization, and position, and who can sell their skills and experiences directly to those features. If you are unable to do that, it may be time to circle back to the previous step.

• Explore majors and careers using our online resources.
• Make an appointment to discuss how to use our various exploration tools.

Internship searches are time-intensive and energy-consuming, especially if this is your first experience through this process. Block time in your schedule to write compelling résumés and cover letters, network, and search for and apply to positions before applications are due. Partner with Career Services to develop a personalized action plan to get started and move forward.

• Make an appointment to discuss action planning.

The most successful job and internship applications are targeted toward a particular industry, organization, and role. Learn to write targeted résumés, cover letters, networking correspondences, and thank you notes. It’s a competitive market, and other applicants are taking the time to do so.

• Check out our online workshops and guides to start composing your documents.
• Attend an in-person workshop.
• Make an appointment to have your application materials reviewed by a career adviser or a peer adviser. Our advisers can also help you understand what “targeting” means.

Join the official Colgate University Group on LinkedIn and tap your personal network (e.g., friends, family, faculty, past employers) to connect to individuals who can provide you with a first-hand perspective of a field or employer. The goal in building these relationships is to gain information that will inform a search, not to be offered a position.

Unfortunately, there is no single website that lists all available jobs and internships. The sites and search functions will vary depending on your preferred career field, region of interest, and type of work. Speak with an adviser to become familiar with different job search tools, and determine which is the most helpful for you. Check back often to find new opportunities of interest, and continue to send applications until you secure a position. 

• Make an appointment to discuss which resources might be most beneficial.
• Look at our industry resource pages for some Colgate-specific and external online search resources.
• Search Colgate Handshake to find internships and jobs.

Develop a prospect list of employers, including obvious and more obscure options. 

For instance, if you're interested in media you may explore news outlets, radio stations, television networks, publishing houses, marketing firms, PR firms, or advertising firms. But also check out communications or promotions offices in large companies, nonprofit organizations’ outreach, political campaigns, human resources departments, public research interest groups, and brand management firms. 

Think creatively about how employers might meet your needs, and expand your notion of what it means to work in your field of interest.

Once you've developed an initial target list:

1. Go to company or organization websites to apply for positions.
2. Reach out to Colgate alumni and your personal contacts at those organizations — this is where maintaining your network will pay off.
3. Stay tuned in to employers visiting campus.
4. Follow your companies of interest on social media.
5. Continue to identify similar companies that you might incorporate into your target list.

• Make an appointment to learn how to develop or supplement an existing target list.
• Keep using the searches in Colgate Handshake to identify new opportunities.

You’ve found and applied for positions — now land the job. Practice your interviewing skills, brush up on thank you note etiquette, notify your references, and learn how to negotiate your terms with employers.

• View our online workshops and guides page for detailed information about interviewing and thank you notes.
• Make an appointment for a mock interview, to have thank you notes reviewed, or to learn about salary and benefit negotiation.
• Be sure to thank those who helped you arrive at this opportunity.

Now that you have landed at an employer, get started on the right path and keep growing professionally. Set mutual expectations, determine how to obtain feedback, and ask questions of your supervisor. You will be expected to ask questions when needed — it is part of the learning process and will expedite your growth. Graciously express your interests and ways that you can add value to colleagues. Take advantage of opportunities to learn and contribute.

• Learn new skills
• Take ownership of your work
• Maintain your existing network and continue to grow it within your new organization
• Perform above and beyond

Enhance your experience by supplementing your job or internship with additional opportunities to expand your skills and gain relevant experience — conduct informational interviews, volunteer, job shadow, take a paid summer job, enroll in academic courses, or travel.