While Christmas may never actually come in July, those elusive June-through-August internships should definitely be on your mind well before December. This may sound crazy to some, but rest assured, this early selection process is a growing in popularity among larger companies. And given the large talent pool in the Greater New York City area, recruiters need as much time as possible to sift through the hundreds of resumes they receive for these coveted summer internships.
With that being said, it is not uncommon for summer internship application deadlines to fall on December 31st or earlier, and first-round interviews to take place in January. It is extremely important that you are aware of this. In a standard four-year undergraduate career, you get three summers to use as wisely as possible. How you used your “summer vacation” (or, more importantly, didn’t) will be scrutinized by future employers come time for the full-time job search. Gaps in your resume, even as an undergraduate student, are not attractive to employers. Don’t let missed application deadlines cause this unfortunate situation.
So start looking today! Go to the CDS website and see what internship postings are out there. Go to companies’ websites and find their internship page. Talk to upperclassmen to find out when they applied for their internships. Do the research and be well-prepared. It doesn’t matter if you are a freshman seeking your first professional experience or a junior looking to squeeze in a final internship before graduation. Either way, don’t delay.
This article is brought to you by NJIT’s Young Alumni Club (YAC). Got a question or suggestion for YAC? Want to know how we landed internships? Send us an email at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
By Billy Barry ‘13
