Our Best Advice on How to Find and Rock Internships

Here's our best advice on finding and rocking internships in high school and college, plus helpful search sites and a video from a student who's been there.

From the elusive freshman year internship to summer programs abroad to that senior year gig that just might lead to your first post-grad job, internships never go out of style—which explains why we’re always talking about them! We have more internship tips than we knew what to do with, so we compiled our top articles and best advice for finding and rocking that job, wherever it might be. We also put together our favorite internship resources outside of CollegeXpress. So take a look, then start applying (yourself)!

Where to find internships

  • AfterCollege: Search for open internship and entry-level positions, get found by hiring companies, and connect with employers directly.
  • One Day, One Job: A Cornell University grad created this blog to profile companies around the country that are hiring at internship and entry levels. You can search for internship and entry-level opportunities too.
  • InternMatch: One of the biggest internship search sites. And they have a helpful blog too.  
  • Idealist: The internship search with a nonprofit bent, Idealist can connect you not just with internships but volunteer opportunities and action groups. And when it comes to gaining applicable experience, those can be just as good as (if not better than) a traditional “internship.”
  • Indeed.com: Don’t discount good ol’ Indeed. This no-frills job search aggregator lists plenty of internships, is easy to use, and gets the job done.
  • Internships.com: Really, it's right there in their name.
  • Personal Branding Blog: Expert insights for students who want to learn about self-advocacy, both in the admission process and when looking for a job.
  • The Muse: It’s hard to stop clicking through the personalized work tips, job postings, educational resources, and inspirational posts from these seriously savvy young professionals.
  • WayUp: Just for college students and recent grads, this site can connect you with internships and entry-level jobs. 

How to land an internship

Work tips for interns

  • Types of College Internships and What They're Really Like: Guess what: internships are not about being the office errand runner. Here's what you should actually expect. 
  • A Quick List of Important Internship Do's and Don'ts: Internships are an exciting time in your academic career, and it's within your power to ensure you have an amazing experience. Just follow these do's and don'ts to make sure you fully benefit from all of your hard work.
  • Top 10 Tips for Your First Job: While there are plenty of differences between student positions (like internships and cooperative education) and full-fledged employment, there are certain pieces of advice that will help you standout (in a good way) and stay ahead.
  • How to Prepare Your Social Media for the Job Search: These days having a robust presence on social media is expected. You want people to find you! And you want them to like what they see. So here's how to prep your social platforms for this purpose.
  • How to Balance Homework and Internships in High School: You may be one of the lucky ones who's snagged an internship as early as high school. That's awesome! But be prepared to put in the work. Here's a guide to help you balance your school responsibilities with your new internship.
  • How to Turn an Internship Into a Full-Time Job: One of the biggest tips you can take advantage of is remembering that your internship could become your career. Here's how to do it if you're internship is the job of your dreams.

Advice from an experienced intern

Student vlogger J'Nae has more advice on finding internships in high school. Watch her video below:


We've compiled our top-tier content for other topics too, like writing application essays and paying for college. Check them out using the tag "our best advice."

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