Career Services

Finding internships

There are many effective ways to find internships. The most successful internship-seekers devote time and energy to search using a variety of strategies and refuse to give up if at first they don’t find what they’re looking for. Below are some proven ways to locate internship opportunities.

Talk to people

Contacts

  • Fact – Many jobs are found through networking.
  • Advice – Attend networking events, talk to your professors and use LinkedIn’s “Find Alumni” tool to find people to do informational interviews with. HuskyLanding, a resource specifically for the UW community, is an excellent resource as well!

Job & internship fairs

  • Fact – We host fairs every autumn and spring with employers spanning many fields, including tech, business, non-profit and government.
  • Advice – Commit to attending at least one of the fairs and pre-fair workshops on networking to maximize your experience.

Other events

  • Fact – Each year, Career Services hosts events such as resume review sessions, workshops, employer events, and alumni panels.
  • Advice – Check Handshake or our online calendar for upcoming events.

Use campus resources

Handshake

  • Fact – Employers such as Google, Microsoft, Starbucks and Nordstrom use Handshake to advertise internship opportunities.
  • Advice – Set up your Handshake profile and do some keyword searches in the Job Search section.

Internships for credit

  • Fact – UW Bothell offers several course-based internship opportunities. You can receive academic credit AND pay for an internship.
  • Advice – Talk to an academic adviser to learn about the options you have for receiving academic credit for an internship.

Career Services advising

Work Study

  • Interested in work study? Check out the UW’s Work Study webpage, which includes information on eligibility, pay, schedule, finding a work study job, and forms.

Search online

Employer websites

  • Look for internship info on the websites of employers of interest

General posting sites

Keyword searches

  • Open a browser, type “internship”, and then type something else like an industry, a city, etc.
  • Ex: “marketing internship Boston”

Tips

  • Don’t just search online. Diversify by NETWORKING!
  • Don’t worry about trying all the strategies listed. Pick a few and do them well.
  • Different industries recruit at different times. Some recruit as early as fall for upcoming summer internships. Learn more about typical recruitment hiring timelines by industry.
  • Be patient. Finding the right opportunity usually takes a little time. Stay positive!

Adapted from UW Seattle’s Career & Internship Center resources