My Internship Experience - Part 1

About one year ago, I started my search for a summer internship. It was the fall semester of my junior year in college and I decided that the most important thing I could do to help me after college was to work for the summer before senior year and get experience. I had worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the previous 5 summers and needed some time in the corporate world to boost my resume.

I began by creating a resume (resume samples can be found at About.com and by searching on Google). A great resume won't get you a job, but one with even one minor spelling error can disqualify you. So, in light of that, I asked some friends and family members to edit, re-edit, and re-edit as I continued writing newer versions.

While I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do, I did have an interest in marketing and the tech industry. Luckily, my school had a career fair where I was able to learn about different job opportunities and the requirements that companies had for their new hires. In preparation for the career fair, I printed out 20 copies of my resume, which had been edited to a sickening degree. For me, the career fair wasn't a way to get a job, but a way to weed out the jobs I didn't want. The biggest thing I learned: I don't want to be an investment banker.