Although internships used to be something mainly for college students, nowadays, even high school students can get in on them. If you want to start gaining exposure to the corporate world and explore potential areas of interest, an internship may be the right option for you.
However, you likely have to compete against college students with ample work experience in order to secure these internships. Additionally, this may be your first time conducting a job search.
It may seem like a daunting task, but securing an internship as a high school student is a realistic and possible thing. I will walk you through how to get one, based on my own experience in getting an internship while still in high school.
Find a mentor
If possible, find a mentor as soon as you begin this process. While it is not a requirement, and you should still be successful if you follow the steps I have listed below, having a mentor will be a great resource to you.
Maybe you have some friends that are currently in college that you could ask for help, or a trusted coworker who is further along in their career than you. Any new set of eyes that can provide you with a unique perspective on your internship search is going to be helpful.
You can ask them for curated advice on how to format your resume, cover letters, and LinkedIn as well as ask about interview tips and tricks. Again, while a mentor is not necessary, it can be a great help to have one!
Use LinkedIn
To start off, you will need to create a LinkedIn profile. Even if you were not planning on looking for internships, having a LinkedIn profile is still a great way to set yourself up for college and you will already be steps ahead compared to other students.
On your profile, you should try to put a professional headshot of yourself as well as a unique background image. However, you likely will not have a professional headshot at this time, so graduation or school ID pictures will suffice.
Try to choose one that is zoomed in and shows your shoulders upward in a high quality image. For your background, you may want to choose a landscape shot of the current city you live in, or the college you will be attending if you have already committed.
Next, you will want to create your “About” section. Here, you’ll need to write a short paragraph about yourself and your goals. For instance, you can start off by introducing yourself and tell readers your year in high school and what high school you go to.
You should also clearly state your goal such as, “I am currently looking for internships in marketing, sales, advertising, and promotions.” Lastly, you should conclude with some interests that explain why you are passionate about the internship learning areas you just mentioned and how you are a good potential employee.
If you are ever unsure of how to structure your profile, you can always model it after a local university student’s profile that looks great!
Next, you’ll want to put in as many things as you can for work experience. Hiring managers will understand that as a high school student, you will have less work experience to draw on, however, there are still plenty of things that are eligible for that area.
For instance, have you had a part-time role at McDonalds? Put that down! Make sure to be accurate with the time you have been working and detail some of the things you did on the job. When you are describing the job, make sure you use action verbs such as “achieved, boosted, enhanced, organized,” or “taught.”
Beyond part-time jobs, make sure you also include any positions you hold in clubs within your school; do not forget to use action verbs here as well! If you are still looking for more things to add, you might be able to add roles such as “Softball Team Captain” or the like.
The education section is simple; put your high school and the years you will be in high school. Moving onto licenses and certifications, you may have some at this point that you did not realize you did. Many high school classes may require their students to take courses and receive certifications. If you ever received a certification award, find it, and list it on your LinkedIn.
Volunteering is another important part that, as a high school student, you may have ample experience in. Many high schools require their students to do mandatory volunteer hours.
If you have volunteered, make sure to list those experiences, again using action verbs that show hiring managers how the skills you picked up there can be applied to their own company.
Lastly, there are the skills, test scores, and languages sections. Within skills, if you have particular knowledge about coding languages, Microsoft Word or Excel, or are even exceptional at public speaking, these are all things that can be listed.
For test scores, list only your SAT or AP/IB scores if they will help, not hurt your case. In the languages section, simply list any other languages you may know as well as your proficiency.
Now, your LinkedIn profile is all set up and you are ready to start looking for roles! Make sure you also have a high school resume that is ready to get sent out as well.
LinkedIn has a specific tab just for jobs that you will be using to search for an internship. In the search bar, you should type in, “xyz internship” and filter according to what you are looking for. For instance, you may specify in-person only or remote.
Most importantly with these filters, you should express that you have entry-level experience. As you look, make sure you look at the minimum job requirements. This will help you filter out many potential internships because a lot of them will likely specify that they are looking for current college students.
Do not get discouraged and continue to apply to any internship that you meet the qualifications of. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications exactly, apply anyways! You never know what may happen.
This content was originally published here.
