You’re one application away from securing your dream internship.
Field experience can be seen as the big final examination you take as a culmination of your program. It’s an opportunity to practice all the concepts you’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world setting.
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is fused in most programs to give students leverage in their chosen industry. However, if there is one thing that post-secondary students find very daunting to do, it’s definitely securing a field experience opportunity. With a loose timeline and the different routes to go, where do you start?
Worry not! Field experience is all about learning from experience. So, we have gathered Humber Polytechnic and University of Guelph-Humber students’ and grads’ field experience hunting stories. These are straight from their internship diary, so you can learn a trick or two in securing your own. Here’s their side of the story:
LinkedIn job postings
Aditya Mohan, a professional writing and communications graduate, recounted landing his purely virtual internship as a content writer at Italics, an India-based content writing company.
Mohan said his journey to securing an internship was not a walk in the park. He began applying to companies three months before the start of field experience season. His approach involved going through different internship roles posted on Indeed and LinkedIn. He also tried sending cold emails to the managers of the companies he scouted from LinkedIn to increase his chances. It took him six weeks to secure one.
“I finally got a reply from Italics, and they were interested,” Mohan excitedly said.
Mohan noted that it also helped him to constantly update his resume and cover letter to suit each position he was applying for. “I also took professional help from my college co-op coordinator to make it close to perfect,” he added.
For Mohan, applying earlier is the best path to go. He recommends starting four to five months prior to the start date since it “requires a lot of time.”
In addition, he said the best advice he could give is to not break under pressure, maintain patience and build a routine by setting a goal each day.
“For example, today, your goal is to apply to 10 companies, and slowly, you will gain more knowledge about the process,” he explained.
Mohan assures that this habit can sooner or later lead you to the company that is best fit for you.
Career Connect
Isabel Anderson, a bachelor of child and youth care student, had completed her summer internship at Carpe Diem Residential Therapeutic Treatment Homes for Kids. This opportunity allowed her to craft activities and facilitate them in a summer camp for the youth. She classified the experience as impactful in honing her facilitation, communication and teamwork skills.
Anderson recalled finally securing her field placement after months of searching. For her, it was not an easy road since most of the job postings that her program referred to were either filled or mismatched from her area of specialization.
Luckily, she found her placement through the Humber website, Career Connect, the exclusive job search site for Humber students and grads. This site offers job postings ranging from full-time and part-time to volunteer opportunities that the Humber community can apply to.
“The place that eventually offered me a position got back to me two weeks before my placement hours started, so you could imagine how nervous I was leading up to the start date,” Anderson said.
Like Mohan, Anderson’s tip for job searching is to “start as soon as you can.” Based on her experience, positions can fill up fast. She mentioned that finding the right placement can get more tedious, especially when the start date for the internship season gets closer. Anderson noted that by starting early, the opportunity to prove yourself to an employer can be less daunting than when they have multiple candidates.
Virtual Career Fair
Christopher Patalen, a bachelor of commerce – accounting graduate, has scored his internship at EY Canada, one of the top accounting firms in the world. His role as a tax staff accountant has helped him pinpoint his strengths, boosted his confidence and kick-started his career.
Looking back, Patalen persistently approached the job search by applying to various positions and companies that aligned with his career goals. He finally sealed his field experience opportunity by participating in the 2nd Virtual Career Fair hosted by his department, the Longo Faculty of Business. In this event, Patalen joined the coaching session, during which he talked directly to employers through group chat sessions. The meeting gave him the chance to get industry insights while gaining valuable job search skills.
One of the industry partners he got in touch with was from EY. This opportunity led him to an internship offer that exceeded his field experience, as he was later on absorbed into the company as a full-time employee.
This is a reminder to always be on the lookout for the career fairs organized by the institution or your home department. These events are valuable in helping you find your next career leap.
Patalen said one of his efforts to help secure an internship was tailoring his applications to highlight his relevant skills, volunteer background and work experiences. He also reminds internship hunters to remain open to learning from every step of the process by showing enthusiasm, seeking mentorship and being clear about your goals.
Cold emails and in-person visits
Haidhee Arancon is in her third semester in the social service worker diploma program. With 600 hours of field placement to complete, Arancon is now a program coordinator assistant at her second field placement in a non-profit organization that offers immigration services to refugees.
For Arancon, the first step she took before applying for field experience was creating a comprehensive outline of the specific skills and knowledge she wished to acquire, alongside the personal interests and goals that she sought to achieve.
“This exercise helped me clarify my aspirations and focus my efforts on relevant opportunities,” she added.
The same clarity has guided her research in identifying companies that resonate with the same interests, values and mission as she does. The process ushered her to carefully select companies that she deemed as a good fit for her.
Arancon’s next step in her to-do list was crafting a polished letter of intent that clearly articulated her enthusiasm and suitability for the available position.
She then submitted the letter of intent together with the necessary application materials through email. Going the extra mile, Arancon also made in-person visits to the respective agencies to leave a lasting impression and demonstrate her commitment.
Arancon said that the careful balance of diligence and patience throughout the process has enabled her to receive acceptance from all five agencies to which she applied.
“When you work towards goals that align with an agency’s mission, you’ll likely feel more motivated and at home in your role, fostering a deeper commitment to your professional journey,” Arancon advised.
Samantha Maquera, a digital communication graduate, found her field experience in the least suspecting place you’ll find it — Instagram. Maquera secured her field experience in the company called North Love Arts Collective as a social media coordinator and production assistant for their short film.
Maquera remembered following the company’s Instagram page when she decided to shoot her shot by directly messaging them. It was the perfect opportunity as North Love Arts was in the process of producing a short film.
Maquera said slipping into their DMs made a huge difference as it presented her an opportunity to meet with one of the founders of the company, where they had a conversation about life, career and goals. The next thing she knew, she received an email from the founder introducing her to the team.
Maquera said networking is an excellent way to get yourself out there. She shared that joining networking events is 100 per cent worth it because you can meet and learn new things about people working in different workplaces.
“It will also motivate and inspire you to grow your community in your chosen career path,” she added.
Coffee chats
Bhumika Juneja, a public relations graduate certificate student, is currently interning at a global PR agency based in downtown Toronto. This opportunity provided her with extensive hands-on learning experience in a professional setting.
Juneja revealed that networking genuinely had been her greatest armour in finding field experience.
“LinkedIn was my best source for making connections,” she remarked.
Juneja recalled reaching out to at least 100 to 150 people from the public relations industry and senior students from the same program through the platform’s personalized notes feature. Advantageously, most of the connections she had were enthusiastic about accepting her coffee chat invitations.
This ushered Juneja’s way to her present internship when she reached out to the PR company’s CEO, who then redirected her to the person in charge of hiring interns. Significantly, this gave her a chance to know more about the company and manifest her interest in joining the company. “Curiosity really matters,” she further explained.
Her advice is to not be very apprehensive about reaching out to senior people. She mentioned that it would also be a good idea to reach out to recent graduates who are out in the field since they understand the struggles of looking for an internship and are most willing to help.
In reflection, Juneja mentioned that the numerous informative meetings she had with industry people have offered her more clarity in her career path and presented her with a bird’s eye view of the PR world. Plus, she had a wider connection in the industry.
Work-integrated learning unlocked!
Field experience is a great practice round for job hunting because you’ll get used to sending applications and have first-hand experience in the selection process. It sets you up for success because you already have one foot in the door.
We hope you got some nuggets of wisdom from these internship diary entries that you can also apply on your own internship journey. Press start, hit send and take these tips to heart. They have braved through the process, now it’s your time to own your field experience adventure! Embrace the process and keep going!
Do you have any other tips for finding internships? Share them with us @shareignite!
Feature image courtesy of Ivan Samkov via Pexels.
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