Devon Parsons.com

It's Friday. The start of the weekend... but it's also March. That means summer is approaching. And yes, a college student's cleverest way of making money: the summer job!

However, many of my friends aren't looking for just any job, they want something that they can put on their resume. Employment relevant to their career field. Granted, most of my friends are only freshman like myself, but they asked me how I lined up my summer internship.

Here are my helpful tips for landing that internship:

• RESUME. It amazes me how many people I know in college that don't have a resume together. Do this first. Get it updated and relevant. There are tons of sights for improving your resume. This site was especially helpful. Remember, one of the most important things is to keep your resume to one page so it's easy to hand out.
• SEARCH. All over, far and wide. While the University of Florida job fairs have passed (held once a semester, usually at the beginning), use the Career Resource Center or relevenant institution to help you find employers. You can also use Google or other search engines. For instance, if you're in Marketing, Google "marketing internships" or if an engineering student, "engineering internships in (your state)."  You'll be amazed at what these searches can pull up. For example, Vault's page has top internships, describes different company programs, etc. They even tell you how to apply to an organization through through there. Another choice is look at company websites that interest you, and find a contact on there, such as a Human Resources individual. They can often personally help you in describing if they need interns and/or the relevant process.
• NETWORK. It's true, I think there's a statistic that most people get jobs through someone they know. Same holds true for summer positions and internships. You'll be amazed at the different people you'll meet just by sending out an email. Find people your parents or friends might know that are in a field you're interested in.
  
• DON'T GIVE UP. You WILL GET REJECTED. Did I say that clearly? YOU WILL GET REJECTED. Maybe a thousand times over. But it's worth it for that one opportunitity that comes along. For example, I attended the UF Fall Career Fair, and was told by nearly every company in the building that they weren't looking for first-year-in-college interns--rather they wanted juniors so they could potentially hire them after graduation. On the way out, I handed my resume to a lady at the Frito Lay booth and struck a conversation with the representative. She said they do accept freshman, but she couldn't guarantee anything. A phone call and a few interviews later, I'm the first freshman they've ever hired as a summer intern at their factory and base of operations in Orlando.

Keep these things in mind as you search. The online world has trillions of nooks and crannies where opportunities exist. Hopefully you won't end up flipping burgers (unless you're passionate about it or a food service fanatic) and can find a position that relates to what you want to do. Not only will you get to see if you actually LIKE the field you think you're interested in, but you'll build the foundation for a future career.

Even if you are just a silly freshman.