Written by Kazumi Shiroma

You’re about to finish your second semester, are you ready for your practicum?

Imagine—you’re almost finished with the second semester of your junior year. Just when you think you’ll be taking a break from your hectic academic schedule, you realize you have your internship coming up.

Are you starting to feel worried that you haven’t got a place to go to? You should be. But, fret not. Here are some handy tips to help you become better organized while you’re looking for an internship.

1. HAVE A RESUME

For those of you who didn’t take your OrCom 109.1 requirements seriously, you have to make an effort to fix your resume. Apply what you’ve been taught. Remember, it shouldn’t be too wordy. Ideally, it should only be one page long. Make sure that your resume highlights your skills and not just an award you got in high school. Mentioning organizational experience is much more beneficial.

2. HAVE REFERENCES READY

Not all organizations will ask you for references but it’s good to already have 2-3 people aware that you will list them as character references for your internship. Make sure these are people (preferably professionals outside your circle of friends) who know you well enough to be able to say something about your class performance or work ethic.

3. HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT

NO, I’m not asking you to know what your future holds, what you want to do next, or anything remotely close to that. What I’m suggesting is to have an idea regarding the industry or type of work you would like do to during your internship. For instance, I am highly interested in development and children’s rights, so I scouted for NGO opportunities above other job types. If you aren’t sure, maybe your hobbies or skills can give you an inkling. Do you like music or planning events? Maybe a music business. Enjoyed your PR class? Why not try a PR internship? You know yourself best.

4.START SCANNING FOR OPPORTUNITIES EARLY

I’m completely aware that our semester doesn’t end ’til June. However, many Philippine colleges still follow the June-March calendar for their recruitment—they start posting as early as February. It’s best to start scanning for these internship opportunities on platforms like JobStreet, certain Facebook groups, and also websites of organizations that you are interested in. It’s best to have an internship ready even before you enlist for the summer term so that you won’t have to juggle your internship with your first semester—not that it’s impossible, it’s just a little (quite a lot) stressful.

5. BE PROMPT!

Reply to emails from companies as fast as possible. Don’t make them wait too long because, remember, you’re not the only student looking for an internship. Same goes for your interview/s, NEVER BE LATE.

Best of luck!