Start your career by working for free

"Start now" seems to be the catch phrase for freshmen, sophomore, juniors and seniors alike when it comes to internships. Previous work experience, difficult class schedules and summer vacations aside, students are jumping on the internship bandwagon at an increasing rate, and catapulting into career fields before textbooks are cracked open.

Getting started and making it to that first day of work is mostly self-propelled -- but not without a little help from on-campus resources. Jennifer Saito, a senior at Hopkins, is no stranger to the perils and possibilities of internships. Working as a peer assistant at the campus Career Center, Saito has helped many students, freshmen through seniors, get their start.

"Students should be proactive," she said. "You can't expect a job to fall into your lap. You have to constantly ask questions."

Saito does, however, encourage students to come to the career center, located on the third floor of Garland Hall, for pointers on the process of getting an internship. Students can set up a career center account, which gives center advisors and assistants a personal profile to better understand what each student is looking for in an internship. Students are always welcome to ask questions and meet with peer assistants during center drop-in hours, which are listed on the Web site at http://www.jhu.edu/careers.com, or set up one-on-one meetings with a career counselor.

Saito also suggests that students utilize the internship databases and alumni contact lists available at the center.

"Students should look all the time," she said. "Recruiters are constantly putting stuff in, and alumni are definitely willing to help you out."

Sound a little overwhelming? According to Dawna Milligan, associate director for the career center, the most important thing is getting started. And as a freshman or sophomore, you don't have to have a concrete career plan.

"It's okay if you don't know [what you want to do]. Why should you?" she said. "It's not okay if you don't do anything about it."

Milligan suggests that students start by building a resume and thinking of that resume as a personal ad. Peer assistants and counselors at the center are always happy to read and critique resumes, along with cover letters and portfolios, if necessary. She also encourages students to look at internships as more than just resume builders.

"It's a chance to experience the field and think broadly about a career role," she said.

It's also a chance for exposure, Milligan said. It's a "test-drive," both for the student and the employer. The employer gets the chance to see if the student would be a good employee, and the student gets the chance to see if that particular career field is the direction that he or she wants to pursue. Both Milligan and Saito agree that the end of an internship is not the end of the relationship with that employer.

"They get to know your work ethic," Milligan said. "It's someone who can speak to your experience."

Milligan suggests that students e-mail their internship coordinators every other month, just to keep in touch. These five minutes once every 60 days could be a step to a permanent paying job in the future, or at least a contact to another possibility.

After working with students through the internship process, Saito agrees that one of the best qualities is to be persistent and network, network, network. In the working world, there is no excuse for a summer spent relaxing, or a month of vacationing.

"You really need to justify why you wouldn't or didn't [get an internship]," she said. "By sophomore year, you should be more focused."

Luckily for Hopkins students, the University organizes a number of resources to help students develop a stepping stone. On campus recruiting sessions start at the end of September, during which representatives from major companies network with students and collect resumes for possible jobs and/or internships. The career center also offers numerous forums on interviewing skills, resume critiquing and cover letter techniques. A complete list of upcoming events and additional resources is available 24 hours a day on the career center Web site.

"Come early, come often, just do it," Milligan said. "It's never too early.