Undergraduate Student Internships
Student Resources
Undergraduate Student Interns -
Career Preparation Resources
SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTY
Colleges & Universities
- Check out Handshake, or the job board website specific to your college. Join Handshake to explore career options, find jobs and internships, and connect with employers. For assistance with Handshake and career exploration support, visit the career center at your college.
- To search for internship opportunities at local companies, we encourage you to search internship postings by typing ”college student summer internship in San Diego or Imperial County” or “early career programs” in the search field on websites such as:
- https://www.indeed.com/
- https://www.simplyhired.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/
- https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/
- For federal government jobs, use: https://help.usajobs.gov/early-careers
- For local government jobs, use: https://www.governmentjobs.com/
- Research companies in your field of interest and check their careers pages for internship opportunities
- Attend Career Fairs at your college to network with employers and learn about internship and employment opportunities
- Network with friends, family, professors / college staff, and alumni who may have relevant connections. Many start this process by first creating a LinkedIn account.
- The Big 4 Accounting Firms (Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG) have robust internships programs – but you need to apply early so it’s most likely too late for this summer.
In San Diego, here are just a few companies / organizations that often have internships:
- County of San Diego; City of San Diego; ASML; General Atomics; Port of San Diego; Qualcomm; SDGE; Viasat
- From the San Diego Regional EDC – Ready to launch your career with an internship or job in San Diego? Good choice. We’re the #1 most fun city in the U.S., a top 3 science hub, and making waves in tech, life sciences, and more…and we’re ready for you to be part of our story. Sign up here to learn about the latest jobs and internships at San Diego’s coolest companies, delivered to your inbox each month.
In Imperial, Imperial Irrigation District has a large internship program.
Here are some videos you might find helpful:
- Resume Examples
- Harvard Example Resumes & Cover Letters
- Examples from Carnegie Mellon University – different year examples
- Examples from Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business
- Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab
- Canva Free Printable Examples
- Zefy Resume Builder
- Resume Worded
- 7 Types of Resumes To Use in Your Job Search (Plus Tips)
- How to write a Functional Resume
- How To Tailor Your Resume To a Job Description
- Resume vs CV
Video Resources:
- University of Pennsylvania Resume Workshop Video (Categories and What to Include)
- Mesa College Resume Workshop Video (Categories and What to Include)
- Resume Writing 101: A Guide for Students
- How to Write a Student Resume
- Resume for College Students: How to Write Your First Resume
- How to Use Resume Action Verbs Step by Step
- How to Tailor Your Resume to a Specific Job
Helpful Guides:
- Creating a Resume with No Experience (Coursera)
- Indeed (example 1) and another Indeed article
- Resume Writing 101
- Monster
- Indeed article
- Resume Builder article re: Relevant Coursework
- TopResume article re: Relevant Coursework
- University of Wisconsin examples
- PennWest article and examples
- DePaul University examples
- UC Davis Career Center: Incorporating Class Projects (Video)
- Ohio State University: Adding Projects to your Resume (Video)
- How to Effectively Include Projects to Your Resume
- My Perfect Resume: How to List Projects on a Resume
- Cover letter Examples
- Indeed Cover Letter Samples for Different Positions
- Harvard Business Review article
- Cover Letter Tips and Examples
- Glassdoor Cover Letter Template
- USC Online: Should Your Use AI to Write Your Cover Letter?
- University of Michigan’s Career Center: AI and Cover Letters
- Forbes: Your Cover Letter Still Matters – Here’s How to Use AI to Write It
Video Resources:
- Ohio State University Career Services
- How Harvard Teach their Students to Write a Cover Letter
- Harvard Business Review: How to Write a Cover Letter that Sounds like YOU
- Write an Amazing Cover Letter: 3 Golden Rules
- The 4 Sentence Cover Letter that Gets You the Job Interview
Lots of colleges and universities have guidance and examples online through their career centers. Examples:
Email Etiquette:
- Indeed: 28 Email Etiquette Rules for the Workplace
- Grammarly: The Dos and Don’ts of Business Email Etiquette
- UCLA: Email Etiquette in the Workplace
- UNC Charlotte: Effective Email Communication
Examples & Resources:
- Acceptance/ Declining email
- After Interview Email
- Business Email Templates
- UC Irvine’s Division of Career Pathways: Cover Letters and Professional Correspondence
- UCF College of Business Administration: Professional Communication Examples/Templates
- University of Oregon Sample Emails for Job Search
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Writing Email Tips and Samples
- Grammarly: 10 Professional Email Examples for the Workplace
- Talking to Your Manager About…
Video Resources:
- Santa Clara University: Professional Communication
- Harvard University: 8 Ways You Can Improve Your Communication Skills
- The Beginner’s Guide to Professional Communication
- Indeed: 10 Communication Skills for Your Life and Career Success
- Coursera: What is Effective Communication? Skills for Work, School, and Life
Talking to Your Boss / Supervisor:
- Indeed: 27 Do’s and Don’ts for How to Talk to Your Boss
- UT at Austin: How to Have a Difficult Conversation with Your Supervisor
- 3 Templates for Tricky Conversations with Your Boss
- University of Waterloo: Do You Have a Busy Boss? 4 Tips to Help you Navigate This
- Monster: How to Talk Back to Your Boss
Video Resources:
- Indeed: How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
- Indeed: How to Ask Someone to be Your Reference
- Coursera: How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
- Stanford: Asking for Letters of Recommendation
- Harvard: How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
- Harvard Business Review: How to Ask Someone to be a Job Reference
- University of South Carolina: Etiquette when Requesting a Letter of Recommendation
Portfolio Resources
- Indeed Article
- LinkedIn: How to Build a Job-Winning Portfolio to Stand Out in Your Job Search
- Tufts Career Page
- Using Canva to make a Portfolio
- Adobe Portfolio Guides and Templates
Video Resources:
- Parkland College: What is a Career Portfolio?
- 4 Developer Portfolio Projects (Computer/Developer)
- How to Create an Engineering Portfolio
- Create an Effective Digital Marketing Portfolio
- Mock-up Work Portfolio for Entry Level Digital Marketing Position
- Using Google Sites for a Portfolio
Writing Sample Resources
- How to Write a LinkedIn Summary
- 3 Tips For A LinkedIn Profile Summary
- 14 LinkedIn Profile Summaries That We Love (And How to Boost Your Own)
- The Secret to Building a LinkedIn Profile That Gets Results
- The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Students
- UC Riverside’s Career Center Presentation by LinkedIn
- LinkedIn for Students
- Top 5 Tips to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out
- Manpower Interviewing Guide
- Indeed: Types of Interview Formats and Styles
- University of Rochester: Your Guide to 3 Types of Interview Styles
- Indeed: How to Dress for a Job Interview
- Handshake: How to Prepare for an Interview
- Glassdoor: 50 Most Common Interview Questions
- LinkedIn: Common Questions Practice
- USC’s Career Center: How to Prepare for an Interview
- Emerson College: Interviewing Tips for Undergraduate Students
- Indeed: 20 Tips for Succeeding During Your Zoom Interview
- Coursera: Zoom Interview Tips
- Indeed: How to Prepare for a Technical Interview in 6 Steps
- Google Tech Dev Guide: Interview Prep
- Yale University: Preparation Tools for Technical Interviews
- Columbia University: Prepare for a Software or Technical Interview
- Coursera: How to Succeed in a Panel Interview
Video Resources:
- Harvard University: How to Ace an Interview
- Indeed: 5 Best Interview Tips for College Students
- How to Prepare for a Job Interview as a College Student
- How to Ace a Panel Interview (with Example Questions)
- Last-Minute Interview Prep!
- Top 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions Answered
- How to Answer the 7 Most Common Interview Questions
- How to Impress the Job Interviewers at Every Stage
- Questions to Ask at the End of an Interview
- Phone Interview Questions and Answers Examples – How to Prepare for Phone Interviews
- Top 7 Phone Interview Questions & Answers (Cheat Sheet Included!)
- Top 10 Phone Interview Tips
- Should I Take This Job? What to Consider Before Accepting a Job Offer
The San Diego Mesa College Career Services team has developed several career preparation handbooks and videos for students:
Career Growth Series:
- Connecting Interests with Careers (Recommended to take first)
- Online Career Exploration
- San Diego’s Priority Sectors & Priority Jobs
- Essential Skills for Workplace Success
- Job Quality
- Planning Career Pathways (Recommended to take last)
Job Search Series:
They also offer on-demand training for individuals to instantly access training videos and coursework they are looking for: https://workforce.org/ondemand/
College Career Services Resources
Community Colleges
Although the resources may look slightly different at each college, they all share similar goals and opportunities to support students for work experiences while in college and upon graduation.
Each community college has a Career Center. As part of their services, they typically have student employment services for on-campus jobs, a career center to help support external work experiences, a job board platform, and cooperative work experiences where a student can earn college credit and acquire on-the-job training simultaneously.
Career Center Links
- Cuyamaca College Career Center
- Grossmont College Career Center
- Imperial Valley College Career Services Center
- MiraCosta College Career Center
- Palomar College Career Center
- San Diego College of Continuing Education Career Services
- San Diego Mesa College Career Center
- San Diego Miramar College Career Services
- San Diego City College Career Center
- Southwestern College Employment & Internships
Universities
Similarly, the universities all have career services for on and off-campus opportunities. They utilize Handshake as their job board platform, and typically have a wealth of workshops and resources available – many of which are readily available on their websites.
