How To Find Internships on LinkedIn – A Step by Step Guide

LinkedIn has been the go-to place for professionals looking to connect and to scale their careers upwards. It is also an excellent resource for students wondering how to find internships on LinkedIn. Usually, social platforms are more interested in what you ate, what you wore, and where you went. LinkedIn offers a more professional platform to share career prospects and insights. It allows you to pick the minds of various people you look up to career-wise. LinkedIn also helps you to form great networks and showcase your experience.

If you are wondering how to go about landing internships on LinkedIn, we will break down the process for you. A step-by-step guide should help you to start looking up internships easily. However, are there any good reasons why you should consider this platform to search for an internship over others? Here are five good reasons why you should have a LinkedIn profile;

You Are Visible to Companies That Are Searching

Lately, companies do an online background check even for students. Students usually get a bad rap about their social presence. Therefore having a LinkedIn profile will get companies to notice you. When you apply for an internship, the company you are interested in may carry out an online check on you. Having a profile on LinkedIn will help you to showcase a more professional side of yourself. Additionally, this professional platform will help you remain visible in the job and internships marketplace.

A LinkedIn Profile Shows You Are Dedicated

Most students like to have a good time. Social platforms such as Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram are their usual haunts. It is rare to find students on professional platforms such as LinkedIn. By creating a student profile, your dedication to landing internships and building your career is evident. It is a highly sort after trait that recruiters look out for as they scour the internet for internship applicants.

It Helps You to Prepare for Interviews

The LinkedIn platform has a wealth of information about interviews and how to prepare for them. Market leaders in you area of interest will be on hand to help you. Follow their posts to get all the information you need to be ready for your internship interview

An Easy Way to Receive Internship Alerts

In your quest to find an internship, you can program your LinkedIn to send you alerts of any internship opportunities. You will receive these alerts in your email address mailbox, giving you enough time to apply. Furthermore, when you subscribe to internship alerts, you will have a wide variety to choose from one platform only.

A Way to Build Professional Contacts and Networks

Once you build a LinkedIn profile, all you need to do is find relevant industry leaders. Next, connect with them easily via the connect option. You never know what kind of networks these connections will yield. Additionally, these networks may prove to be vital in your future career prospects.

  1. Create an optimized profile
  2. Start networking
  3. Get those recommendations
  4. Join LinkedIn groups
  5. Search for internships that you qualify for
  6. Narrow down the search results achieved
  7. How to write an internship application
  8. Bottom line on how to find internships online

Find Internships on LinkedIn – Step by step

Getting a college education does not guarantee you a paid job immediately. Granted, a few lucky graduates can transition from campus to entry-level employment, but this is not always the case. Finding internships are a sure way of testing the waters of employment and plunging yourself into a full-time career.

LinkedIn is an innovative platform for students to find their first internships, and hopefully, first jobs. Here’s some excellent news: a new portal on LinkedIn tailored to students and recent college graduates now exists! It has a wealth of opportunities and information. You can also find great internships and entry-level jobs geared towards many students if you create your student account.

Here are six guaranteed steps on how to find internships on LinkedIn via this new portal. You can also use your generalized LinkedIn profile to score internships, just as we have detailed below.

Create an Optimized LinkedIn Profile

Not every student has a LinkedIn profile, which is one of the surefire ways of finding an internship here. Start by creating a profile making it as presentable as possible. Forget about Facebook and Instagram showiness; instead, lean towards a more professional look. Take a head shot and post it on your profile picture. Invest in a photo taken by a professional photographer if you can spare a few bucks. The more professional your profile photo, the easier it is for recruiters to take you seriously.

In your profile, remember to include your current qualifications and past school achievements. Any voluntary work and activities will also help give you a leg up as you create your profile. Since your profile acts as your resume, take your time to craft it right. Avoid embellishments. Remember, you will have to prove your accomplishments to the interview panel, so keep your achievements real and factual.

How To Find Internships on LinkedIn: Start Networking on The Platform

Start building your network. LinkedIn will find and suggest connections from your contacts list if you connect your profile to your email list. You may also use the search option to connect with past classmates or colleagues. Your lecturers from your university or college are also great connections to consider. Another great way to build your connections is by using the advanced search button. Type in a keyword associated with your discipline and click on relevant connections.

Connect with as many professionals as possible. It may be a good idea to include a personalized message with some connections. This is especially helpful for those that do not know you. Have an introduction, your qualifications, and what you hope to achieve by making this connection. Don’t be overly friendly; it may turn off most professionals. At this point, you may also begin to receive invitations to connect. Be sure to connect with as many as these connections in the same sector as you are. Unlike social media, LinkedIn connections are mainly business and career-focused. You can easily connect with total strangers without much concern.

Get Those LinkedIn Recommendations

Getting recommendations from past colleagues, supervisors, and workmates is sure to help you optimize your profile further. Reach out to people you have worked with before and recommend your skills and accomplishments. These recommendations are public, and potential employers are privy to them. Recommendations may boost you to find an internship on LinkedIn faster. This is because they help to give more legitimacy to the achievements that you post on your profile.

You can also return the favor and give recommendations to people that you have worked together with in the past. As a professional courtesy, people that you have glowing recommendations from you will feel obliged to return the favor. It is a win-win situation. 

How To Find Internships on LinkedIn: Find and Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups are specific groupings of individuals with similar interests or in the same industry. Find out what groups exist within your chosen discipline and request to join as many as possible. While this is part of networking, it is wider because you don’t have to connect with individuals to join a group.

Once you join any of these LinkedIn groups, look out for internship opportunities available in your sector. You can also put yourself out there by posting about your search. You will be surprised how may hidden gems you will unearth. This can only by achieved by putting yourself out there on a professional platform like LindkedIn.

Search for Internships that You Qualify For

Using the search option, type in your sector of interest. This should be an area of your undergraduate study if you are a graduate student. For instance, if you are hoping to land an internship in the arts sector, search for art internships. Sift through all the results you find and zero in on a few that you feel will suit you best. Keep your options open in this initial search.

You may also search for particular organizations that you would like find an internship in. Search for any existing internships within the time frame you hope take up an internship. A quick Google search of similar organizations may yield surprising results that will widen your scope further. Remember, do not be too picky as you carry out this initial search. Keep your options open.

Narrow Down The Internship Search Results Achieved

Narrow down your search by including keywords tailored towards your area of interest. Include search items such as your location, experience required, and so on. This will help you to find an internship opportunity that suits you almost perfectly. 

Research the organizations with available openings for interns. Your search may include items such as the role you are considering, stipend, if any. Other queries to research include availability of employment after the internship, tenure of the training, among other related queries. You should be able to zero in on a few options that you like and prepare your application.

How To Find Internships on LinkedIn: Writing an Application Letter

Writing an application letter for an internship is not easy to do, primarily if you have never written one before. A good application letter should help you find an internship on LinkedIn quickly. It will also showcase your willingness to succeed in the internship opportunity if the organization picks you. It is the first interview, so to speak, determine whether you will make it before the actual interviewing panel.

Most internship opportunities on LinkedIn contain a mailing address. Use this to send in your application easily. Follow these guidelines to write a kick-ass application letter.

  • Always begin with a greeting – If the recruiting manager’s name is on the LinkedIn application, be sure to include it in the greeting.
  • Introduce yourself and mention the position you are applying for clearly. This is also an excellent opportunity to include an achievement you have that lines up with the position you are applying for.
  • Explain in detail your educational qualifications and any other achievements that are relevant to the internship opportunity.
  • Remind the hiring manager why you will be a valuable asset to the company for the duration of your internship with them. 
  •  Let them know that you are available for an interview as soon as they are ready to have you. Some organizations may ask for two to three dates that will work well for the interview, be sure to list these.
  • Proofread your application letter for grammatical errors, spelling, and clarity issues. Try to read it out to yourself or a few friends, and you may catch a few mistakes you missed this way.
  • Before sending it on to the recruiting manager, consider saving it in PDF format. However, check to see how they prefer to have it.

Bottom line 

The bottom line on how to find internships on LinkedIn to first ensure that you set up your LinkedIn profile. Once it is up and running, following these steps mentioned above. They should hopefully get you on track to scoring an internship before you know it.

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