No work experience? No problem! Tips for landing your first internship.

By Elena Mathern, BS ‘25, Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management

An internship will help you develop job skills, explore your interests, and gain real-world job experience, all while expanding your professional network. Still, it can be overwhelming to find your first opportunity. To help you on your career journey, we’ve gathered some essential advice to get started. 

CFANS undergraduate students need at least one experiential learning activity before graduating. Some majors must complete an internship or professional experience and reflect on that experience in a meaningful, career-preparation/career-readiness manner. Courses CFAN 3096: Making the Most of Your Professional Experience and CFAN 4096: Reflecting on Your Professional Experience are one way to meet that requirement, but the first step is to acquire an internship experience that you can reflect on. Here are some steps to help you get started. 

Reflect on your interests 

Depending on your personality, values, and skills, you might already know jobs that overlap with your professional interests. It is important also to consider the common job requirements, responsibilities, and work environments to see if you can envision yourself in those roles. Consider taking an assessment, like the CliftonStrengths for students or the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator, and see if the results resonate with you. 

You can also get inspiration from other CFANS students in your major by browsing the past internship database. This list can give you ideas of places that have employed students like you and are likely to hire students each year. 

Create your resume

Your resume is your opportunity to make a first impression on a future employer. If you’re starting from scratch, find a free template on Google Docs or Canva and fill in your information and experience. As a student, you may not have much experience in the career field yet, but you can appeal to hiring managers through your personal summary and motivations for the job you are applying for; consider a functional resume (instead of a reverse chronological resume) to emphasize your skills rather than your work experience. UMN Career & Internship Services has helpful resume tips, and offers resume review sessions and appointments with a career consultant.

If you’re worried about a lack of experience, there are creative ways to fill in the gaps. Consider including academic projects, relevant coursework, club activities, and leadership positions you’ve held. Ingrid Schneider, CFANS faculty member, and career advisor, encourages students to add volunteer work to their resumes. “Volunteering is a flexible first step to explore organizations, their culture, and the types of positions they offer,” she says, “plus, you'll connect with others and expand your network.”

CFANS students have access to Quinncia, a career preparation platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyze your resume, just as many employers do now, through their application portals. Using Quinncia, you can see if your resume is compatible with modern employment practices.

Create a LinkedIn profile and explore online job sites

Now that you have an up-to-date resume, create—or update—your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is like your virtual business card, a professional social network, and an active job board. 

When assembling your profile, you will want to upload a professional headshot as your profile photo. At this stage, you may only have your senior photo catalog from high school, which is perfectly fine! As long as it looks professional, it can be a placeholder for your future headshot. Keep an eye out for events on campus that offer free professional headshots. 

Another helpful job board for your search is Handshake. Handshake advertises job postings alongside resume review services, career consultation resources, and event information (e.g., webinars held by a hiring company). As a partner with the University of Minnesota, Handshake is a helpful resource for connecting with career fairs and employers, getting insight into what it’s like to work for a company, and more. 

Build your network

Networking is invaluable—your connections can open unexpected doors. “Your 30-second personal commercial can be shared in professional and non-professional settings, illuminating connections where you least expect it,” adds Schneider. "UMN has a tremendous alumni base, and your professors are often a wealth of connections.”

Add your connections on LinkedIn, and invite classmates, colleagues, professors, and other connections you feel comfortable making. It helps to add a personal note referencing how you know each other or where you met. 

A mentor can expand your network, and is one more person who is invested in your success. Sign up for the CFANS Mentor Program by September 30 to be matched with an alumni or other friend of CFANS for the school year. And keep an eye out for CFANS Networking Night and other events on campus.

Another way to network is to attend a career fair on campus. So, if you have been waiting for a reason, this is a push to break the ice on that career fair you’ve been putting off. Upcoming career fairs include the Built Career Fair, Government & Nonprofit Career Fair, Environmental Internship and Career Fair, and the UMN Job and Internship Fair—all happening this school year! At career fairs, you can connect with employers, get a free headshot, and learn about job and internship opportunities. Check out the event descriptions to RSVP, gather your materials, and prepare for these career fairs beforehand so that you can show up ready to network.

Apply!

Now that you’ve prepared, you are ready to apply. Select a few opportunities that you’re excited about. Having your resume ready to go and ideas about your interests can help guide you to the opportunities you want to consider. Application due dates vary by organization, so begin your search early if possible. And remember, ask for help throughout the process! Your professors, mentors, and Career Consultants are all resources you can tap into.