Washington, DC is probably the richest area in the country to mine for internship opportunities. Opportunities abound, although they may not always fill one's needs for schedule, challenge, and wallet. Finding a great internship means going beyond the usual resources of web pages and friends. It means research, ingenuity, preparation, and perseverance.

The following are some tips on a process to ensure you get the most out of your experience. Your internship advisor is available to assist you through any or all steps of the process, although we would certainly encourage you to begin with us!

Identify your needs

What are you hoping to get out of your internship? Do you need to build your resume? Are you looking for your first professional experience? Do you have experience and need to further develop specialized skills? Do you want to explore a career field, try out a fantasy, or position yourself for life after your graduate degree? Are you willing to take a light weight internship to get a big name, or an in-depth position with a lesser known organization? Do you need academic credit for your internship? And do you absolutely need this to be a paid internship? Being aware of your own needs first will help you considerably in being able to find the right internships and in having a fulfilling experience once on the job.

Be flexible

Now that you've identified your needs, which ones are the most important? You want to get congressional experience, but it doesn't need to be on the Hill. What about lobbying firms? The government relations department of a corporation or nonprofit? You know you want to do print journalism. Do you want a daily or weekly publication? What about a trade association's journal? Do you think counting CDs and putting flyers on cars is the only way to break into the music business? If you're changing fields and have a full time job while getting your Master's, how can you incorporate a substantive internship into your schedule? Be open to the right kind of internship that may not seem immediately obvious. Your experienced internship advisor can be very helpful in this regard.

Look broadly and deeply

There are plenty of places to find opportunities. AU Career Web has listings of positions by employers who specifically want AU students. You'll want to check other web sites, such as MonsterTRAK and NACElink, too. There are lots of other resources, as well, such as:

• Networking with faculty and other students
• AU's twice yearly job and internship fairs
• Networking receptions
• Professional associations
• Networking with AU alum through the AU On-line Community
• Informational interviews

Once you've identified organizations and potential openings, you'll want to research those organizations to find out about their mission, their corporate culture, their reputation, etc. The more you understand about an organization, the better you can prepare yourself. Employers have the opportunity to describe these attributes through their profiles on AU Career Web.

Get Prepared

You'd be amazed at the number of resumes that get tossed in the trash because of spelling errors, typos, and other careless mistakes. You will want to prepare the most solid resume you can, tailoring your skills and experience to match that of the internship. Have an advisor critique the content of your resume and make sure that it's absolutely perfect. Even if you feel comfortable in interviews, take the opportunity to role play with an advisor or have a mock interview where you can see yourself on video and understand how you come across to others. You may have a 4.0 or have done research that was stellar in your field, but none of that matters if you can't communicate it effectively. And always have at least three substantial questions to ask about the organization or the position at your interview.

Have a solid position description and clear expectations

Congratulations! You got the internship. But if you and your employer aren't on the same page about what you'll be doing, you'll both be miserable. You should have a thorough, written job description before the interview, but if not, at least get one before you start working. Ask questions about your responsibilities if anything is unclear. And if your new supervisor doesn't already have an appointment set with you to discuss expectations, channels of communication, company policies, etc., take the initiative to ask the first week.

Ask for feedback

For some people it's very easy to ask for constructive feedback, for others it's next to impossible. And for busy supervisors, they may not be as communicative as you need them to be. After the first two or three weeks, ask for feedback on what you're doing well and if there's anything your supervisor would like to see you do differently. It's essential to your learning on the job. Try to have a meeting at least halfway through the internship, and another towards the end. While you may prefer silence and assume everything's OK, you don't want to be blind-sided by a bad evaluation as you depart.

Get a reference and say "thank you"

Never leave an internship without getting a written reference. People change positions and organizations all the time, particularly in Washington. Have your immediate supervisor or someone higher up write you a reference that details your skills, accomplishments, and character traits that you demonstrated while on the job. You may also ask them to describe your areas of potential.

In this competitive economy, internships are key to gaining higher paid, professional jobs at graduation. Following this process will help you get the most out of your experience, and working with your internship advisor can be extremely helpful for an outside, professional opinion as you make your way through a sometimes daunting process.