The Many Ways You Can Find a Creative Internship

Around this time of year, students start to realize that the end of the semester is approaching very quickly. That also means that it’s time to start thinking about applying to summer positions. Whether they be internships, co-ops or placements, it can be difficult to figure out what you want to do and what companies you’d like to work for. As someone who spent second and third year looking for creative internships and successfully landing a few positions, I have some tips and tricks that will help you find the best-suited position for you.

While LinkedIn may seem daunting at first, it is a great tool to help you figure out exactly what positions you might be interested in. I initially thought that I wanted to work in a public relations role, but learned through reading countless job postings that this could mean so many different things. By using a platform like LinkedIn, I was able to search up companies I was familiar with and see their job postings, while also getting recommendations for similar companies or roles that might be of interest. After browsing through for a while, you can head over to the Jobs section and perform your own searches, or look through the recommendations to get a better idea of what different positions actually entail.

The Career and Co-Op Centre has so many resources that can help you find positions, including links to job boards like Indeed, Talent Egg and Magnet (external link, opens in new window) . But, many faculties also have more targeted resources available to you. For example, The Creative School has a wonderful team at the Student Success Centre dedicated to helping students find creative internships and careers. They have Facebook groups, newsletters and plenty of lists of job boards that are specific to creative career goals.

I was also lucky enough that my program had a dedicated internship program with a coordinator that sourced available positions for us. They would post job openings, descriptions, and contact information for the hiring managers at each company online. I actually secured both positions I have had by using this resource. It is incredibly helpful as these companies have already decided that they want to hire a student from the university or maybe even specifically from your program.

For all four years of my undergraduate experience, I have attended and organized several conferences that allow me to interact with industry professionals that I look up to. These events often include panels that help you gain insight into your potential future career, as well as networking opportunities with the speakers. Industry professionals will often want to help students along on their career paths, so these events are a great way to make connections. Through these types of events, I have met so many individuals from my dream companies like Corus Entertainment, CBC and Bell Media. I have also expanded my horizons and goals for what my future will look like! I used to be dead set on working in PR for Film and Television, but from attending conferences, I have learned that I have other interests that I can tap into like project management or media relations

The last piece of advice that I can offer to someone looking for a creative internship is to try and relax. It can be a stressful and vulnerable process to apply, interview and get rejected or accepted to a role. However, you can take extra steps to ensure you’re taking care of yourself through it all. Try to spread out your applications so that you aren’t rushing to finish them all at once. Take breaks to think about other things. At the end of the day, internships are meant to be a positive experience to gain further insights into the industry and discover what you like or don’t for the future. This past summer, I only secured my internship a few weeks before the deadline, and it ended up being the most incredible and supportive job I have ever had. Make the most of your internship experience and don’t be too hard on yourself!