Graham Center Internships
As part of the Certificate in Public Service, each student is required to complete an internship. The following guide is designed to help students understand what assistance they can anticipate from the Graham Center, their responsibilities, and a timetable for the internship process.
The Role of the Graham Center
The Graham Center will assist students in their efforts to find an appropriate internship. Specifically, Graham Center faculty will help students to:
- Find opportunities in their preferred fields.
- Craft an appropriate cover letter and resume.
- Make initial contact with the organization offering the internship.
The Graham Center is in the process of building an index of internships in various fields. Students can expect that the index will be kept up to date. Center staff will work, to the best of their ability, to open doors for their students in government and non-governmental organizations.
Student Responsibilities
Students are ultimately responsible for finding their internship. Applying for and securing an internship is no different than finding a full-time job, and for many individuals it is the first step on the career path in their desired profession. As such, it is a competitive process. The Graham Center faculty will help to make each student as competitive as possible, but ultimately it is up to the student to secure their intern position.
Timetable for the Internship Process
The application deadline for most summer internships is March 15. Therefore, students should be preparing their materials and thinking about where they would like to complete their internship during the fall semester.
Fall Semester
Students should meet at least once with Graham Center faculty to discuss their interests and preferred internship location before the winter break.
January 15
Students should submit a cover letter and resume for review no later than January 15 and schedule a follow-up meeting with Graham Center faculty at that time.
February 15
Students should send their application materials to their desired employer for the summer. Approximately two weeks later, students should call the internship coordinator at their desired employer to make sure that they have received all the necessary materials.
If you plan to complete an internship during the fall or spring semester, the timeline will need to be adjusted accordingly. Also, if you are entering the program in the spring semester and wish to complete an internship during the summer, proceed with the January 15th timeline.
Helpful Tips for Success
- Be sure that your cover letter and résumé present you in the best possible light. Grammatical errors, misspellings and other careless errors will make you appear just that: careless. You need to convince the person looking at your materials that you are the best person for the job—never give them an easy excuse to disqualify you.
- Apply for several positions. This is a competitive process and you should not pin all of your hopes on one specific internship. Apply for two, three or four other positions.
- Follow up. Mail gets lost, email servers crash, and faxes fall behind the machine only to be found months later. The best way to make sure that your materials were received is to call you prospective employer.
- Be proactive. It is important to be proactive while searching for an internship. For example, if you are interested in an internship in local government, contact your local city manager, city council member or other official. Ask if you can meet with them for a few minutes to find out more about what they do on a daily basis and what issues they confront. Find out if there is an internship program and what you need to do to apply for it. Most professionals will find the time to meet with a student who seems genuinely interested in their work and they will be impressed by your initiative.
- Keep an open mind. If you plan to be a lawyer you could do an internship directly related to your chosen career path. However, you may find that exploring an internship outside of your chosen field might be just as rewarding. Now is the time to explore the range of opportunities and find the career that suits you best.
