Intern Guide Day 2: Apply Yourself

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Sure you've had a job before -- scooping ice cream every summer. But now, you're in college and you have to score an internship. It's like going semi-pro. Whether it's for one of our LGBT internship picks, a judicial externship, or a museum gig, you'll need a professional, concise resume and cover letter.

The Basics

1. Remember that your resume and cover letter is the first impression you make to the internship recruiter. Make sure that your application packet looks completely professional.

2. There had better be absolutely no exclamation marks on either document, unless there's some specific reason (like, you worked at Yahoo! or you write, "I would be an asset to -- Help! I'm being choked as I type this!")

3. No colored paper. Sure it will make you stick out of the pile -- if you want to look desperate.

4. As far as contact information goes, here's a few guidelines:
    a. Use university issued email. If you don't have a .edu email address, go to Gmail, Yahoo, or some other web-based email and make some sort of professional sounding email address, like firstname.lastname@email.com. You may be SexxxyPants2928000@AOL to your friends, but the internship coordinator may figure out you're a freak on the weekends.
    b. Change your voicemail message on your cell phone, at least while you're going through the hiring process. The person trying to hire you will probably not make it through to the beep if they have to listen to three minutes of "Umbrella" to get there.
    c. Don't forget that people can look up your Facebook profile and MySpace pages with your email address. If you've got nothing to hide, just make sure you tidy things up. Just remember, whomever is hiring you is likely smart enough to do a quick background check of you; if they see your Halloween photo of you dressed as Amy Winehouse downing a bottle of Jäger, they'll know who you really are... you probably don't want that.

5. Don't lie. It's unethical, and eventually, they'll figure out you can't actually "speak" German and you weren't "president" of your GSA.

6. Contact information that should be on your resume and cover letter: Name, address, phone number(s), email address and fax (I know, who has a fax?). You could include our website if it's purely a resume/ portfolio kind of thing. Otherwise, leave it out.

7. Thank you notes are so important. When you ask someone (professor, former employer) to write a recommendation for you, send them a thank you note. When you interview with someone whether by phone or in person, send a thank you note immediately after. Emails are OK, but written are better. It shows you're grateful for the opportunity, and appreciative of their time and help.

8. Get as many people as possible to read your resume and cover letter; a professor, your bff English major, a mentor, the writing center at your school... anyone you trust to give you good advice and catch grammar problems.

Your Resume

1. Think twice before using a Microsoft Word resume template. Not only do they tend to be boring and ugly, everyone uses them. You want to look sleek and smart, not run-of-the-mill.

2. Keep it down to one page, you overachiever, you. Every single word on the page counts. Choose the most relevant experience you've had that pertains to the position you're applying for. If you're applying to GLAAD, you may want to highlight the fact that you've written published work, or your sharp communication skills, and leave out your summer camp gig.

3. Trent over at The Simple Dollar, a fantastic personal finance blog, has a straight-forward recipe for putting together a resume if you've never written one before, or you just want to redo yours.
- Make a list of the following topics: Work experience (dates, names of employers, location, tasks, accomplishments); Education (dates, degrees obtained, location); Specific skills; Honors and awards; Other activities of note (professional organizations, special skills, etc.)
-Research the position you're applying for and whittle the list down to your achievements & experiences that properly pertain to your internship (in a different document. The other stuff could apply for a different internship position). If you don't have much, then keep anything that looks respectable.
- Take each work experience and punch it up with specific, action-packed language

Meh: Participated in the development of a data entry program
Better: Developed a high-throughput data entry program in a team-based environment

Cover Letter

The main idea of your cover letter is to tell the person reading it who you are, and highlight your experiences so far. Again, it should be no longer than 1 page, and it should be to the point. The fonts and header on your cover letter should match your resume. Trinity College put together a decent list on how to put one of those together.

More Help

Give Your Resume a Face Lift via LifeClever: This article shows a simple way to make your resume look sleek and professional using easy formatting.

Should You Come Out on Your Resume? via Monster.com: Say you want to apply to a sweet internship at a company or organization that may not be gay friendly. Do what you have to do to get ahead in life but make sure you're comfortable with being out. Don't forget that in some states, it' still legal for someone to fire you because you like other boys or girls. Lame, but that's the way it is (and you can change it!).

25 Questions to Think About Before Your Next Job Interview via Simple Dollar: If the internship coordinator likes your resume/ cover letter,  they might ask for a phone interview, or to meet you in person. Before you go, study up on the position and the place you would like to work for. Trent has some good tips to mull over before you're caught rambling about why "gay rights are like, um, really good, and like important or whatever."

Sample Student Resumes, Cover Letters, and Reference Letters via About.com: Check out other people's resumes and cover letters to get a feel for wording and organization. It's like spying, but for your career fulfillment, not your personal enjoyment.