Guest Post: 5 Websites for Finding Awesome Internship Opportunities

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Internships can provide entry into dream jobs, adding experience and references to an inexperienced person’s résumé, but finding them can be challenging – especially in a down economy. As with all job searches, the Internet is an invaluable resource for locating the best opportunities.

Whether you’re a recent graduate, embarking on a new career, or a student required to take an internship for class credit, the web can lead you to an internship that will give you the experience you need. Here are five great websites for tracking down the best internship.

• Internships.com—Geared toward college students, Internship.com is often featured on university website. The site has both paid and class credit-geared internships, some of which are virtual. You could ideally complete your work online, from the comfort of the sofa, and not only be paid for it, but have a credit for your résumé.
• InternMatch—This relatively new site tries to be the matchmaker of internships, gathering personality and working style information on members in order to match students with an ideal working experience. This is better for employers, as well, as they can connect with exactly the workers they’re seeking.
• MonsterCollege—Featuring both paid and unpaid internships, Monster’s internship section is geared toward college and graduate students. Don’t discount the job section of Monster, either. Many entry-level positions may provide you the same experience you’d get as an intern.
• Global Experiences—If you’re looking to see the world while getting experience, Global Experiences offers internships in England, Ireland, Australia, and more. The site also includes American internships. Fashion and marketing are the emphasis of Global Experiences, so if you’re looking to learn I.T., this may not be the best site for you.
• InDeed—This aggregate job site has a little bit of everything from around the web. A brief perusal of the internship section of the site showed a wealth of exciting opportunities, including fan relations for an NFL football team and internships at Sony Music. If an internship is listed somewhere on the web, it’s likely findable at InDeed.

Job searching is easier than ever, with the Internet providing opportunities for companies to search far and wide for the talent they need. For students who have a particular company in mind, however, it never hurts to go directly to that company’s website, where internship opportunities may be posted in the employment section. Even if the company doesn’t have internships listed, don’t be shy about contacting human resources to see if an opportunity may be available. Many businesses can easily see the benefit of nurturing new talent at a fraction of the salary.

Stephanie Faris is a staff writer for Masters in Accounting, a growing career resource for individuals interested in starting a career in accounting.