5 tips for career-launching internships

Internships are vital stepping-stones for undergrads navigating the transition from student to young professional. But how should you go about finding the right one? What can you do to prepare for it? And what steps might help ensure you succeed once your internship begins?

Here are five tips and insights for college students from Jamil Price, North America Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition, Early in Career at Johnson & Johnson.

1. Find the right internship

The first step to finding the perfect internship? Getting started early—and planning ahead.

"The planning process shouldn't kick off in the middle of your senior year," Jamil says. "Instead, it needs to start freshman or sophomore year. The moment you set foot on campus, you have an alumni network you can leverage."

As a first step, he thinks it’s a good idea to try to identify companies that might be a good fit for you, based on factors like company culture, before dialing in on specific roles. Once you’ve done that, Jamil says, “It doesn't hurt to apply for multiple roles that you're qualified for—doing so demonstrates interest, and it certainly won't be held against you.”

He also thinks students should secure recommendations from their professors as early as possible.

Finally, in the event you aren't offered an internship you’ve applied for, don’t take it personally. According to Jamil, “Not landing an internship really just means it’s not the right fit for you right now. But all of that could change by the time the next application cycle comes around."

2. Get your resume ready

Admittedly, resume writing is nobody's favorite pastime. But Jamil has some advice to make what might feel like a daunting task a little bit less burdensome for you.

For starters, take advantage of resources that are already available to you. Your career resources center at your school can provide practical guidance, advice and best practices on everything from CVs to cover letters.

In terms of the document itself, Jamil says try to be "simple but precise."

"Your resume shouldn't be exceptionally long," he says. "For virtually all undergraduates, one page is the right length for a resume."

Borrowing some of the language from the job description or careers page, and using it in your resume, can be an effective strategy, too—and may even help ensure that your resume connects with the recruiter or hiring manager.

"It's also a good idea to maintain a working draft of your resume, and to frequently update it," Jamil says. "Otherwise, you might omit some of your achievements."

He adds, "Don't underestimate the value of having previous work experience in sectors like retail, food service or hospitality—whatever the case may be. You can learn a lot in jobs involving customer service."

3. Manage your expectations

At Johnson & Johnson, we're transforming patient experiences at the intersection of biology and technology, breaking down barriers to access and addressing the leading causes of mortality today.

But in order to continually innovate and disrupt, we need to be agile—and the projects we pursue, as well as the priorities we set, reflect that.

"While our internships at Johnson & Johnson are structured to support things like learning, development and mentorship, the projects you’ll get to work on aren’t prescriptive,” Jamil explains. “As a result, you'll have to lean into and embrace some amount of ambiguity.”

He continues, “What I mean is that business needs can change, and when they do, it often takes projects in exciting new directions. So once you’re fully integrated into the internship, don't be afraid of uncertainty—or of having the freedom to make your own independent choices."

4. Be proactive once the internship begins

When you decide to participate in an internship—or for that matter, a co-op or Leadership Development Program (LDP)—at Johnson & Johnson, we'll have your back and support your success in critical ways. For example:

• Connecting you with former participants in your internship program who are now employees at Johnson & Johnson
• Providing opportunities for you to build your professional network
• Offering hands-on coaching, guidance and mentorship to help you get the most value out of the experience 

Still, Jamil advises incoming interns to plan ahead: "Try to think in advance about what you want to get out of the internship experience—for example, are you primarily interested in cultivating a skill set or learning about business operations? Because those could be two different pathways from day one.”

5. Network for success

Starting a new internship is naturally an exciting time: You’ll be meeting new people, beginning to build long-term professional relationships—and at Johnson & Johnson, working on projects that could help change the future of health.

But a word for the wise: Networking for networking's sake isn't the best approach.

"There's no reason to try to schedule 100 different one-on-one meetings the first day you arrive," Jamil says. Instead, he recommends a more thoughtful and strategic approach, which he calls "intentional networking." 

"It's important to be intentional and directional in your networking,” Jamil says. “As much as possible, try to align your efforts with your longer-term career goals." 

Join Johnson & Johnson 

Why not land a career-launching internship with a value-based company that's actively creating a world where complex diseases can be prevented, treated or even cured? At Johnson & Johnson, you'll find countless opportunities to create, innovate and make real-world impact—and we'll give you plenty of room to pursue your passions and explore your interests, too.

With that in mind, possible next steps include:

• Learning more about internships, co-ops, leadership development programs or full-time roles for students at Johnson & Johnson
• Checking out all of the jobs we’re hiring for today
• Signing up for our global talent community, which is a great way to stay in touch and get updates about jobs that might interest you in the future