Internship Search: Informational Interview Request vs Direct Internship Opportunity Inquiry

Hey Monkeys,

Searching for a spring/summer internship currently and was wondering what is the preferred method for results.
I've tried using the informational interview request for cold contacts to no avail.
Wondering if I should continue requesting informational interviews or if I should be much more direct and ask for internship opportunities.

Does anyone recommend cold calling over emails?

Much appreciated,

GT3RS

5 Comments
 
Best Response

From my experience, generally you want to ask to do an informational interview first. Most people you reach out to on LinkedIn will see that you are a student and will infer that you are looking for a job. The informational interview gives you a chance to talk about yourself as well as get to know the other person, their job, and their firm. From there, you should ask for help with getting an offer.

It also depends on the other person's receptiveness, it seems most people won't be really willing to help you right away in terms of referrals. I've had people refer me right away and respond to my LinkedIn messages with "send me your resume" and have had waited a year before another person referred me. You gotta foster the relationship over time and I don't mean like hitting them up every month (this depends on the person though).

 

I'm in a similar spot right now. I've been reaching out to firms since December and have been directly asking for internships. A lot of people don't reply (so I would email them a few weeks later), most will say no, and some will want to learn more. I'm at the last stage right now and am in the middle of a few leads: 2-3 PWM at BB regional offices, 1 PE firm, and 1 small consulting firm. No offers yet since I'm basically waiting to hear back from these places. But I'd definitely say be as direct as possible and ask for an internship since it is getting kind of late.

Also, great username :)

 

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